Currently, fragmented monitoring is one of the major stumbling blocks towards meaningful studies into the outcomes of IDD. Thus, EUthyroid is paving the way towards a pan-European monitoring strategy of iodine status by establishing an infrastructure that can continue to be used after the funding period has ended. Those capacities include:

• The EUthyroid website as a dissemination tool
• The central EUthyroid laboratory for inter-lab comparisons
• Training and certification tools for laboratory staff and ultrasound examiners
• Data transfer facilities and databases.

Many training tools and resources, including the socioeconomic status (SES) questionnaires, thyroid ultrasound instructional video, the web-based training and certification tool (ARCUS) and a guidance document for conducting population studies, can be found in the ‘Tools’ area.

This effort towards a harmonised monitoring strategy of iodine status will not only support research into the health outcomes of iodine deficiency, but also put appropriate IDD prevention programmes onto the national agenda.