IMI News
- Call for proposals on Ebola under preparation
- IMI 2 – Call 2 indicative topic text released
- IMI Partner Search tool is ready for IMI 2 December Call
- Reminder: IMI 2 – Call 1 deadline approaching
- IMI 2 Open Info Day – presentations and videos now available
- Introducing the new IMI logo
- IMI holds joint event with C-Path on the role of PPPs
- IMI featured in report to Obama on antibiotic resistance
News from our projects
Call for proposals on Ebola under preparation
An ambitious IMI programme to accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments against Ebola and other filoviral haemorrhagic fevers is currently under preparation. A fast-track call for proposals is likely to be launched in the near future. More information will be published shortly on the IMI website.
According to the World Health Organization’s latest reports, over 10 000 people have contracted Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the current outbreak, and around 5 000 have died. The vast majority of cases are in just three west African countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for Ebola, although a number of treatments and vaccines are now being tested.
All information regarding future Calls for proposals is indicative and subject to the approval of the IMI Governing Board.
- Read more about the EU’s Ebola research activities
IMI 2 – Call 2 indicative topic text released
The indicative Call text for IMI’s December Call for proposals is now available on the IMI future topics page. There are seven topics are under consideration for inclusion in the Call:
Research and Innovation Actions (RIA)
- Remote assessment for disease and relapse (RADAR), topic 1: central nervous system (CNS)
- Assessing risk and progression of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to enable disease modification
- Linking clinical neuropsychiatry and quantitative neurobiology
- The consistency approach to quality control in vaccine manufacture
- Pertussis vaccination research
- Knowledge Repository to enable patient focused medicine development
Coordination and Support Action (CSA)
- Enabling platform on medicines adaptive pathway to patients
Introductory presentations on some of the topics were made during the IMI 2 Open Info Day on 30 September. The presentations are available on the IMI Open Info Day event page. Individual sessions can also be viewed on IMI’s YouTube channel. More information on the Call will be provided over the coming weeks.
All information regarding future Calls for proposals is indicative and subject to the approval of the IMI Governing Board.
IMI Partner Search tool is ready for IMI 2 December Call
The IMI Partner Search Tool has been updated with the topics and keywords for the forthcoming December Call. Our networking tool allows you to search for potential partners - you can register and create a profile through the Partner Search Tool portal on the IMI home page. Participants in IMI consortia also recommend using your existing contacts and networks to identify possible collaborators who may be interested in working on a proposal. Other methods of publicising your expertise include registering on the European Commission's partner search portal CORDIS and posting your search criteria through relevant social networking sites – for example IMI’s LinkedIn group and the Horizon 2020 LinkedIn group In addition you can contact your State Representatives Group (SRG) member who has been involved in all aspects of the IMI Call process.
Finally there are other partner search platforms relevant to life science research – Fit for Health offers the EU Partner Match portal and the German National Contact Point and SRG member offers a dedicated partner search platform for IMI ‘s Calls. Due to potential conflicts of interest, the IMI Programme Office is not able to recommend or help with personally matchmaking potential participants in its Calls.
Reminder: IMI 2 – Call 1 deadline approaching
The deadline for submitting proposals in response to IMI 2 – Call 1 is 12 November at 17:00 Central European Time (CET / Brussels time). If you’re applying for funding under this first Call, or considering applying for future Calls, don’t forget the following top tips for applicants.
- Read and understand the Call documents! Yes, it takes some time, but it is worth the effort.
- If something isn't clear, or if you have questions, contact us - we're here to help you.
- Don't forget to finalise your application in our submission tool. No finalisation = no evaluation!
IMI 2 Open Info Day – presentations and videos now available
IMI held its IMI 2 Open Info Day in Brussels on Tuesday 30 September 2014. The event was well-attended, with more than 285 people participating either in person or remotely via the webcast. Full details of the presentation given during each of the sessions are now available on the event web page. Videos of the day are also available on IMI's YouTube channel.
Introducing the new IMI logo
The launch in 2014 of the IMI 2 programme marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in the IMI story, and it is in this spirit that we decided the time had come to freshen up the IMI logo and our broader corporate and visual identity. In fact the new logo is simply a tidier version of the old one. The lettering is bigger, to make it more visible. We’ve also completed the loop round the 'IMI'. A lot of people feel this reflects the fact that under IMI 2, we’re bringing more groups into the IMI family, as companies outside the pharmaceutical sector (e.g. in diagnostics, animal health, and imaging) are now able to contribute to IMI projects and see their contribution matched by EU funding. More broadly, we now have new guidelines and templates to ensure our communications products have a common ‘look and feel’. Over the coming months, you’ll see the new logo and look spreading as we phase it in throughout our website, documents, presentations, and other communication products. The new logo and look were designed based on input from IMI staff, as well as representatives from our founding members, the European Commission and EFPIA
IMI holds joint event with C-Path on the role of PPPs
IMI and C-Path will hold a joint event under the heading ‘accelerating the development of drugs, diagnostics, and devices through partnerships that expand the precompetitive space’. The event, which is the second annual meeting of the two organisations, takes place on 3rd December in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Collaborations between industry, regulatory agencies, academia and patient groups are increasing. This event aims to identify and address the challenges and opportunities of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), e.g. mechanisms for assessing productivity and enhancing effectiveness, how to coordinate efforts and avoid duplication, and how to adopt best practices on data sharing.
