Joint Statement on the Health Innovation Partnership Proposal

Health industry sectors, representing pharmaceutical and medical technology companies (COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe and Vaccines Europe) welcome the publication of the Partnership Proposal as a significant milestone towards a European Partnership for Health Innovation.

A future for collaborative research & development in Europe

The future partnership will showcase to researchers, patients, and citizens that Europe has the ambition to be a world-leader in collaborative research and development (R&D). It will pioneer the patient-centred integration of knowledge, technology and products to address the entire care continuum for the benefit of patients across Europe and beyond.

Investment in collaborative R&D can play a significant role in building health resilience, improving European health systems’ sustainability, addressing the needs of patients across Europe, and driving the region’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has also underlined the importance of having a large-scale partnership for health innovation to mobilise and coordinate public and private research efforts aimed at tackling global public health threats.

Insights into an ambitious and pioneering public-private proposal

The life-science sector partners and the European Commission describe the new partnership's objectives, deliverables, governance and operational model in the Partnership Proposal. While the proposal will be subject to further discussion, the document already gives an insight into the specific elements that will be addressed in the draft partnership legislation expected in Autumn 2020.

All partners are dedicated to developing new solutions for patients, healthcare professionals and systems, as well as their implementation in research and health practice in different socio-economic conditions across Europe. Impactful solutions for public health and sustainable healthcare systems have always been and will remain at the core of our industries’ mission. This endeavour will guide the work of scientists and researchers collaborating under the new health innovation partnership. The partners fully support the European Commission in its efforts to provide a harmonised set of rules for institutionalised partnerships while, at the same time, ensuring efficient processes and flexibility for crosssectorial collaboration.

Opening new spaces for impactful synergies

For a thriving European research ecosystem, this new partnership will create synergies and complement other features of the European research landscape, in particular with the EUAfrica Global Health Partnership, potential co-funded Partnerships on ‘Health and Care Systems Transformation’, the European Partnership for One Health/AMR and ‘Pandemic Preparedness and Societal Resilience’, and with the EU4Health Programme.

Download the file below to read the full Position Paper.