International relations
The Agence de la biomédecine, as an expert authority in the domains it supervises:
- Participates in the work carried out together with other, similar European organisations.
- Maintains regular relations with intergovernmental organisations
- Contributes to the development of organ procurement activities in countries in which such activities are less advanced
At European level
The Agence de la biomédecine participates actively in European projects financed by the European Commission. The themes of these projects are of course related to the activities of the Agence de la biomédecine: improving procedures of organ retrieval and transplantation at the European level, activities relating to tissues and/or stem cells… Thus, from 2004 to 2007, the Agence de la biomédecine was the coordinator of the ALLIANCE-O project, an ERANET coordination action of the 6th FP (Research and Development Framework Programme) about organ transplantation. The objective of ALLIANCE-O was to ensure coordination of national research programmes in countries involved in the field of organ transplantation (Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and United-Kingdom). The project was such a success that the partners decided to continue the actions initiated during this project even after the contract with the EC was finished.
The Agence de la biomédecine participates in other European Projects: EUSTITE (European Union Standards and Training in the Inspection of Tissue Establishments), DOPKI (Improving the Knowledge and Practices in Organ Donation), POSEIDON (Promoting optimisation, safety, experience sharing and quality implementation for donation organisation and networking in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Europe), HESc REGISTRY, ETPOD et NEPHROQUEST
Internationally
The Agence de la biomédecine has been involved, for several years, in many overseas aid activities in developing countries, placing its own expertise and that of French hospital teams, in particular, at the disposition of these countries, particularly in the domain of renal transplantation and the establishment of tissue banks. Morocco, by setting up a legal framework for graft procurement and transplantation activities and policies for the management of renal insufficiency, has become a leading example of such co-operation. The agency also provides technical support in Tunisia and carries out support actions in Bulgaria and, more recently, in Vietnam. All of these activities have been made possible by funding originating essentially, until this year, from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Agence de la biomédecine also co-operates with the World Health Organisation in the implementation of its policy relating to the procurement and transplantation of organs and tissues.
