The new HemaFAIR research project has been announced by the Department of Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia (DMGT) at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING).

According to the announcement, the project, which will last for 36 months, has received funding of €1,499,976.25 from the Horizon Europe program's Twinning Bottom-Up scheme of the European Commission. Led by the head of DMGT, Carsten W Lederer, HemaFAIR is being implemented in collaboration with four European centers: the Fondazione per la Ricerca Farmacologica Gianni Benzi Onlus (Italy), Vall d’Hebron Hospital (Spain), Amsterdam University Medical Center, and Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands).

Funded through the Coordination and Support Action (Horizon CSA), HemaFAIR aims to highlight Cyprus’s innovation potential and disseminate scientific excellence through a European network. The program brings together top experts in rare hematological diseases, biomedical informatics, ethical and regulatory issues, and patient-centered research. By applying the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) to data, the project seeks to enhance research and data on rare hematological diseases. As a reference center for most rare diseases in Cyprus, CING aims to set a standard for scientific excellence and competitiveness while strengthening research management and administrative skills.

Under the leadership and coordination of Dr. Petros Kountouri, a scientist at DMGT, HemaFAIR will develop and implement a comprehensive training program and several capacity-building and networking activities. The project will also demonstrate the FAIRification process—transforming data into findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable formats—on two existing platforms for hemoglobinopathies, a group of rare hematological diseases that are particularly prevalent in Cyprus, thereby maximizing the project's impact on the local community.

The ultimate goal, it adds, is to promote multicenter research based on data on rare hematological diseases, disseminating training activities to the scientific community, patient support groups, policymakers, and the public in Cyprus.