Innovative Health Initiative: partnering to do what no one can do alone
Turning scientific discoveries into solutions for patients increasingly requires expertise, technologies, data and investment that no single organisation – or sector – can provide alone.
Partnering to do what no one can do alone
Since 2008, EFPIA has partnered with the European Commission to bring together industry, researchers, patients and decision makers to tackle shared health challenges. Today, IHI spans the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology and digital health sectors.
At its heart is a simple idea: by combining our different strengths, we can do things that none of us could do alone – and create value that lasts beyond individual projects.
What does industry bring?
In IHI, pharmaceutical companies don’t request funding. Companies contribute in kind: they bring scientific expertise, proprietary data, technologies, research capabilities and experience in developing health solutions – they commit significant resources and share risk (Value of industry contributions to different public-private collaboration models).
Combined with public, academic and patient expertise, these capabilities allow partners to try new approaches, share resources and build things that others can use.
Nearly
€3 billion
committed by EFPIA members across IMI and IHI to advance biomedical research and address patient and societal needs
Partnership can change what is possible
Watch the video: IHI carries the torch of medical innovation
Watch the video: Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB – video message
Open science for medicines discovery
LIGAND-AI is bringing together over 2 trillion data points to create one of the world’s largest shared resources for AI-driven drug discovery, at a scale no organisation could build alone. It will help researchers explore 500+ understudied proteins, opening new opportunities to address unmet needs.
Connecting Europe’s health data
Instead of bringing sensitive health data into a single database, EHDEN created a federated network in which data can remain with its original holder while being mapped to a common model – enabling research across multiple sources.
Rethinking rare-disease diagnosis
Rather than waiting for symptoms to emerge, Screen4Care is exploring whether genetic screening could identify some rare diseases much earlier. Its screening tool covers 245 genes and is being tested in 18,000 newborns across six European countries.
The value goes beyond individual projects. Partnerships can open valuable resources to others, create new ways of working and build foundations that others can take further – helping turn science into solutions for patients and strengthening health innovation in Europe.
Useful documents
Not a member of an IHI trade association?
Your company can still contribute to IHI projects. Find out which options are open to you.
Consortium Agreement template
Download the industry associations’ model Consortium Agreement for IHI projects.
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If you have any questions, please contact the Science Policy team at science-policy@efpia.eu