Improvement of human health requires translation of the basic research discoveries into practical applications for human disease, including biomarker identification, novel clinical tools, and medications. The scope of TranSMed is to support the development of a center of excellence in the EU target area of “translational research for major human diseases”, in the convergence region of Attica, Greece. The applicants will combine their expertise for the development of a facility for improvement of human health in the mission areas of obesity, metabolic syndrome and neurodegeneration. The principal aim of the group is to maintain and advance academic excellence, to enhance innovative research , and ultimately advance diagnosis and management of the above diseases. Participants have made substantial scientific contributions, and now are poised as a group to get to the next level and make a major impact on translational research. This will be achieved by unlocking their potential via the actions supported by REGPOT1, such as (i) upgrading the research capability by hiring experienced scientists and expansion of the equipment infrastructure (ii) integration in the ERA via strategic partnerships, including twinning, for transfer of knowledge from excellent EU centers, (iii) development of new lines of research including bidirectional communication with clinicians, and training in interdisciplinary approaches (iv) development of a platform for data mining and bioinformatics approaches. The above will be supported by networking activities, such as international workshops, to promote research collaborations with industrial partners. The latter will increase the visibility of the group and of the regional community. Ultimately, TranSMed can provide the basis for related projects to be supported through the cohesion policy program, resulting in dissemination of similar actions at national level and in the wider EU area including the new member countries in the Balkan vicinity.