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National Mirror Groups bring national needs and examples of good practice into ERDERA’s annual work plans, share ERDERA outputs with organisations and communities at country level, and enable direct peer-to-peer learning between countries.​

National Mirror Groups (NMGs)

What are NMGs?

National Mirror Groups (NMGs)are national networks bringing together key peopleand organisations involved in rare diseases — including patients and patientorganisations, clinicians, researchers, funders, and national authorities.​
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They are central to ERDERA’s national-international alignment work, helping toconnect national activity with research and knowledge at European and global levels.

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NMGs play a two-fold role:

  • Strengthen and coordinate the national rare disease community, building onexisting structures where these exist or creating new ones where needed.
  • Driving two-way engagementbetween national communities and largeinternational initiatives — most notably ERDERA — and with wider cross‑disease orpan‑European collaborations.

Objectives of the NMGs​

Build and/or sustain a cohesive rare disease community at national level​
Support the development and implementation of a national plan or strategy for rare disease ​
Channel national needs and good practices into ERDERA​
Disseminate and help implement ERDERA outputs at home​
Foster peer-to-peer exchange between countries ​
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Why does having a NMG matter?​

National Mirror Groups (NMGs)facilitate the integration of national prioritiesand best practices into ERDERA’s annual work plans.They disseminate ERDERA’s findings, tools, and opportunities within their respective countries, while fostering peer-to-peercollaboration and practical knowledge exchange across countries. NMGs can foster stronger collaborations betweenparticularcountries or groups of countries, depending on size, geography, or other commonalities.

For people living with rare diseases, this alignment is highly beneficial: itminimises redundancy, streamlines participation ininternational studies and clinical trials, and enables research outcomes, tools, and funding to reach a broader range of countries,including those with emerging research and policy frameworks for rare diseases.

We aimto set upa National Mirror Group ineverycountry involved in ERDERA. Check if yourcountry has one already.​

Want to learn more?

Visit ourdedicated pageabout National Mirror Groups, where you will find updates, essential details, contactinformation, and much more!​
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Other relevant resources:

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