About COST

Our funding is through COST, an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology. Its goal is to ensure that Europe holds a strong position in the fields of scientific and technical research.

COST funding is based on Actions, which are networks of coordinated collaborations, to address the specialized issues being set forth by the Action. Action participants come from COST and non-COST countries. The Actions are led by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the governments of the COST countries participating in the Action. The initiative within the Action comes from the scientists, technical experts and from those with a direct interest in furthering international collaboration.

Our Action (BM1105), GnRH Deficiency: Elucidation of the Neuroendocrine Control of Human Reproduction, is part of the Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences Domain. The overall aims of the Action are to identify genes and mechanisms responsible for sexual maturation by studying patients with GnRH deficiency (including Kallmann syndrome), a "prismatic" disease that facilitates insights into the neuroendocrine control of human reproduction; to inform and validate the human research studies by corresponding research in animal and cellular model systems; and to translate the scientific findings into improved patient care, including genetic counseling.

Our Action started in April 2012 and will last until April 2016. The Action is guided by theManagement Committee, which is formed by not more than two representatives of each country that signed the Memorandum of Understanding and a Steering Committee whose members come from diverse disciplines.

Currently, 28 countries have joined the COST GnRH Network Action.

Specific aims and objectives