Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

Research in Italy: research products and
research funding
Vitale M (1-3) , Vaccarezza M (2)
(1) Dept. of Anatomy, Pharmacology & Forensic Medicine, University of Parma, Italy
(2) Dept. of Human, Social and Health Sciences, University of Cassino, Italy
(3) FoRST Scientific coordinator, Rome, Italy
marco.vitale@unipr.it
Balneology has a long standing tradition in the Italian territory. This old tradition
stems from the natural spring locations and resorts that Italy has since centuries: the
entire Italian history witnesses this remarkable journey. To foster a modern basic
and clinical research activity in balneology, the Italian Federation since January
2003 has implemented FoRST (Foundation for the Spa Scientific Research) that
collects and grants money for scientific and clinical research in balneology. The
almost 380 spa centers in Italy allocate a percentage of their income directly to
ForST which launches research calls on topics of medical spa therapy. The management
of the scientific projects and the consequent money allocation is based on a
rigorous international peer-reviewed system , that encompass all the required
parameters of integrity and quality at the base of a reliable and solid scientific
process. Overall, ForST granted between 2003 and 2011 almost 5 million euro to
research activities, with 6 grant calls, 65 research projects implemented, 40 project
co-financed. 25 projects have been concluded and publications have been generated
in internationally peer-reviewed scientific journals. All the most important fields of
interest in spa therapy are involved: Rheumatology, Otorhinolaryngology, Pneumology,
Skin diseases, Gastroenterology, Urology, Cardiovascular diseases, Hygiene
and Preventive Medicine, Rehabilitation, Health economics. This methodological
approach - in common with the main research- granting agencies - is the
scaffold for the indispensable spreading of a non-episodic strong scientific research
production.
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 46
46
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4