Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC)

The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, founded in 1921 includes five campuses (Milano, Brescia, Piacenza-Cremona, Roma and Campobasso) which cover 14 faculties, 52 three-year major tracks, 42 graduate level degrees, 1 four-years degree, over 100 master tracks, 53 specializations and 5 Postgraduate Schools. The extensive research program closely collaborates with 16 internal colleges, 62 departments and 93 research centres. Their common goal is the understanding and study of those topics that have proved vital to the well-being of each human being: the new frontiers of economics, bioethics, environmental recuperation, developments in the judicial fields, family dynamics, major mass phenomena, the evolution of political systems, new horizons in medicine, the technological applications of physics and mathematics, and the most recent discoveries in environmental research. The School of Medicine, established in Rome in 1961, covers all modern medical disciplines as well as some of the most considered medical scholars in the world. In addition to the courses of Medicine & Surgery, Nursing sciences, Physiotherapy, Public health, bioethics biomedical science and a variety of other clinical subjects, there is a School of Health Management and Economy. The School of Medicine provides healthcare through the teaching hospital Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli (www.policlinicogemelli.it) that, with 1400 beds and a turnover of 70.000 patients annually, is part of the National Health Service as a hospital of national relevance at high specialization. The University and the Policlinico Gemelli’s activities are compliant with relevant regulatory and with all recognised standards. UCSC’s Ethical Committee, founded in 1988, is a resident body that operates in total independence also on behalf of third parties seeking assessments or advice. Within this framework, ethical issues are analysed, discussed and assessed by means of inter and multi-disciplinary methodology. The Committee offers also training in Ethical evaluation and monitoring and related issues and activities.
In the framework of EDEN project (FP7, concluded 2016) UCSC organized within the FPG premises two full-scale live exercises. The exercises were focused on the hospital response to a chemical event, it involved more than 200 participants from European countries. FPG staff also actively participated in the training and in testing new technologies proposed by the EDEN partners.
Within EU Projects EDEN (FP7, concluded), Reaching Out, NO-FEAR and ENCIRCLE (H2020) UCSC is providing ethical monitoring and supervision through the evaluation of different tools and demos and the ethical review of selected deliverables. In terms of management of research activities, the University has 3 main and Research Support Structures, one in each of the three main campuses (Milan, Rome and Piacenza).
The University has also a Brussels based office: it supports Project activities, reinforces dissemination activities and supports the liaison with the European Commission.
The School of Medicine in the last 5 years has participated to 52 health related European and International projects: 6 have been successfully coordinated by UCSC.

UCSC is a Leader of the Work Package 6 - Link with other projects and new acquisitions, furthermore it will organize a Joint Action (live Demonstration) in the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli premises focusing on medical and hospital aspects of an RN trauma/trauma event. UCSC is a Task Leader for the 1.2 - Ethics administration and 6.2 - Training Facilities mapping and support in joining the federated cluster and will contribute in Task 5.1 - Joint actions as associated location.