ERA4Health Workshop Report Reveals Insights on Funding Mechanisms for Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies
Multinational Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies (IICS) play a critical role in addressing societal issues often overlooked by industry players, emphasizing their high societal value. However, despite their significance, these studies often face challenges due to the absence of optimal funding mechanisms.
To address this issue, the ERA4Health partnership organised a workshop in Brussels on February 8th and 9th, 2024. Hosted by the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN), the workshop brought together current and potential funders of ERA4Health, alongside representatives from the European Commission (DG-RTC), HaDEA, EMA (ACT EU), and other initiatives supporting multinational clinical studies.
This summary report offers a comprehensive overview of the workshop’s discussions, focusing on exploring funding mechanisms for multinational IICS through Joint Transnational Calls. The report highlights the existing initiatives aimed at addressing funding challenges for multinational IICS and outlines the ERA4Health partnership’s efforts to define a tailored funding mechanism. Central to these discussions were considerations surrounding the adaptation of the current Joint Transnational Call model, as well as the establishment of eligibility and selection criteria for IICS calls.
The first day of the workshop commenced with a detailed presentation of the current funding model for Joint Transnational Calls within ERA4Health. This was followed by presentations from various initiatives actively funding or developing funding schemes for multinational IICS.
On the second day, discussions were limited to current and potential future partners of ERA4Health, focusing on potential funding mechanisms, eligibility criteria, and selection processes for multinational IICS calls. The day commenced with a recap of key insights gleaned from the preceding day’s presentations, setting the stage for collaborative dialogue and strategic planning.
Overall, the ERA4Health workshop served as a pivotal platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas, explore innovative funding solutions, and lay the groundwork for enhanced support of multinational Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies.