The QUASER study (April 2010-March 2013) aims to design and disseminate an evidence based guide for hospitals to provide high quality care and implement quality and safety improvement programmes, and an evidence based framework for payers to assess and monitor the quality and safety of hospitals across the EU. This translational research aims to increase the quality and safety of healthcare in the EU and therefore will improve the health of EU citizens. In particular the research will help to address one of the main goals of the Commission that patients should be confident of the quality and safety standards of the treatment they will receive in any Member State. The study investigates relationships between organisational and cultural characteristics of hospitals and how these impact on quality (defined as clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience. Although there is a wealth of information available about quality improvement in healthcare there is little guidance available about overcoming the challenges of implementation in a complex healthcare organisation. Guidance needs to be grounded in the realities and constraints of healthcare practice. This project therefore addresses a significant need in the healthcare sector by providing guidance drawn from the everyday experiences of hospitals in the EU. The evidence based guide for hospitals to implement quality and safety improvement programmes, and the evidence based framework for payers to assess and monitor the quality and safety of hospitals across the EU will be based on empirical findings from research in five partner countries: The Netherlands (Erasmus University) Sweden (Qulturum) England (King’s College London (co-ordinator), Imperial College) Portugal (ISCTE) Norway (University of Stavanger) These countries were chosen as they represent variation in the important aspects of healthcare that the study wants to capture e.g. differences in the way that healthcare services are fund...

Presently, the global art market represents more than €55.5 bn a year. Approximately 40% of that value is made on the auction market. ln the European Union (EU) the art market sector employs c.220.000 people and comprises c.41.000 companies, even tough the weight of the EU ln the global art market has been decreasing over the past few years (from 53% in 2003 to 44% in 2006). Oesplte ali the buzz aroused with a sale of a painting by Picasso or Pollock over €100 mlllions, more than 90% of the lots sales at auction, eitfler in fine arts or decorative arts, aremade under a value of €10.000. The data referring to Portugal is not sufficiently credible yet from a statistical point of view. However, according to the report coordinated by Clare McAndrewand published byThe European Fine Art foundation (TEFAF) in 2008, there are 535 companies ln Portugal related to the art business (antiquaries,art dealers and auction houses) and they employ c. 3000 people. According to TEFAF, the Portuguese auction art market had a turnover of c.€8,6 millions in 2006 (a weak value when compareci wlth the €50 millions ofart works that Portugal imported ín the sarne year). Basing in the numbers by TEFAF, Portugal represents 0,2% of the world volume of transactions in  the auction market (UE=70,9%), although in terms of value the  weight of Portugal is even lighter, an insignlficant 0,01% (UE=44,4o/o). This statistical approach has underestimated the reality of the market, a point that has been stressed on the most recent enquiry on the Portuguese art market. The research project that we propose here aims at achieving more accurately the real values involved in the auction art market in Portugal. To reach this goal it will be scrutinized the auction houses data available ín the catalogues and in the sales report made after every session. Whenever possible, these data will be scrutinized in cooperation with the auction houses. Until now it is already secured the cooperation in this project of ...