Sofia Welcomes the Closing Meeting of the Twinning Light Project in Bulgaria on Communicable Diseases

The project was divided into 7 Components for a total of 144 man days, and had a duration of 6 months, during which a pool of 15 experts carried out 43 missions of training and technical assistance to the National Centre of Infectious and Parasitary Diseases (NCIPD) in Sofia. In addition to the work days conducted in Bulgaria, a study visit to Italy to the National Health Institute (ISS - Istituto Superiore di Sanità) took place, with the involvement of 6 officials from NCIPD.
At the final event, representatives from the Bulgaria institutions – Ministry of Health, NCIPD, the European Union representation to Bulgaria – as well as  representatives from the Italian institutions and researchers from Bulgaria’s National Centre of Infectious Diseases, were present.
The Italian partners were represented by Massimo Ciccozzi, researcher to the National Health Institute and Project Leader; Alessandra Lo Presti, researcher to ISS; Fabio D’Angelo, project coordinator to FORMEZ PA. On the Bulgarian part, the following took the floor: Mr. Stefan Panaiotov, Bulgarian Project Leader; Ms. Nadia Brankova, Ms. Victoria Levterova, Ms. Elizabeta Bachiyska and Ms. Kristin Tankovai, researchers to the National Reference Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology to the NCIPD.
After reporting the achievements of the project objectives and of its effective management (with an increase by 7% of the workdays foreseen), the Italian partners highlighted the relevance of a Twinning project between two European partners in the management of the laboratory techniques in the field of communicable diseases, by congratulating the entire work group for the excellent results owing to the publication of the “Guidelines and Quality Control in Molecular Microbiology Diagnostics”.
The Bulgarian speakers expressed full satisfaction and great appreciation for the quality work carried out by the Italian experts, who confirmed, in turn, the great participation of the Bulgarian colleagues and their sensitiveness on the themes to be faced. The works concluded with the joined commitment by the partners to pursue the scientific and institutional collaboration so far developed, with the wish that Bulgaria as a beneficiary country, will work, in the near future, side by side with Italy in the process of Institution Capacity Building for other beneficiary countries, by implementing their experience.