The International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC) was launched in April 2011 at the initiative of the European Commission and the U.S. National Institutes of Health to foster international collaboration and maximize research output in the rare diseases (RD) field. The IRDiRC 2010-2020 goals are to develop 200 new therapies and the means to diagnose most RD by the year 2020. With IRDiRC's first goal completed ahead of time and the second being in close reach, the 3rd IRDiRC conference held in Paris in February 2017 celebrated these achievements and dedicated time to reflect on new goals towards better diagnosis and therapy for RD patients.

The overarching goals of IRDiRC for the upcoming decade have now been announced. These include:

• 1) All patients coming to medical attention with a suspected (and known) RD will be diagnosed within one year. Undiagnosed patients will enter a globally coordinated diagnostic and research pipeline.
• 2) 1000 new therapies will be approved, the majority of which will focus on RD without approved options.
• 3) Methodologies will be developed to assess the impact of diagnoses and therapies on RD patients.

• More information: IRDiRC News, IRDiRC Press Release, 3rd IRDiRC Conference-Paris, RD-Connect News