"Public health is of growing importance to the European Union and its citizens. STEPS is designed to increase civil society organisation participation in the development of public health research in each of the twelve new member states, and in Europe as a whole. The project has three partners. Coordination and project management are led by UCL, and the coordinator will also promote engagement of national ministries of health. The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) will engage its member national public health associations, support the Steering Group and maintain the web knowledge base. The Latvian Public Health Network (LPHN) will engage the health NGOs in each country and strengthen Europe-wide alliances. Together, EUPHA and LPHN will hold national workshops between these national partners to address the development of public health research in each country, taking a particular theme relevant to their own perspectives. Each will provide a report and generate discussion of the research issues among citizens through their organisations and national media. Reports from the twelve national workshops will be presented at the annual European conference of EUPHA in Poland, and learning drawn for comparisons which can be shared across the new member states and also with European level alliances. There will be international dissemination through the Council for Health Research and Development and Global Forum for Health Research. STEPS will increase citizen engagement in public health research in the new member states, and more broadly promote public health research within the developing European Research Area."