background Links between the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the uk and the Dutch mental health services have a strong history with several (eminent) Dutch psychiatrists having trained in the uk and being Members of the Royal College (MRCPsych). The College’s cpd-online programme has been successfully launched in the Netherlands and is heavily subscribed to. There are even suggestions to take on the mrcpsych specialist examination in the Netherlands. Linking to the theme of this  conference this also means that the role of clinical research and development (r&d) becomes much more integrated into training and clinical practice. Yet there are also mayor differences between the Dutch and the British system. Most notably this is the adaptation of American dsm rather than the icd as the main classificatory system as well as the insurance based rather than centrally lead health care delivery models. While the Dutch system provides much better financial means to carry out clinical research it often seems to be hampered by undue bureaucracy. In this discussion College members, who are now based in the Netherlands will discuss what can be learned from each other in terms oftraining, integration of research and clinical practice through r&d, clinical research and the roadmap to mental health.
Theses
1. The NVvP would be wise to adopt the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ training and examination system.
2. Clinical research is better financed but much more bureaucratic in the Netherlands and know-how about r&d is greater in the uk.
aim At the end of this session the Dutch participant will have an understanding of the training and   examination practices of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Participants familiar with both systems will have the opportunity to discuss their experiences formulating ways to learn from each other  particularly when it comes to closing the gap from research to clinical practice.