This Project will develop a Vocational Education Training (VET) programme for professional researchers (e.g.,market research agencies, private and public health- and food-related research institutes) who assess the needs ofconsumers with specific, now epidemic, medical conditions (cardiac diseases, diabetes) for innovative new foodproducts and services in purchase.The numbers of such patients dramatically increase. They and their families face decreased quality of life andstressful conditions depending upon the severity of symptoms. Individuals with more severe symptoms and theirfamilies do require many new and innovative food products and services to maintain quality of life. Yet, thedevelopment of such products and services is in peril and is failure prone.Professional market researchers lack validated and domain specific approaches to assess the true needs, wantsand desires of such individuals and their surrounding families. The currently used qualitative and quantitativemarketing research approaches have not been adapted to take into account respondents’ and their families’ stress,lack of comfort, deformation of opinion, problems from research surroundings (e.g., conducting research inhospitals and clinics), prescription effects, and ethics. These result in decreased quality and flaws in the validityof findings.So, first this VET program will customise existing qualitative and quantitative approaches, pilot test and validatethem to the needs of the specific medical conditions’ research contexts. Second, it will develop correspondingdomain specific quality assurance schemes and a framework of conformance to ethics. Third, it will trainprofessional researchers in 3 countries (Greece, Ireland and Italy). Fourth, it will disseminate the developedmaterials to any other interested in European Union party.