The IMI Scientific Committee is an advisory group within IMI whose members are top experts from a range of different fields. They are appointed further to suggestions made by the States Representatives Group for a renewable term of two years and participate in their individual capacity. The Scientific Committee has 10 members and 2 ad hoc members, and they elected Prof. Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding and Prof. Alfonso Valencia as chair and vice-chair of the committee respectively. The current committee was appointed in 2018, and in April 2020, the IMI Governing Board voted to extend the mandate of the committee members to 30 September 2022.
The role of the Scientific Committee
The Committee gives strategic science-based recommendations to IMI and advises on the continued relevance of the Strategic Research Agenda and the scientific priorities. It is also formally consulted on our topic texts – which are based on the scientific priorities – before our Calls for proposals are launched.
More specifically, the Scientific Committee provides advice on:
- scientific priorities to be included in the Strategic Research Agenda taking into account related activities in Horizon 2020;
- scientific priorities to be addressed in the IMI Annual Work Plans;
- scientific achievements described in the IMI Annual Activity Reports.
When requested by IMI, the members of the Scientific Committee provide their consolidated advice in writing. Scientific Committee members also take part in IMI’s Strategic Governing Groups.
The Scientific Committee Chair attends meetings of the IMI Governing Board as an observer and takes part in the deliberations, but has no voting rights.
More information about the Scientific Committee is available in the Scientific Committee's Rules of Procedure.
Scientific Committee work plan 2019: In mid-2019, the Scientific Committee adopted a work plan which sets out the areas where the committee plans to focus its efforts and provide effective support to IMI during the rest of its mandate. The work plan covers both topics related to IMI2 JU’s governance and structures as well as topics related to the research programme. Recommendations resulting from the work plan will be published on this page.
Recommendations issued by the Scientific Committee
- IMI2 JU Scientific Committee recommendations regarding equitable access (November 2020)
- IMI2 JU Scientific Committee recommendations regarding drug repurposing (November 2020)
- IMI2 JU Scientific Committee recommendations regarding rare diseases (June 2020)
- IMI2 JU Scientific Committee recommendations regarding data infrastructure and integration (June 2020)
- IMI2 JU Scientific Committee recommendations regarding involvement of regulators and regulatory science (June 2020)
- Scientific Committee recommendations regarding public private partnership funding – what makes a topic ultimately suitable for this kind of funding model? (February 2019)
- Sustainability solutions are important criteria determining project quality and output in IMI (June 2018)
- IMI Scientific Committee position on IMI-funded digital innovation and data integration in discovery of novel medicines (January 2018)
Agendas of the Scientific Committee meetings
-
5 May 2021 - Agenda
-
17 September 2020 - Agenda
-
24 April 2020 - Agenda
-
6-7 February 2020 - Agenda
-
23 September 2021 - Agenda
Cooperation with the IMI States Representatives Group
The Scientific Committee collaborates with the IMI States Representatives Group. The two bodies meet once a year to exchange views and discuss common areas of interest, such as IMI’s scientific priorities, and ways to enhance involvement of SMEs and patients into IMI activities.
View a diagram of how the two bodies interact during their advisory process
Interested in learning more about the role of these advisory bodies in IMI and how they collaborate? Watch our 2017 interview with Maria Beatriz Da Silva Lima and Marta Gómez Quintanilla, who were chairs of the Scientific Committee and the IMI States Representatives Group respectively at the time.
Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding
Chair
Head of Division Microbiology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, GERMANY
Alfonso Valencia
Vice-chair
Life Sciences Department Director / BSC – Barcelona Supercomputing Center;
ICREA Research Professor;
Head of the Spanish node of ELIXIR; Director / Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute, SPAIN
Kjetil Taskén
member
Professor of Medicine, University of Oslo and Head and Director of Institute of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, NORWAY
Merete Osler
member
Clinical Professor, Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen; consultant, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, DENMARK
Anna Chioti
member
MD in charge of the creation of the Agency for Medicines and Health Products, Directorate of Health, Ministry of Health, LUXEMBOURG
Zoltán Kaló
member
Professor Health Economics, Centre for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HUNGARY
Paula M Alves
member
CEO / iBET – Instituto Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica; Associate Professor & Principal Investigator/ ITQB & FCT - NOVA New University of Lisbon, PORTUGAL
Tanel Tenson
member
Professor of molecular biology at the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, ESTONIA
Claas Röhl
member
President NF Kinder; President EUPATI Austria; President NF Patients United, AUSTRIA
Eduard Montanya
ad hoc member
Corinne de Vries
ad hoc member
Head of Science and Innovation Support, Human Medicines Research & Development Support Division, European Medicines Agency, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS