TOB-G Presented at the ENSP International Conference on Tobacco Control 2017

TOB-G Presented at the ENSP International Conference on Tobacco Control 2017

On Wednesday 24 May 2017, TOB-G was presented at the 2nd ENSP International Conference on Tobacco Control 2017, held in Athens, Greece. The round table, entitled “TOB-G & Tobacco Dependence Treatment in Special Populations” was coordinated by João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia and Katie Kemper and included presentations by TOB-G researchers Sophia Papakdakis and Antigona Trofor, along with other leading international experts in tobacco dependence treatment:

TOB-G & Tobacco Dependence Treatment in Special Populations

  • João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia: Treatment of Tobacco Dependence for Mental Health and Addiction Patients
  • Sofia Ravara: Treatment of tobacco dependence in high-quality cancer care
  • Varduhi Hayrumya: Treating Tobacco Dependence in Myocardial Infarction Patients
  • Maya Rodnay: Smoking cessation for pregnant women and their spouses: training the medical staff to create a supportive environment
  • Sophia Papadakis: Tob-G – Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in Pregnancy (TOB-G)
  • Antigona Trofor: Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in COPD
  • Arusyak Harutyunyan: Tobacco and Tuberculosis: Two Global Epidemics

The conference was held on 24-26 May 2017 by the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP). The conference welcomed more than 280 European and international speakers and participants, sharing their expertise and experience in tobacco control research, advocacy activities, obligations under the WHO FCTC and the EU TPD and much more.

See the full conference programme and more details about the conference here.

See photos from the 24 May 2017 and the TOB-G session here.

Call for tenders for subcontracting an external evaluator for the  TOB-G EU funded project

Call for tenders for subcontracting an external evaluator for the TOB-G EU funded project

This call is issued by ENSP, which intends to commission a contract for the provision of external evaluation services for the EU funded project with the title “Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Groups” / “TOB-G” (acronym).

In order to ensure a large visibility of this call for tenders, ENSP will publish the tender specifications on the TOB.G project website, on 20/6/2017, and keep it online for 10 calendar days (deadline for submission of bids: 30/6/2017).

  1. Summary of the project and description of the objective of the tender

The TOB-G project is a 30 month project, funded by the 3rd EU health program, aiming to develop and implement an innovative and cost effective approach to prevent chronic diseases related to tobacco dependence. The specialized guidelines for high risks groups will be developed according to ENSP’s evidence based and good practices in tobacco cessation. High risk populations are considered those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, COPD, type 2 diabetes, adolescents & pregnant women. The project is implemented in 4 EU countries by 5 partners.

The project fits perfectly the objectives and priorities of the 3rd Health Programme, as it will assist health professionals to provide guidance and targeted prevention to high risk populations engaged to the unfavourable lifestyle of smoking. Training primary care physicians addresses the lack of specialist doctors in EU and increases access to tobacco cessation specialists. TOB-G project will enhance the overall European capacity in the treatment of tobacco dependence, thus, in the prevention of chronic diseases, through offering smoking cessation tools, appropriately assessed and fitted to the specific needs of high risk groups.

The developed guidelines will contain strategies and quit smoking recommendations designed to assist health professionals in delivering and supporting effective treatment of dependence on tobacco. Recommendations will be made as a result of scientific reviews and evidence of good practices from scientific groups that will consist of health professionals of different expertise.

To monitor the quality of the approach a pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation will be conducting for each group. Since the tobacco cessation guidelines will be addressed to health professionals, the partnership will develop and implement an e-learning training for guidelines use.

As part of its activities, the TOB-G project also encompasses an internal and external evaluation with distinct aims and objectives. According to the Grant Agreement of the TOB-G project, the external evaluation will be subcontracted to provide objectiveness and expertise.

  1. Description of tasks to be performed by the external evaluator and key deliverable

The external evaluator, will be in charge of designing and conducting an integrated evaluation methodology, encompassing the necessary research activities, as well as analysing the findings to produce valuable evaluation results. Moreover, the external evaluator will have to produce 1 external final evaluation report. The aim of the final external evaluation report is to provide to the Project Coordinator, the funding agency (i.e. Chafea) as well as to the TOB-G project partners and any other relevant stakeholders with concluding remarks, in terms of key outcomes and impact of the TOB-G project.

Moreover, the external evaluator is obliged to participate in internal meetings with ENSP members and might be also asked to take part in meetings with the participation of the Project Coordinator or any other TOB-G project partner, if required. The exact timing of the meetings to be held, will be specified at a later stage to the external evaluator.

Based on the above, the following key tasks are going to be performed by the external evaluator:

  • Design the evaluation methodology to be applied, taking into consideration the aims and objectives of the external evaluation and avoiding any duplications with the internal one.
  • Collection of data relevant to the project.
  • Synthetize and process the collected data into a comprehensive report.
  • Liaise closely with the internal evaluator and the Project Coordinator in order to provide feedback.
  • Present the final external evaluation report and its results to conferences and events, if needed. 
  1. Expertise and skills required for the external evaluator

Expertise required:

  • Expert knowledge of tobacco cessation, health strategies and health policies at a European context, with an emphasis on public health issues.
  • Good understanding of best practices to provide integrated healthcare to high risk groups.
  • Sound experience in formulating and carrying out a tailored methodology in order to assess the effectiveness of public health projects.

Skills required:

  • Competences on designing and / or evaluating complex, context dependent public health interventions.
  • Research skills, including conducting interviews, questionnaires surveys and processing collected data into a synthesis report.
  • Ability to work within specified deadlines and to respect budgetary limits.
  • Ability to travel, in case needed for the purpose of the external evaluation activities.
  1. Time schedule and reporting

The contract’s duration shall be from the date of signature of the relevant contract until 30/11/2017. The subcontractor will be asked to finalise its evaluation plan and submit it by 20/11/2017. The plan will be reviewed by ENSP and the Project Coordinator and will be subject to change, based on acquired comments. The final external evaluation report is due to be submitted on 30/11/2017 (M30 of the TOB-G project’s implementation).

  1. Payment

The total maximum budget available for the fees of the subcontractor is eleven thousand euro (11.000€) with all taxes, included in the aforementioned amount. The subcontractor will be remunerated in various instalments (advance and final payment). It should be noted that the subcontractor’s remuneration include the travel and subsistence costs incurred for attending project meetings and conducting the related research activities.

  1. Selection criteria for the participation in the Tender

The competent candidate should have significant experience in the following domains:

  • Experience in EU funded projects.
  • Experience in evaluation of programmes, policies or projects.
  • Experience in the PH domain as well as in the health policy.

The above criteria can be proven by the candidates’ profiles and/or cvs’ of key staff involved in his/her offer.

Moreover, the price should not exceed the amount stated above.

  1. Form, structure and content of the tender

Tenders must be written in English. They must be signed by the tenderer or his duly authorised representative and perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures. Tenders must be clear and concise and assembled in a coherent fashion. Since tenderers will be judged on the content of their written bids, they must make it clear that they are able to meet the requirements of the specifications.

All tenders must include the following information:

  • Description of professional experience;
  • Detailed curriculum vitae of key coordinator and/or possible other team members;
  • Financial proposal with prices quoted in euros;

Prices must be fixed amounts and shall not include travel expenses and daily allowances for research activities and meeting attendance.

  1. Award Criteria

The contract will be awarded to the tender offering the lowest price, taking into account the specific objectives, requirements and selection criteria of the tender. The principles of transparency and equal treatment will be respected with a view to avoiding any conflicts of interest.

  1. Submission of tenders

This call for tenders will be published on the TOBg website of ENSP on 20/6/2017. Offers must be sent within 10 days of the date of publication, by 30/6/2017 to ENSP:

  1. either by post, to be posted no later than 30/6/2017 to the following postal address:

ENSP,

Address

Chaussee d’Ixelles 144, 1050, Brussels  Belgium

 (Call for tenders for subcontracting an external evaluator for the TOB-G EU funded project

For the Attention of the ENSP General-Secretary, Cornel Radu Loghin)

2. Or by email, by 12.00 hrs at 30/6/2017 at the latest, at the following email address:

cornel.radu@ensp.org

3. Or delivered in person at ENSP headquarters, by 12.00 hrs at 30/6/2017 at the latest.

By submitting a tender, tenderers shall accept the terms and conditions of this call for tender.

Belgian Law shall apply to the Contract resulting from this invitation to tender.

 

Cornel Radu Loghin

ENSP General-Secretary

ENSP

 

 

The Content of this Call for Tenders, represents the views of the author only and is his / her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and / or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may made of the information it contains.

 

Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations

Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations

The final version of the TOB.g guidelines are now available. Editor of the book is.Prof. Panagiotis K. Behrakis and co-editors are C. Vardavas and S. Papadakis.

The book “Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations” is the main result of the TOB.g partnership, coordinated by the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention and consisted of four partners and specifically ENSP, CMT Prooptiki, Anlet Med. and TFRI Ireland.

To download the Guidelines please click here.

Call for tenders for the provision dissemination activities in Belgium (French speaking community) and France

Call for tenders for the provision dissemination activities in Belgium (French speaking community) and France

This call is issued by ENSP, which intends to commission a contract for the provision of supporting services relevant to the dissemination activities in Belgium (French speaking community) and France in the frame of the EU funded project with the title “Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Groups” / “TOB-G”  (http://tob-g.eu )

 

1. Summary of the project and description of the objective of the tender

The TOB-G project is a 30-month project, funded by the 3rd EU health program, aiming to develop and implement an innovative and cost effective approach to prevent chronic diseases related to tobacco dependence. The specialized guidelines for high risks groups will be developed according to ENSP’s evidence based and good practices in tobacco cessation. High risk populations are considered those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, COPD, type 2 diabetes, adolescents & pregnant women. 5 partners implement the project in 4 EU countries.

The project fits perfectly the objectives and priorities of the 3rd Health Programme, as it will assist health professionals to provide guidance and targeted prevention to high-risk populations engaged to the unfavourable lifestyle of smoking. Training primary care physicians addresses the lack of specialist doctors in EU and increases access to tobacco cessation specialists. TOB-G project will enhance the overall European capacity in the treatment of tobacco dependence, thus, in the prevention of chronic diseases, through offering smoking cessation tools, appropriately assessed and fitted to the specific needs of high risk groups.

The developed guidelines will contain strategies and quit smoking recommendations designed to assist health professionals in delivering and supporting effective treatment of dependence on tobacco. Recommendations will be made as a result of scientific reviews and evidence of good practices from scientific groups that will consist of health professionals of different expertise.

To monitor the quality of the approach a pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation will be conducting for each group. Since the tobacco cessation guidelines will be addressed to health professionals, the partnership will develop and implement an e-learning training for guidelines use.

2. Description of tasks

The subcontractor is expected to support the dissemination activities in Belgium (French speaking community) and France. Specifically, the subcontractor is expected to perform the following tasks:

  • Support the TOB-G project team in the development and assessment of the set of guidelines for five high risk groups, providing expertise and knowledge on the field.
  • Translations of TOB-G guidelines in French language (approx. 250 pages )
  • Selection of a group of minimum 100 health professionals involved in smoking cessation activities in Belgium and France
  • Organisation of a specialised meeting for TOB-G project in Brussels (Meeting room: 1 day ) Coffee breaks and lunch breaks: for100 participants ;Printed informative material: 100 participants
  • Participation in 2 other meetings, dissemination in French speaking Belgium and France via healthcare professionals networks such as cardiologists, “tobaccologists”, pneumologist, etc. (2 meetings )

Moreover, the subcontractor is obliged to participate in internal meetings with ENSP members and might be also asked to take part in meetings with the participation of the Project Coordinator or the TOB-G project experts, if required.

 

3. Expertise and skills required for the service provider

Expertise required:

  • Expert knowledge on the fields of tobacco control and smoking cessation
  • Expert knowledge on the fields of addictions, health strategies and health policies at a European context.

