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The launch of the European Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)
Lygature is an essential partner in European public-private partnerships that bring together the expertise and capability to solve complex health challenges.
A new EU public-private partnership funding health research and innovation
The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Union and the European life science industries, represented by the industry associations: COCIR (medical imaging, radiotherapy, health ICT and electromedical industries); EFPIA, including Vaccines Europe (pharmaceutical industry and vaccine industry); EuropaBio (biotechnology industry); and MedTech Europe (medical technology industry). IHI will build on the results of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and ongoing initiatives within a new platform with broader scope, partners and stakeholder base.
Objectives of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)
IHI has a total budget of €2.4 billion, with a broader scope, partners and stakeholder base. The specific objectives for IHI are stated in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda:
- Improve our understanding of the factors that affect our health and the development and treatment of certain diseases.
- Integrate fragmented health research and innovation efforts by bringing together health industry sectors and other stakeholders. This will enable the development of tools, data, platforms, technologies, and processes that will in turn facilitate the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases, especially in areas where there is an unmet public health need.
- Demonstrate the feasibility of integrated healthcare solutions that draw on various technologies from different sectors and address the needs of the people who will use them, such as patients and healthcare professionals.
- Make better of opportunities to gather health data and use it in research and care, all while respecting relevant privacy legislation.
- Develop ways of assessing the value of innovative, integrated health care solutions to patients, carers, healthcare professionals and organisations, and other stakeholders.
On the policy front, IHI is expected to contribute to EU policies, most notably Horizon Europe (of which IHI is a part), as well as Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the new Industrial Strategy for Europe, the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe and the European Health Data Space.
Future opportunities
The following themes may be included in the first IHI calls for proposals that are expected for mid-June 2022
Single stage calls
- Innovative patient-facing care pathways for patients with neurodegenerative diseases and comorbidities
- Next generation imaging and image-guided diagnosis and therapy for cancer
- Precision oncology: Innovative patient-centric, multi-modal therapies against cancer
- Access and integration of heterogeneous health data for improved health care in diseases areas of high unmet public health need.
Two stage calls
- New tools for prediction, prevention and monitoring of cardio-metabolic diseases including secondary manifestations to enable timely intervention
- Strengthening EU clinical development excellence and innovation attractiveness: Harmonised methodology to promote the uptake of early feasibility studies.
Download summaries of the draft themes (document version: 6 January 2022)
Lygature as essential partner in your next IHI collaboration
Lygature has a legacy of over 15 years of building and managing public-private partnerships (PPPS) in the life sciences & health sector. More specific, we have fulfilled essential management and leadership roles in 17 large-scale PPPs within IMI, the predecessor of IHI. This has resulted in some of our flagship consortia: APPROACH, European Lead Factory, FAIRplus, PERSIST-SEQ, RADAR-CNS, RADAR-AD, UNITE4TB.
Lygature’s role in a nutshell
Preparatory stage
Lygature is the central player in consortium building and stakeholder management.
Writing stage
Lygature provides guidance for proposal writing, jointly with grant writing agencies, and is the independent broker for complex discussions.
Project stage
Lygature is the project management partner for overall program management, project communication/dissemination, data management, regulatory expertise and patient engagement.
Sustainability
Lygature advises consortia to make sure that assets (methods, results, data, patents and publications) are available after the project.
The perfect network
Lygature has close contacts with the European Commission, and we are connected with the industry associations involved in IHI. Furthermore, numerous academic organizations, clinics, patient centered foundations, and governmental and regulatory bodies in Europe have been involved in our previous and current collaborations. With this network, we bring partners together to build consortia that perfectly match the call topic. The key to a successful partnership is to work on a common goal and at the same time value all stakeholders’ individual interest. This is exactly what Lygature offers: an independent partner to guide complex collaborations. Whether a partner is needed from the universities, pharmaceutical industry, biotech SME’s, medical technology corporations, vaccine producers, we know them.
The perfect expertise
Our experienced life science experts, business developers and program managers at Lygature provide guidance and support during the project proposal stages of the IHI calls, jointly with grant writing agencies. Together with all intended partners, a successful proposal and consortium can be built. The role of Lygature is based on extensive experience with collaborations between commercial and public partners in EU projects and the management thereof. As a next step, Lygature provides project management for individual projects, data management, internal and external communication, stakeholder management and dissemination support, as well as financial, ICT and legal support. Our specialized departments are equipped with expertise and the tools set out for EU projects.
The perfect background
Our Lygature colleagues have an extensive experience in coordinating partnerships in preclinical research, drug discovery, drug development, clinical trials, patient engagement and regulatory affairs. We work to deliver innovative therapies for unmet needs in antimicrobial resistance, cardiovascular, COVID-19, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer and Parkinson), neglected tropical diseases (schistosomiasis), oncology and tuberculosis. Our motto is: ‘Pioneering Medicine. Together.’ We are a unique partner to build strong coalitions, provide project management as well as scientific advice for a budding research consortium.
Read here how our collaborators value Lygature’s work
Available funding in IHI projects
IHI is looking for collaborations between public and private partners that can bring together the expertise to solve complex health challenges.
Examples of public partners are: universities, hospitals, research institutes, patient associations, health foundations and SMEs. European public partners are allowed to receive IHI funding for 100% of their costs.
Private partners are in general in industry associations: COCIR (medical imaging, radiotherapy, health ICT and electromedical industries); EFPIA, including Vaccines Europe (pharmaceutical industry and vaccine industry); EuropaBio (biotechnology industry); and MedTech Europe (medical technology industry). European private partners bring in “in-kind” contributions to the projects. In addition, depending on the call type, some private partners may receive IHI funding for part of their costs.
Become part of our IHI partnerships
Do you want to become part of one of the largest public-private partnership in health in the world? Contact Jon de Vlieger.
