The SSAI Research Committee

	SSAI Research Committee
	SSAI Research Committee Policy Document

Research Committee 

Chairman
MD, PhD, EDIC, FJFICM, Professor, chair Anders Åneman
Dept of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
Tel: +46 31 3421000 (oper); +46 31 3428149 (direct)
Fax: +46 31 413862
anders.aneman@medfak.gu.se

Associate Professor Sigurbergur Karason
Dept of Anaesth and Intensive Care
Landspitali University Hospital
IS-108 Reykjavik, Iceland
skarason@landspitali.is

Professor Leena Lindgren
Dept of Anaesthesiology
Tampere University Hospital, Tampere
Home: Maamolahdentie 1E24, FIN-00200 Helsinki
leena.lindgren@pshp.fi

Professor, DMSC Palle Toft
Dept of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Odense University Hospital
Sdr Boulevard 29,
DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark
Tel: +45 65 413 947
palle.toft@ouh.regionsyddanmark.dk

MD, PhD Lars Jörgen Rygh
Dept of Anaesthesiology
Haukeland University Hospital
N-5021 Bergen, Norway
Tel: +47 55 975 000
lars.joergen.rygh@helse-bergen.no


POLICY
Research Committee Policy Document
One of the main objectives of the SSAI is to promote cooperation and networking between the five Nordic countries in the scientific field. To lead this work, the SSAI has appointed a chairman for a research committee, that also includes members elected by the respective national boards in the other Scandinavian countries.

The Research Committee (RC) will handle applications for research grants and will also, when appropriate and possible, provide non-financial help and advice.

The RC will give priority to projects involving more than one of the Nordic countries, preferrably all five.

The RC will give priority to clinical, epidemiological and educational research. This is based on the fact that our countries have a uniform, high quality of care and follow the same therapeutic standards. This development is further strengthened through our common SSAI educational courses.

The RC will attempt to support projects from all branches of our speciality: Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, Pain and Emergency Medicine

Members of the national societies, who are also members of the SSAI, can apply for research grants from the SSAI.

A significant part of the money allocated to research comes from the Acta Foundation, the surplus from the journal. Consequently, scientific articles based on SSAI funded research should whenever possible be offered to Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica before other journals are considered.

The SSAI board, in collaboration with the Acta Foundation, will provide a working budget for the RC. Efforts will be made to increase the amount of money available for research.

Applications for research support should be sent to the SSAI Research Committee. The grants are open for application every second year, preceding the SSAI Congress. The RC will then review and prepare recommendations for submitted applications in time for the SSAI board meeting in January. The final decisions will be made by the SSAI board. Recipients of the SSAI grants will be announced in conjunction with the biannual Congress of the SSAI. Projects supported with SSAI grants will be presented by the recipients during the hot topics session of the Congress.

MAIN EFFORTS
Facilitate collaborative research
The SSAI RC has established a collaboration with Expertmaker AB, Lund, Sweden, to develop www-based research tools. Expertmaker AB provides state of the art hardware and software for internet-based advice and recommendation technology (see also www.expertmaker.com). Together, SSAI and Expertmaker AB can facilitate www-based surveys, clinical research forms and other forms of data capture with on-line capabilities to review and analyse data using the Expertmaker software. These resources, which are funded by the SSAI, facilitate multicenter research involving all Scandinavian countries with none or minimal financial burden on individual projects.

The recent Scandinavian survey on volume resuscitation practise, endorsed by SSAI, was the first to utilise the Expertmaker platform (FLUIDS, see www.expertmaker.net/ssai/colloid) (Acta Anaesth Scand 2008;52:750-8) and illustrates the capacity of the www-based research tool.

Projects
The SSAI RC seeks to attract projects from a broad range of areas within the field of anaesthesia, intensive care, pain management and emergency medicine. The RC aims to facilitate research rather than to drive or initiate specific projects. The responsibility and ownership of endorsed projects remain with the applicant(s) asking for RC support. The RC will advance collaborative initiatives when appropriate with other societies such as ESA, ESICM. The basis, however, will remain on Scandinavian activities.

Any ideas for projects within the framework outlined here can be discussed with the RC national representative or any member of the RC who might have an expressed research interest most relevant for the proposed project.

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