Skills required:

  • Ability to work within specified deadlines and to respect budgetary limits.
  • Event organisation experience

 

4. Contract duration

The contract’s duration shall be from 15 March 2017 to 01 November 2017.

 

5. Payment

The total maximum budget available for the fees of the subcontractor is 18.000 euro with all taxes, included in the aforementioned amount. The subcontractor will be remunerated in various instalments (advance and final payment). It should be noted that the subcontractor’s remuneration include the travel and subsistence costs incurred for attending project meetings.

 

6. Selection criteria for the participation in the Tender

The competent candidate should have significant experience in the following domains:

  • Networking and connection with health professionals. In Belgium and France
  • Identification, access and engagement of health professionals in tobacco cessation

 

The above criteria can be proven by the candidates’ profiles and/or cvs’ of key staff (2 experts) involved in his/her offer.

Moreover, the price should not exceed the amount stated above.

 

7. Form, structure and content of the tender

Tenders must be written in English. The tenderer or his duly authorised representative must sign so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures. Tenders must be clear and concise and assembled in a coherent fashion. Since tenderers will be judged on the content of their written bids, they must make it clear that they are able to meet the requirements of the specifications.

All tenders must include the following information:

  • Description of professional experience;
  • Detailed curriculum vitae of key coordinator and/or possible other team members;
  • Financial proposal with prices quoted in euros;

Prices must be fixed amounts and shall not include travel expenses and daily allowances for research activities and meeting attendance.

 

8. Award Criteria

The contract will be awarded to the tenderer that has a combination of experience, best team capacity and the lowest price, taking into account the specific objectives, requirements and selection criteria of the tender. The principles of transparency and equal treatment will be respected with a view to avoiding any conflicts of interest.

 

9. Submission of tenders

This call for tenders will be published on the TOB-G Project website. Offers must be sent to ENSP:

a) either by post, to be posted no later than 27.02.2017 to the following postal address:

 

ENSP,

144, Chaussee d’Ixelles

Bruxelles 1050

BELGIUM

 (Call for tenders for subcontracting an external evaluator for the TOB-G EU funded project

For the Attention of the ENSP General-Secretary, Cornel Radu Loghin)

 

The envelope containing the tender must bear the caption

 

Call for Tenders

(Name and Address of Tenderer)

NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE MAIL SERVICE OR BY ANY UNAUTHORIZED PERSON

b) Or by email, by 27.02.2017 12.00 hrs at the latest, at the following email address:

cornel.radu@ensp.org

By submitting a tender, tenderers shall accept the terms and conditions of this call for tender.

Belgian Law shall apply to the Contract resulting from this invitation to tender.

 

 

Cornel Radu Loghin

ENSP Secretary  General

 

15.02.2017

 

 

The Content of this Call for Tenders, represents the views of the author only and is his / her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and / or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may made of the information it contains.

TOB-G Project training in Iasi on tobacco cessation guidelines for high risk populations

TOB-G Project training in Iasi on tobacco cessation guidelines for high risk populations

On Monday October 10th the first TOB-G Training Seminar took place in Iasi, Romania. The training focused on the developed Smoking Cessation Guidelines for (a) Cardiovascular Disease Patients, (b) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patient and (c) patients suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. The training was attended by 50 health professionals.

Call for tenders for the provision of supporting services for the pilot implementation of smoking cessation guidelines for adolescents in Greece

Call for tenders for the provision of supporting services for the pilot implementation of smoking cessation guidelines for adolescents in Greece

This call is issued by ENSP, which intends to commission a contract for the provision of supporting services relevant to the organisation of a pilot implementation of smoking cessation guidelines for adolescents for the EU funded project with the title “Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Groups” / “TOB-G”.

