Communication and coordination in the Human Metagenome field

To promote the necessary international cooperation and coordination in the human Metagenome field, MetaHIT took an active role in the establishment of the International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC). IHMC was presented at the Kick-off meeting of MetaHIT, (Jouy en Josas, France, April 2008) and its constitution was publicly announced at the second MetaHIT meeting (Heidelberg, Germany, October 2008).

To support and accompany the technology transfer policy of MetaHIT, and communicate with patients’ associations, a Stakeholder Platform is being designed. The first action in this direction was to participate in the EuroBioForum organized in Strasbourg in September 2008, in association with the Nestlé Research Centre. This enabled us to present the project to a new audience, introduce potential development and future projects. A first meeting of the stakeholders’ platform is organized in conjunction with the MetaHIT 3rd meeting (Barcelona, Spain, March 2009). Participants from various industries, including human health, food and biotechnology are taking part, as are patient associations.

To inform the general public about the field, the project and its achievements, a MetaHIT website (http://www.metahit.eu) has been created.    In conjunction with MetaHIT meetings, press releases have been issued , resulting in  a number of articles in the national and international press, and some radio and TV coverage. In addition, two short human metagenomic documentary films oriented towards general public have been produced and are accessible on the MetaHIT web site.