Central to the realisation of the goals of the Lisbon Agenda is the need to promote the knowledge economy, in particular through research, technological development and innovation (RTDI). EU support for RTDI is provided mainly through the Seventh Research Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the Structural Funds. 
Edited by Kevin Dean
This Vision Paper is a creative synthesis of many ambitious ideas about possible developments in the field of telehealth. These imaginative glimpses of telehealth futures, crafted by some of the leading health and technology experts in the field, project a fascinating new world of personal health possibilities that could become very real within the next few years. 
Grid technology, one of the key technologies for the 'European Research Area', offers rapid computation, large scale data storage and flexible collaboration by harnessing together the power of large numbers of computers, from end-users' desktops to powerful workstations and clusters of more powerful machines. The grid was devised for use in scientific fields, such as particle physics and bioinformatics, in which large volumes of data, or very rapid processing, or both, are necessary. 
This review has been taking place alongside the NHS Next Stage Review (NSR) and reflects the informatics requirements of that review. Groups of staff, patients, carers and the public have been looking at clinical pathways and new ways of providing care. There are needs to support access and choice, the involvement of patients and the public and to meet increasing expectations. These make this the appropriate time for a review of information requirements and how information is provided. The review is also timely because of the technological advances and the rise of the importance of information to society in general. Article of the Month!
The Commission Recommendation on cross-border interoperability of electronic health record systems (hereinafter referred to as 'the Recommendation') has been drafted as a follow-up to the Community eHealth Action Plan which, in 2004, defined interoperability of electronic health records as one of the priorities for Member States in the roadmap annexed to the Action Plan.