  1. Summary of the project and description of the objective of the tender

The TOB-G project is a 30 month project, funded by the 3rd EU health program, aiming to develop and implement an innovative and cost effective approach to prevent chronic diseases related to tobacco dependence. The specialized guidelines for high risks groups will be developed according to ENSP’s evidence based and good practices in tobacco cessation. High risk populations are considered those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, COPD, type 2 diabetes, adolescents & pregnant women. The project is implemented in 4 EU countries by 5 partners.

The project fits perfectly the objectives and priorities of the 3rd Health Programme, as it will assist health professionals to provide guidance and targeted prevention to high risk populations engaged to the unfavourable lifestyle of smoking. Training primary care physicians addresses the lack of specialist doctors in EU and increases access to tobacco cessation specialists. TOB-G project will enhance the overall European capacity in the treatment of tobacco dependence, thus, in the prevention of chronic diseases, through offering smoking cessation tools, appropriately assessed and fitted to the specific needs of high risk groups.

The developed guidelines will contain strategies and quit smoking recommendations designed to assist health professionals in delivering and supporting effective treatment of dependence on tobacco. Recommendations will be made as a result of scientific reviews and evidence of good practices from scientific groups that will consist of health professionals of different expertise.

To monitor the quality of the approach a pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation will be conducting for each group. Since the tobacco cessation guidelines will be addressed to health professionals, the partnership will develop and implement an e-learning training for guidelines use.

As part of its activities, the TOB-G project has developed specialized tobacco cessation guidelines for adolescents. According to the Grant Agreement, the TOB-G project, a pilot implementation and assessment of these guidelines is foreseen to take place in a minimum of 50 adolescents in Greece. In this framework, the objective of the tender is to contract an organisation in order to support the pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation guidelines for adolescents in Greece.

 

  1. Description of tasks

The subcontractor is expected to support the pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation guidelines for adolescents in Greece. Specifically, the subcontractor is expected to perform the following tasks:

  • Preparation of a list of health professionals in Greece (minimum 20), specialized in the field of addictions related to adolescents.
  • Ensuring participation of the proposed health professionals in the specialised training on tobacco cessation guidelines for adolescents. The organisation of the training is not an obligation of the subcontractor, as well as the confirmation of the trainers, preparation of training material and training space provision. The trained health care professionals will fill in questionnaires (before and after the training and the pilot implementation) relevant to their, skills on tobacco cessation and their expectations from the TOB-G training and TOB-G guidelines. The questionnaires have been already developed by the ENSP and TOB-G partners.
  • Identification of at least 50 adolescents in Greece for the implementation of the TOB-G methodology for tobacco cessation, in close cooperation and under the supervision of the TOB-G partner’s experts.
  • Provision of space for the pilot implementation of the tobacco cessation guidelines in the selected adolescents (minimum 50).
  • Support of the TOB-G experts in the implementation of the smoking cessation methodology and the assessment of the TOB-G tobacco cessation guidelines for adolescents.

Moreover, the subcontractor is obliged to participate in internal meetings with ENSP members and might be also asked to take part in meetings with the participation of the Project Coordinator or the TOB-G project experts, if required.

 

  1. Expertise and skills required for the service provider

Expertise required:

  • Expert knowledge on the fields of adolescents.
  • Expert knowledge on the fields of addictions, health strategies and health policies at a European context.

Skills required:

  • Research skills, including conducting interviews, questionnaires surveys and processing collected data into a synthesis report.
  • Ability to work within specified deadlines and to respect budgetary limits.
  • Ability to travel, in case needed for the purpose of the project.

 

  1. Time schedule and reporting

The contract’s duration shall be from the date of the signature of the relevant agreement to 30 October 2017.

 

  1. Payment

The total maximum budget available for the fees of the subcontractor is 9.000 euro with all taxes, included in the aforementioned amount. The subcontractor will be remunerated in various instalments (advance and final payment). It should be noted that the subcontractor’s remuneration include the travel and subsistence costs incurred for attending project meetings.

 

  1. Selection criteria for the participation in the Tender

The competent candidate should have significant experience in the following domains:

  • Experience in the field of addictions related to adolescents.
  • Networking and connection with health professionals.
  • Identification, access and engagement of adolescents in tobacco cessation pilot implementation activities.

