By Dr Bernd Grimm, Secretary General of EORS
The 8th triennial global meeting of Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies, CORS 2013, is coming to Europe and will launch the new I-CORS union.
In the early 1990s, when Europe was inspired by historic changes surrounding the fall of the Iron Curtain, a number of visionary scientists identified and acted upon the need to create a continental platform for orthopaedic research, to unite scientists in a landscape of fragmented national networks. The idea of a European Orthopaedic Research Society was born with some famous fathers, such as Rik Huiskes of the Netherlands, Robin Ling of Exeter, UK; Wolfhart Puhl, of Germany; and Lars Lidgren of Lund, Sweden, to name but a few. Some of these founding fathers later became active forces behind the foundation of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, EFORT. Following the long-established pattern of the successful US-based Orthopaedic Research Society ORS, the European Orthopaedic Research Society (EORS) was founded in 1991. Acknowledging and utilizing its rich European diversity, EORS was registered in Munich, held its first conference in Paris in 1992, operated with board members from ten countries, and set up office in Vienna. As early as 1992, EORS joined the US ORS, the Canadian ORS and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association as founding members of CORS, the Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (CORS) network, aimed at supporting research collaboration at a global level.
EORS grew quickly, becoming established as a platform for basic and clinical orthopaedic scientists in Europe and beyond. It celebrated its 20th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Amsterdam in 2012, when the number of abstracts presented reached a record level. EORS has grown to more than 500 members, who benefit for instance from eligibility for the popular EORS Exchange Travel grant, access to a research group database, quarterly newsletters, registration discounts at meetings of partner societies and special terms for publication in Bone & Joint Research and the European Cells & Materials Journal, the two official journals of the society. EORS is also a partner to EFORT, for which it provides guest symposia, runs a booth at the annual EFORT congress, and leads the Basic Research Task Force.
In 2013, EORS has the great privilege of hosting the 8th triennial meeting of the Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (CORS 2013) in Venice, Italy, from 13-16 October. The CORS network is a 20-year old organization of orthopaedic research societies based in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, Britain, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Europe. It organizes its meetings every three years in continual rotation around the world. Europe and EORS are honored with the organization of this prime event in 2013 (www.cors2013.org).
Globalization has been the driving force in business. It is also sweeping through the orthopaedic research world, in which collaboration, exchange and network-building beyond established circles – especially with growth regions in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East – can reap the greatest benefits for science, education, innovation and patients. “We must actively reach out to our research colleagues in emerging countries, learn about each other’s needs and innovative solutions, exchange our eager talent and unite forces for a new approach to the big orthopaedic challenges.” This is the firm belief of Prof. Nicola Baldini, MD, and Bernd Grimm, PhD, Chairs of CORS 2013. Growing numbers of EU research grants support such partnerships, for which personal networking at a conference like CORS offers the perfect foundation.
The CORS meetings traditionally offer a rich interdisciplinary mix of topics and clinicians, scientists and industry experts in all orthopaedic research fields in clinical practice, biology, biomaterials and biomechanics, presenting basic, translational and applied studies.
In addition, the primary theme of 2013 is “Building Global Research Networks.” This is reflected in symposia, dedicated keynote speakers, awards and calls-for-papers on global orthopaedic concerns such as trauma, infection, remote health care delivery, traditional medicine, cost-effective treatments, training and education, and more.
New orthopaedic research societies from Asia, Africa, India, Latin America and the Middle East have been invited to contribute to the Venice meeting and join in the festivities to mark the foundation of the new International CORS (I-CORS) union. The new I-CORS is the unanimous initiative of old and new CORS members who met this year at ORS in San Antonio to initiate global collaboration in orthopaedic research. This new spirit will come alive at CORS 2013 in Venice.
For further information on the congress: http://www.cors2013.org.
CORS 2013
