2013 Epilepsy Research Forum

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that is characterised by recurrent episodes of cerebral dysfunction, that is, seizures which are caused by excessive electrical discharges of nerve cells. It is one of the most common serious disorders of the brain.
Six million people in Europe have Epilepsy and approximately 300,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
The Epilepsy Research Forum 2013 will seek to contribute to the debate on the coordination of research at national and European Union level as well and to focus on research achievements made to date and the opportunities for further advances.
By bringing together a wide spectrum of stakeholders it is hoped that national and European epilepsy research networks will be better coordinated and targeted.
With an expected attendance of 500 stakeholders, the Conference will stimulate debate on, in the first instance, promoting research into improving the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. The Conference programme will also aim at improving awareness and reducing stigma, in what will essentially be a multifaceted conference engaging clinicians and patients alike.
The specific objectives are:
-to promote and discuss the opportunities for coordinated, targeted and precise innovative research efforts that would build on the significant gains made by basic and clinical research in the past
-the 2013 Forum, whilst aimed primarily at facilitating research opportunities in epilepsy, will also seek to address the optimal standards of care for people with epilepsy which are still unequally distributed in European Union.