About WENR

Short history of WENR

The Workgroup of European Nurse Researchers was established in 1978. It was felt that there was a need to establish a closer contact among nurse researchers and a more systematic collaboration within nursing research in Europe. This was first discussed during a an ICN Congress in Tokyo in 1977, and the year after a conference was arranged in Utrecht in the Netherlands. The theme of the conference was "Collaborative Research and its implementation in Nursing". Althogether twenty-six nurses from 18 countries participated in this conference and they founded the WENR and laid the foundations for nursing research development to become a collective enterprise across Europe.

It should be noted that a great number of the participants have taken an active part in the very first multinational study called "Peoples Need for Nursing Care" initiated by the nursing unit of the World Health Organisation in Europe. So from the very beginning there has been a strong link between both the WHO in Europe, the ICN and the Workgroup and a close collaboration to strengthen nursing research in Europe.

Who are the members of WENR?

European National Nurses Associations (NNAs) in membership with ICN and who have paid a membership fee are considered WENR members. It is the responsibility of the NNA to nominate a representative to WENR. The individual should be a registered nurse, educated in research and actively involved in promoting research in her/his country. Apporoximately 20 NNA's across Europe are represented in the group. Thus WENR is a truly Euro-wide network stretching from Iceland in the North, through Middle and Eastern Europe, to the Mediterranean Sea in the South. Recently, NNAs from Estonia, Lituania and Slovenia have been represented in the WENR.

The work is coordinated by a Steering Group which for many years had no secretarial assistance of permanent address. However, it was of great importance that some NNAs provided the necessary funds to establish a WENR Secretariat primarily to support the Steering Group and to function as a centre of communication and documentation. From 1991- 1999, the secretariat was located in Copenhagen. Since 2000 the secretariat is located in Stockholm, Sweden.

What are WENR's main activities?

The main activity is the Annual Workgroup Meeting. These meetings represent an excellent place for discussion and exchange of information of development of nursing research in the various countries. An important aspect is that every year since 1978 the country representatives have produced a report on these developments and all these reports have been published subsequently, which means that WENR has built up a unique archive of information about European Nursing Research. In recent years these reports have beomce increasingly authoritative as representatives have prepared them in consultation with the key organisations in each country so that, collectively, the information which WENR has accumulated provides the most comprehensive overview on all the issues being discussed at Biennaul Conferences. The Reports have changed format from 2001 and are not going to be printed. Instead they are available on the Web-site under each country.

The Workgroup also collected information on Journals with research content and published this in a Directory in 1996. It provides important information about channels for nursing research dissemination in Europe. The Directory has not  been updated.

Conferences are important for the dissemination and the Biennual WENR Conferences offer a unique possibility for researchers to meet and for dissemination of research findings. It is also unique in the way that less experienced nurse researchers meet more experienced nurse researchers and for many European nurses the WENR conferences represent their first meeting with nursing research.

Mission Statement and Objectives:

The Workgroup of European Nurse Researchers´ mission is to promote and strengthen the value of collaborative nursing research in Europe for the benefit of the people of Europe. In doing so WENR intends to enhance collaboration and solidarity among nurse researchers across Europe. This will be accomplished through the following objectives:

Objective 1: To influence European and national health policies.

Objective 2: To develop nursing research infrastructure research networks and dissemination activities

Objective 3: To extend communication links between WENR members and other organisations

Objective 4: To promote the visibility of WENR at European and international levels

Objective 5: To establish and support a range of scientific activities.

Objective 6: To secure a sound financial basis so that WENR can achieve its objectives

Objective 7: To establish collaboration with the Standing Committee of Nurses of EU (EFN)

Objective 8: To ensure that WENR´s Regulations and Guidelines remain relevant and that there is a current Action Plan

WENR c/o LEVV, P.O. Box 3135, 3502 GC Utrecht, The Netherlands,
Tel: +31 30 291 9005 Fax: +31 30 291 9049 E-mail:   wenr@levv.nl