Sharing lessons learnt across European cardiovascular research consortia.

• Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease are complex and multifactorial, driven by genetic variants. • Attractive drug targets require a substantial body of mechanistic and clinical evidence. • Drug target discovery in CVD is only possible through multidisciplinary collaboration. • To maximise impact, collaboration between independent research consortia is advised. Research consortia in Europe often compete with each other for skills, human and technical resources and, eventually, recognition of the scientific impact of their work. In response to the same EU Horizon2020 call, we received funding for our research project proposals to identify and validate novel drug targets for cardiovascular disease treatment. Each consortium followed a unique and independent research strategy. However, as coordinators of these consortia we envisioned we could increase impact, outcomes and efficiency by intensifying our interaction. At an agreed stage during our projects we chose to share our knowledge, vision and ideas. In this paper we present what we learned, in the hope that future consortia will see the benefits of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]