About Collaborative Centres


The ECCs are clinical microbiology and/or infectious disease centres of excellence in Europe and beyond. They attract and welcome ESCMID members from abroad to learn about diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and organizing services as well as to establish new contacts and foster international exchange.

Requirements

We ask prospective centres to provide a description of the department, geography, city and hospital, together with a profile of competences, staff and services and the main interests and achievements of the institution. Any special epidemiological characteristics of the country or area should be described. Institutions can be clinical (medical) microbiology, clinical bacteriology or virology services, infectious disease units or a combination of these. Microbiology and infectious disease departments within a given hospital are encouraged to apply either jointly or individually. With joint application, please note that departments need to complete separate application forms.

Two external references (name, affiliation, email) should be supplied with the application, one of whom should be from another country.

A Collaborative Centre must be prepared to accept at least one ESCMID Observer per year. The length of the visit is agreed between the Centre and the Observer but should normally be between one day and one month.

ESCMID also encourages institutions outside Europe to apply as ESCMID Collaborative Centres.

Collaborative Centres must be able to communicate with the observer in English. Additional languages of communication at the ECC shall be indicated in the application form.

Benefits for Collaborative Centres

We hope that Institutions from many parts of Europe will apply and be rewarded by the prestige and profile that it will engender. To have ESCMID members from other countries visit ones facilities is stimulating and educational. Furthermore, ESCMID members from Collaborative Centres will be given priority when applying for Observerships in other Collaborative Centres.

Application procedure

ESCMID Collaborative Centre applications are a two step process. Applications can be submitted throughout the year and are normally processed within 2 months. In Step 1 of the application, you need to submit a short profile as well as the name and email of two external references. Please note that one external reference should be from another country. In Step 2, you will be asked to provide more details about your institution/department for potential Observers. ECCs who have not completed step 2 of the application process within 6 months after they have received the conditionally approval, will be removed from the website. The ESCMID Office will send at least 2 reminders to the ECC applicants within this timeframe. Important: an institution is only allowed to accept ESCMID Observerships after the successful completion of Step 1 and Step 2 of the application process and after the Observer has been approved by ESCMID. The Observership applicants have been informed that they need a written acceptance from an ECC before they can apply. Applicants may apply for a joint ECC with another ECC in the same city in a different field, e.g. a CM department with an ID department. Observers may then apend time in both departments during one visit.

 

Approval procedure

The applicant is mainly judged on what they can offer would-be observers. Obtaining an ESCMID collaborative centre status or an ESCMID observership should not in any way be considered a quality stamp by ESCMID. The submitted information, when checked for completeness by the ESCMID Office, is presented to the ESCMID Executive Committee. It is important to describe in some detail (i) the scope of the services and (ii) what the centre considers it has to offer an ESCMID Observer. When applicants are not immediately known to one or several ESCMID officers, reviewers are consulted.  Once the application has been conditionally approved the applicant is informed by the ESCMID Office and asked to complete Part 2 which includes more administrative information.

 

Evaluation

The ECC should host at least 2 Observership visits within 2 years, otherwise its ECC status will be reviewed and possibly withdrawn.

Online application form

If you are interested to become an ESCMID Collaborative Centre, please apply now and proceed to the application form.

Application form (registration is free)