In the field of the CF, as for any seldom disease, the main resource and motor is the associative net, stimulated by the dynamism and the energy from who, affected plus or less closely by the disease, invest all his capacity to fund rising, stimulate the research, support to the care centres and to the patients, exchanges of experiences and knowledge, awareness campaigns, etc.

When the main resource is the human factor, specially in the social and solidarity field, the collaborations and exchanges resulting in the creation of a real network is the condition to amplify our capacities and guarantee complementarities and synergy.

The net created in Italy by the general will of the 20 Regional associations to federate in the LIFC and combine one’s resources, also permitted to become involved in the CFE and to undertake to commons goals and activities. This is specially important in subjects like interdisciplinary and international research, creation of extended database available for care and research, organ donation, awareness campaigns, etc.

• As in many countries, the Italian patients and care team members have access to an advice website (Questions & Answers) build up by the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Society and the LIFC in 2006. This kind of resource is being developed in many part of Europe towards a European project supported by fund from the European Community (first period from May 2007 to April 2010): it is the matter of ECORN-CF, which means "European Centres of Reference Network for Cystic Fibrosis" (mettere il link to www.ecorn-cf.eu) , a net of partner-countries providing expert advices, checked for quality, to the patients and the care team members in their mother language on a local website and, at the same time, in English on a central website opened to everybody. The aim is to guarantee the same level of expert advice, to exchange knowledge and experiences by organising regularly Quality round table and Consensus meeting in Europe. The LIFC is now organizing itself with the regional association, intending to be a partner-country of ECORN-CF, as soon as possible.
• The LIFC collaborates also actively to the ECFR, a project already running since 2005. It is a longitudinal project dedicated to collect demographic and clinical data from patients with Cystic fibrosis all over Europe. (mettere il link www.ecfregistry.eu)
• The awareness campaigns coordinated on the all Europe are also a very important and powerful way to obtain understanding and support for the CF patients and their families, as well to find support or sustain from the politicians in the fight for legislative recognising, financial help for the research and adoption of laws to improve the quality of life, etc. (eventuale ritorno al link www.cfeurope.org , specialmente sulla website italiana)
• Many other projects are running or others planned as for example in the field of organ donations, in joint research, etc.

To contribute with an active and dynamic role in the European net, is, surely very positive for us, for the image of Italy as e net of very competent associations with high potentiality. But it is not only a question of self-image for abroad. A direct and concrete contribution from our part to CFE, guarantees us a rich feed-back on information, the knowledge of innovations and opportunities to improve de everyday life of the CF patients in Italy.