TY - JOUR T1 - Levelling the playing field of RMD research across Europe to address patients’ needs: the emerging EULAR Research Centre JF - RMD Open JO - RMD Open DO - 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002456 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - e002456 AU - Katja Reuter AU - Carina Haupt AU - Anna Molto AU - Andrew Cope AU - Ronald F van Vollenhoven AU - Dirk Elewaut AU - Rik Lories AU - Iain B McInnes Y1 - 2022/06/01 UR - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/8/2/e002456.abstract N2 - Herein, we describe the Research Centre launched by the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) in 2020. The Centre aims to facilitate collaborative research on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) across Europe. RMDs disable millions of people in Europe and worldwide. Despite progress with improved therapeutics and strategic interventions in several RMDs, there are no cures, and their collective impact remains substantial. Access to RMD-related care, policies prioritizing RMDs, and related research, education, training, and funding differ significantly across European countries. Building a new equipoise in opportunity and capacity across Europe will facilitate optimal understanding of those different factors that influence the epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and outcomes in RMDs. The EULAR Research Centre aims to address the significant barriers to accelerating RMD research across Europe. It provides an RMD research roadmap of unmet needs, expert services, infrastructures, networks, research resources, training, education, and mentoring. It will place RMD research in the ideal position to benefit from forthcoming remarkable advances in digital, biological, and social science anticipated in the coming decades. ER -