On the morning of 5 April 2022, the European Alliance of Medical Research Infrastructures, EU-AMRI, formed by EATRIS, BBMRI and ECRIN was formally launched in Brussels with a live broadcast hosted by Vivienne Parry.
Over 140 online guests tuned in to watch a keynote address from Professor Walter Ricciardi (former Chair of the Cancer Mission Board), who kicked off this special event by stressing on the importance of leadership and joining forces to tackle complex health challenges, such as cancer.
EU-AMRI representatives, Toni Andreu (EATRIS), Jens Habermann (BBMRI) and Jacques Demotes (ECRIN) took the audience through the EU-AMRI journey, which started back in 2018. They highlighted the need for their infrastructures to join forces with other organisations which share a similar vision for the European Research Area: accelerate patient-centric biomedical research. Finally, they provided examples of the outputs already produced by the Alliance and shared their outlook on the future impact of the initiative on researchers and policy-markers, and more importantly, patients.
Five additional panellists, representing policy-makers, funders and patients, joined EU-AMRI leaders for a vivid conversation on the future of biomedical research.
The roundtable discussion featured:
- Dr. Pierre Meulien – Executive Director, Innovative Health Initiative
- Ms. Anna Panagopoulou – Director of ERA and Innovation, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
- Radislav Sedlacek – Former Chair of the ESFRI Health & Food Strategic Working Group
- Anca Toma – Executive Director, European Patients’ Forum
- Professor Radka Wildova – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czechia
- Professor Walter Ricciardi, Former Chair of the Cancer Mission Board
The panel discussion provided our panellists with the opportunity to tackle a wide range of highly relevant topics in the European Research Area today, from open science and the importance of science communication, pandemic preparedness to the impact of research and EU-AMRI on patients, and the importance of safeguarding quality and reproducibility of biomedical research. More importantly, panellists welcomed the EU-AMRI initiative while openly communicating their high expectations from the Alliance in the years to come, notably to accompany Europe’s digital transformation and build trust with patients.
“We must communicate and listen to European citizens. Science communication works best when collaborating with the scientists themselves.”
Anna Panagopoulou, Director of European Research Area & Innovation at the Research and Innovation Directorate General of European Commission
“I love this idea of connectivity and looking for the overlap. I believe that quality and standardisation will be key for EU-AMRI.”
Pierre Meulien, Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)
“The closer we are to the patients, the easier it is to build trust. At the European Patients’ Forum, we have the expertise and network in the patient community to co-create resources.”
Anca Toma, Executive Director of the European Patients’ Forum
“We must work together – if we work in silos we will never reach our targets.”
Professor Walter Ricciardi
“Research infrastructures are perfectly positioned to co-work at the frontier of science and industry.”
Radislav Sedlacek, Director of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, and the former Chair of the ESFRI Health and Food Strategic Working Group
“I hope that EU-AMRI will become a leading example and many will follow this path in the future.“
Radka Wildová, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czechia
To find out more about EU-AMRI, visit eu-amri.org or follow the alliance on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Thanks to everyone that has supported this journey so far.
