Health research – accelerating transfer across Europe

11th April 2022 — In a virtual format, the National Contact Point (NCP) Health at DLR-PT organised the national launch event of the "Innovative Health Initiative" (IHI) on the 15th and 16th March. IHI Executive Director Dr Pierre Meulien as well as experts from the IHI Programme Office and the participating industry associations gave an overview of the structure and strategy of the initiative and presented the possible topics for the first round of calls. In a virtual panel discussion, questions on the "opportunities and challenges for the German community" were discussed. After the event, participants exchanged ideas about a possible application for the first IHI funding calls.

"The initiative has met with a great response in Germany – this is shown by the high number of around 200 participants from science and industry and the lively exchange among each other," reports Jan Skriwanek, scientific officer of the NCP Health at DLR-PT. Skriwanek is also vice-chairman of the "IHI States Representatives Group", the advisory body of the member states, and in this role represents the BMBF.

IHI brings together know-how of key players at EU level

One of the main objectives of the IHI is to bring together the relevant actors in European health research and the health economy. Thus, the European Commission and the most important industry associations of the European "life science" industry are represented at programme level. These include the associations of pharmaceutical companies (EFPIA), imaging, ICT and electromedicine (COCIR), medical technology (MedTechEurope), biotechnology (EuropaBio) and also vaccine production (VaccinesEurope).

Focus on important future fields

The IHI emerged from a successful predecessor initiative of the European Commission, the "Innovative Medicines Initiative". This contributed to the faster development of safe and effective medicines in the form of a public-private partnership between the EU and the European pharmaceutical industry. The IHI is thematically much broader and, in addition to drug development, addresses other central future fields of health research, such as digital health, medical technology and vaccine development. Skriwanek and the team of the NCP Health have already supported the BMBF within the framework of the IMI and provided both technical support for the committee work and advice to the applicants.