Today, 9th of May at the Jiaotong University of Shanghai was celebrated the official launching ceremony of the KeTLOD Project; Knowledge Transfer and Leadership in Organ Donation from Europe to China. An Erasmus plus project cofounded by the European Commission. The first project, which will bring training in organ donation at a university level. For the first time, in 7 universities in China will be implemented a post graduate program that will award the first diploma in organ donation for the Chinese doctors. This course is in compliancy with the European high education framework, is composed by 25 ECTC and consequently recognized within European universities.

The KeTLOD consortium is composed by 7 prestigious Chinese universities and three European ones. The knowledge and experience of the European countries in organ donation practices through KeTLOD will be transmitted to Chinese doctors. The clinical practices will be improved and better outcomes in terms of organ donation rates and quality practices will be achieved.

The today meeting was a big ceremony that gathered together in the same room all the key persons of KeTLOD project and of the health authorities in China who have supported and strongly continue to support this project. From the other hand the European partners were represented by the leading experts of the training program.

Opening speech of the ceremony was made by prof. Weiping Li, dean of the hosting university. Special thanks were directed to the supporting organizations in China and to the European collaborators. A video message greeting form the head of the Unit for Capacity Building in Higher Education, at the European commission followed. The initiative of the project was greeted and success to the project development was expressed by Mr. Ralf Rahders.

The consul of Spain in Shanghai attended the meeting. There is a long-term collaboration between Spain and china and specially dedicated to the training of the health care professionals in organ donation. The Spanish embassy has been supportive to these initiatives and through Mr. Rodrigue Aguerra de Carceres, the consul in Shanghai once more this support was assured. Collaborations in different areas between Europe and China have been considered and this collaboration in education at university level is highly valued.

The features of project were explained by dr. Marti Manyalich, professor at the university of Barcelona and president of the DTI Foundation who are the main coordinators of the project. How KeTLOD was born and the pathway of the collaboration between DTI, University of Barcelona and China were mentioned.

This collaboration initiative was highly considered also by the international organizations and representing WHO, prof Delmonico had the pleasure to give the blessing for the KeTLOD project. Together with dr. Manyalich and the Chinese leaders dr. Jiefu Huang and Haibo Wang professor Delmonico has actively supported the improvement of the donation and transplantation in China.
Following the program, greeting speeches were made from the main supportive organization and key leaders in organ donation practice in China.

The greeting message from the head of Although not being physical in Shanghai the representatives of the three universities partners: university of Barcelona dr. Chloe Balleste, university of Bologna prof. Marco Zanello and university of Nice prof. Patrick Jambou, greeted the partners and expressed their expectancy from the project development.

The KeTLOD consortium will work hardly to make the project successful. 21 experts will be the teachers to transfer knowledge and expertise to the 140 students that will follow the postgraduate program in the seven universities sin china. But however, more is yet to be done. The consortium will keep working and more health care professionals will be trained in organ donation. Therefore, an agreement to continue the activity was officially signed by the representatives of all the universities. They will join efforts to work and to keep the quality of trainings in organ donation at the international level, fulfilling best practices and quality criteria.

Following this meaningful signature at university level the hospitals affiliated to the universities were also awarded with a KeTLOD recognized certifications. A symbolic emblem of KeTLOD partnership on clinical training was delivered to each of the hospitals. Not to forget the project management who are working hard to make every phase of the project successful and within the requirements of the Erasmus programs. A symbolic greeting was also addressed to them.

Moreover, the main actors of the KeTLOD project, the 21 experts representing 7 universities, who on October 2017 will be the teachers of KeTLOD program in the Chinese universities, received a certificate. Their challenging work and dedications will make KeTLOD successful and will have a considered improvement on the clinical practice in organ donation in China.

Comments and greeting message form the KeTLOD trainers were done. The European experts shared the stage with the experts to be form China.

Is important to highlight the interest of KeTLOD project among other universities in China. A team composed by other experts will observe closely the project aiming to implement the methodology in a next future to their universities, increasing so the number of trained doctors in organ donation. Dr. Ximpu Gao presented a note on behalf of the group.

The message of the consortium is simply and positive: more trained doctor, better clinical practice in organ donation, high quality procedures and more organs available for the Chinese populations.

At the end of the ceremony a media press was performed.

This meeting was a plausible initiative of the Chinese partners that happened to be a remarkable success.