A cross-sectorial panel of speakers will give their perspectives on the role PPPs can play in delivering innovative tools and methodologies for a more streamlined medical product development. Discussions during the day will focus on how PPPs advance regulatory science and leverage global efforts, experiences with collaboration in the area of safety biomarkers, and the value of data sharing.
The agenda and information on how to register are available on the event website.
IMI featured in report to Obama on antibiotic resistance
IMI and its antimicrobial resistance programme ND4BB (‘New Drugs for Bad Bugs’) were mentioned in a report to US president Barack Obama on combating antibiotic resistance.
The report mentions that through IMI and its ND4BB programme, the EU has expanded its research efforts with respect to antibiotic resistance. The publication outlines that the EU is funding work on Gram‐negative bacteria under the ND4BB programme, highlighting that ‘much more is needed and there are good opportunities for transatlantic collaboration on this topic’.
The report was published in September 2014 by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. It offers practical recommendations to the US federal government for strengthening its ability to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Read the report to President Obama ‘Combating antibiotic resistance’ (pages 26 and 27)
- Learn more about IMI’s ND4BB antimicrobial resistance programme
SafeSciMET project offers new Master’s degree in Advanced Safety Sciences for Medicines
IMI Education and Training project SafeSciMET provides graduate students with a completely personalised approach to their post-graduate continuing professional development. A ‘pick and mix’ modular system of custom-tailored education and training courses in safety sciences for medicines, covering the value chain from discovery to usage, including regulatory requirements, the use of animals, and ethics provides a pan-European education and training network.
As of September this year, one of the 19 project partners, the University of Constance in Germany, can now award the Master of Science (MSc) degree in Advanced Safety Sciences for Medicines. The SafeSciMET courses and the Master’s study programme are fully compliant with the requirements of the European Bologna process for credit transfer. The University of Constance has also signed the Code of Conduct for foreign students studying at German universities, committing itself to quality standards in service and support of international students before and during their studies. In 2012, the University of Constance received the ERASMUS E-Quality Label for excellent performance in handling the ERASMUS programme and offering multiple services to incoming students.
More information about the project and courses offered by SafeSciMET.
EUPATI patient course gets underway
IMI’s patient-led education and training project EUPATI has launched its first Expert Patient Training Course this October for 53 trainees from the patient community. EUPATI received more than 300 applications from patients and patient advocates wanting to take part, reflecting the demand from the patient community for in-depth training on the medicines research and development (R&D) process. The 15-month training course combines a blended learning approach of online and face-to-face training and covers all aspects of the medicines development process including discovery, development, evaluation, marketing authorisation and post-marketing evaluation. The e-learning platform provides a flexible way for the trainees to work progressively through the six modules, each kicking off with an introductory webinar. Expert tutors from the project will provide ongoing support throughout the course and there are two face-to-face training sessions planned in March and September 2015 to allow discussions about the relevant topics in small groups and in plenary sessions using case reports, news articles and samples of regulatory reports.
A second training course for 50 additional trainees is planned for September 2015 and applications to participate should be made via EUPATI’s website in January 2015 when the selection process is opened. More details on the application process are available here.
More information on the application process that applicants faced for the first selection can be found here.
ENABLE project seeks promising antibiotics
IMI antimicrobial resistance project ENABLE is seeking promising early stage Gram-negative programmes to join the €85 million project which has the mission to bring at least one candidate to phase 1 clinical trial. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and research groups from Europe working on direct acting systemic Gram-negative programmes are invited submit a three-page Expression of Interest to the project. Successful applicants will be invited to join the ENABLE consortium - retaining full ownership of their programme and having a skilled international consortium working on accelerating their programme to clinic. Details of how to submit applications can be found on the Open Calls page of the project website. The project is also organising webinars on its procedures on 3 and 24 November and 8 December. Registration for the webinars is via the project website.
PROTECT benefit / risk website goes live
IMI’s PROTECT project has launched a new website showcasing its work on ways of assessing and visualising the benefits and risks of medicines. The evaluation of the balance between the benefits and risks of drugs is fundamental to numerous stakeholders including patients, healthcare providers, health technology assessors, regulators and pharmaceutical companies. Decision-making with regards to benefit-risk assessment is often complex. It is important to ensure transparent, robust and comprehensive methodologies are used, and also that patient and public preferences on benefits and risks feed into the decision-making process. To achieve these goals, the PROTECT Benefit-Risk group has developed a clear set of practical recommendations for benefit-risk decision processes and supporting tools, which the project hopes will serve as a valuable guide for people who are new to the world of benefit-risk assessment. These recommendations highlight key issues and considerations that are common to many approaches and benefit-risk decision problems.