Ekaterini Tiligada (Chair of Action) introduced the first meeting from the European Science Foundation (ESF) Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action BM0806. This EU-funded Action will create a network of European pharmaceutical, clinical and academic experts to foster a multidisciplinary approach to histamine H(4) receptor (H(4)R) research, and to enhance basic understanding and the therapeutic potential of this exciting new drug target. Subobjectives are the evaluation and elucidation of critical issues pertaining to H(4)R function, pharmacological profile and therapeutic implementation of its ligands, promotion of the deployment of new instrumentation and reliable experimental models, and the development of a forum for free exchange of new concepts and the training of young European scientists. The Action includes scientists with competences ranging from chemical synthesis to clinical pharmacology. More than 20 teams constitute four interdisciplinary working groups: methodological approaches, basic research on physiological and pathophysiological importance, structure-activity and preclinical investigations on properties of new selective ligands, and therapeutic potential of H(4)R and new compounds. This Action is open to both industrial and academic international partners (please contact PL Chazot, Vice-Chair of Action, for further details).