On November 30, 2011, the European Commission presented its proposal for Horizon 2020, the financial instrument for research and innovation funding  from 2014-2020. The €80 billion Horizon 2020 will replace the current (€51 billion) Framework Programme 7 (FP7).

A very successful 5^th 'Focus in Pediatric Haematology-Oncology' course was held from October 23-26 in Sorrento in a small, friendly hotel with excellent facilities on the edge of the beautiful southern end of the Bay of Naples.

The current revision of two European Directives that are crucial to successful research into blood-related diseases must ensure the safety of patients and enhance their access to vitally-important treatment.

Research into blood-related diseases saves and improves the lives of millions of EU citizens each year, but lack of awareness of this fact means that too often, funding does not feed directly enough into advancing the treatment of patients.

On the 30th and 31st of August a conference will be hosted in the European Parliament that will demonstrate the leading role hematology will have in securing the future knowledge economy envisaged in the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Dr A van Hylckama Vlieg was recently awarded the very first Joint Fellowships of the European Hematology Association (EHA)-International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) at the16^th Congress of EHA in London, UK.

At the 16th Congress of EHA in London the EHA Jean Bernard Lifetime Achievement Award will be handed to Professor Bob Löwenberg and the EHA José Carreras Award to Professor Douglas Higgs.

On March 11, 2011, H-Net met in Brussels. H-Net is the European Network for Harmonisation of Training in Haematology and is funded by a Leonardo da Vinci Grant from the European Commission, DG Education and Culture. The meeting was attended by most of its partnership which includes the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European School of Haematology (ESH), 23 national societies for Haematology in Europe, and the universities of Liverpool and Uppsala.

In collaboration with the Japanese Society of Hematology (JSH) EHA organizes a Joint Symposium at the annual congress for the first time. Two lectures will be included in this special session.

The session is scheduled on Saturday June 12 from 8:30 - 10:15.