The above criteria can be proven by the candidates’ profiles and/or cvs’ of key staff involved in his/her offer.

Moreover, the price should not exceed the amount stated above.

 

  1. Form, structure and content of the tender

Tenders must be written in English. They must be signed by the tenderer or his duly authorised representative and perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures. Tenders must be clear and concise and assembled in a coherent fashion. Since tenderers will be judged on the content of their written bids, they must make it clear that they are able to meet the requirements of the specifications.

All tenders must include the following information:

  • Description of professional experience;
  • Detailed curriculum vitae of key coordinator and/or possible other team members;
  • Financial proposal with prices quoted in euros;

Prices must be fixed amounts and shall not include travel expenses and daily allowances for research activities and meeting attendance.

 

  1. Award Criteria

The contract will be awarded to the tenderer that has a combination of experience, best team capacity and the lowest price, taking into account the specific objectives, requirements and selection criteria of the tender. The principles of transparency and equal treatment will be respected with a view to avoiding any conflicts of interest.

 

  1. Submission of tenders

Offers must be delivered until 15/12/2016 to the offices of CMT Prooptiki which is the project coordinator of the project in Greece at the following address:

C.M.T. PROOPTIKI

Spyrou Merkouri 38,

116 34 Athens Greece

For the attention of Mr. Tasos Mastroyiannakis

 

The envelope containing the tender must bear the caption

Call for Tenders

(Name and Address of Tenderer)

NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE MAIL SERVICE OR BY ANY UNAUTHORIZED PERSON

 

Cornel Radu Loghin

ENSP General-Secretary

ENSP

 

 

The Content of this Call for Tenders, represents the views of the author only and is his / her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and / or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may made of the information it contains.

Interim Progress meeting in Iasi, Romania, October 2016

Interim Progress meeting in Iasi, Romania, October 2016

The Interim Progress Meeting of the TOB-G project was a closed to the public event that took place in Iasi, on the 11th of October of 2016 and was hosted by ANLET MED. The aim of this meeting was for the partners to assess the project progress and take decisions for actions. The meeting was organised so as to coincide with the training seminars for health professionals in Romania, which took place on October 10th. The training signals the beginning of the pilot implementation of the developed Smoking Cessation Guidelines for the high risks populations of the project, and the meeting gave the opportunity to the whole consortium to attend the training seminar and gain a first feedback from the health professionals.

Outstanding European Health Research Award Presented to TOB-G in European Parliament

Outstanding European Health Research Award Presented to TOB-G in European Parliament

On 5th of April, 2016 the Scientific Responsible of TOB-G project, Professor Panagiotis K. Behrakis, made a presentation of TOB-G, its overall aim, specific objectives and the main results to be expected at the European Parliament in Brussels in front of an audience of 150 health professionals, policy makers, MEPs, NGOs and Government representatives coming from all over Europe. Highlighting and recognizing the project’s importance, ENSP gave an award to the TOB-G consortium for its contribution to the tobacco cessation measures and interventions. More specifically, the Outstanding European Health Research Award was presented to TOB-G. This award is given to projects which have shown an extraordinary degree of dedication to promoting tobacco control activities on the basis of sound scientific evidence

Additionally, the 2nd Progress Meeting of the TOB-G project in Brussels was successfully completed with the participation of representatives from all partners. This meeting was a closed to the public event that took place in Brussels, on the 6th of April, 2016 and was hosted by ENSP. The meeting was organised so as to coincide with the first Conference of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) on Tobacco Control, entitled “Research, Prevention & Treatment” from the 5th to 7th April 2016 in Brussels. The conference was attended by a substantial number of various stakeholders related to tobacco control and cessation and gave the TOB-G partnership a great opportunity for networking and disseminating the results of the project. The aim of the 2nd Progress Meeting of the TOB-G project was for the partners to assess the project progress and take decisions for actions. More specifically, partners focused on the finalization and acceptance of the draft tobacco cessation guidelines, as well as the directions for the pilot sessions’ implementation.