The EUHA Members’ Assembly, scheduled for November 14 in Milan, will be hosted by IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele and will bring together representatives from all EUHA members, ten of Europe’s leading university hospitals. During the meeting, EUHA representatives will discuss EUHA’s ongoing projects, review the progress of EUHA working groups and networks, and discuss EUHA’s long-term strategy and agenda.
At the twice-yearly Members’ Assembly, representatives from each EUHA member, including their CEOs and EUHA Steering Committee members, decide on EUHA’s agenda and long-term strategy. Together, the CEOs provide direction for the EUHA Steering Committee, networks and working groups. This Autumn’s assembly will take place on Thursday, November 14, in Milan and will be chaired by Dr Anna Flavia D’Amelio, Research Director of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Managing Director of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, and serving EUHA president.
In the preceding days, a few EUHA networks and working groups will come together to share experiences and discuss new ways to address tomorrow’s complex healthcare challenges.
Focus on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)
A central theme of the EUHA Autumn events will focus on the development of academically driven Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The events will feature a meeting of the EUCCAT Working Group, the annual meeting of the EUHA-driven consortium JOIN4ATMP, and the symposium “European Academia at the Forefront of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Development.”
EUCCAT (European Centre for Gene and Cellular Therapies) – November 11
The EUCCAT Working Group (European Centre for Gene and Cellular Therapies) is a virtual institute that brings together basic research groups, medicinal production facilities, and clinical trial capacity within EUHA members, to facilitate the rapid translation of research results into applicable therapies at ethical prices. The group will meet on November 11 to discuss the progress of the EUHA-driven cross-border decentralised study for treating cancer patients with gene-engineered cells, new calls for optimising the development of ATMPs, and the development of advanced therapies for sickle cell disease.
JOIN4ATMP – Driving European Activities for ATMPs – November 12
JOIN4ATMP is a consortium led by EUHA members that received a €3,000,000 grant from Horizon Europe. The project brings together expertise from university hospitals and the biotech sector to accelerate and de-risk European ATMP development by mapping obstacles and defining new regulatory frameworks that can facilitate the translation of academically developed therapies into clinical use. The consortium’s expertise, particularly in translating clinical applications of academically developed ATMPs, significantly strengthens its impact.
The consortium will celebrate its 1st Annual Meeting on November 12 at IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele.
Symposium “European Academia at the Forefront of Advanced Therapies Medicinal Products Development” – November 13
ATMPs are at the forefront of healthcare innovation, with the potential to induce a paradigm shift in the treatment of many diseases. Despite the significant contributions of European research institutions to the development of these therapies, current EU regulatory frameworks are not fully adapted to the unique characteristics of these therapies. This inadequacy threatens the safe, efficient, and equitable access to these therapies, compromising their sustainability within European healthcare systems.
To address these challenges, IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele and EUHA have organised a symposium that will take place on November 13. The symposium will focus on policy perspectives on ATMPs, the translation of academically developed ATMPs in the regulatory context, and the academic perspective on ATMPs and other innovative approaches in medicine.
EUHA Nursing Network
Parallel to the ATMP-focused events, the EUHA Nursing Network will hold a meeting in Milan, on November 11. The network focuses on promoting the best possible patient outcomes, promoting a professional identity for nurses, leveraging joint nursing research, fostering a healthy working environment, and enhancing professional education and training.
The meeting will convene experts in nursing research, Chief Nursing Officers, and a delegation of nurses from each EUHA member institution for a focused visit on fall and delirium management at the wards of IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele.
EUHA Members’ Assembly and EUHA Presidency – November 14
The Members’ Assembly will conclude with the transition of the EUHA Presidency, where IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele will hand over the Presidency to Erasmus MC University Medical Centre on November 14, who will hold the position until the next EUHA Members’ Assembly on June 25.