Education: the most powerful tool for progression and excellence in Europe

Article

Why is it that education & training are sometimes regarded as a chore and an unnecessary obligation?

The future of our industry depends on the young

Presently, highly qualified and motivated individuals present a bottleneck for the sustainable development of knowledge in vision research and ophthalmology and the translation of research results into clinical management and therapeutic application. Therefore, one of the most urgent challenges is posed by the dearth of excellent young researchers. An integrated approach to substantially promote the careers of young physicians and scientists is an absolute necessity and the only guarantee for the successful future of ophthalmologic research within Europe.

On the European level, an attempt was made to address the lack of young academics through the creation of the European Research Area (ERA) in 2000. In the same year, the "Lisbon strategy" was set up during the Portuguese summit and reinforced in 2002 at the Barcelona summit with the dedicated goal to help Europe become the "most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010". Basically, the EU set a target, which encouraged EU Member States to increase the percentage of gross domestic product they spent on R&D to achieve the 3% target set.

The Marie Curie philosophy

Under the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, the Marie Curie Actions scheme was created to offer valuable assistance to scientists in all disciplines and with all levels of experience. The aims of the scheme are to develop and transfer research competencies, to widen researchers' career prospects and to promote excellence in European research through, amongst other things, the merging of disciplines and experiences to implement structured training programmes. Networks throughout Europe that have been established as a result of Marie Curie Actions also aim to achieve a critical mass of qualified researchers, especially in areas that are highly-specialised and still fragmented, such as the European vision research community, and to contribute to overcoming institutional and disciplinary boundaries, notably through the promotion of multidisciplinary research.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Christine Curcio, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, shares histology update and revised nomenclature for OCT with Sheryl Stevenson of the Eye Care Network and Ophthalmology Times
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.