Europe Day 2026

Celebrated every year on 9 May, Europe Day highlights the importance of European cooperation in addressing major contemporary challenges, particularly in the fields of health and research.

The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the need to anticipate health crises and to invest sustainably in research and innovation even before new infectious threats emerge. It is in this context that the European partnership BE READY and the PROACT EU-Response consortium were launched — two major initiatives designed to strengthen Europe’s capacity to respond to future pandemics.

Strengthening Europe’s capacity to respond to future health crises: ANRS MIE coordinates the BE READY partnership

The European partnership BE READY aims to sustainably strengthen the European Union’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases. ANRS MIE provides the overall coordination of this strategic partnership, which brings together more than 80 partners from 27 European countries.

The first operational phase of the partnership began in January 2026 for a duration of three years, with an allocated budget of €118 million.

This phase is implementing the partnership in concrete terms, notably through:

• the launch of joint European calls for projects, with a first edition opened in January 2026;
• the establishment of a research ecosystem ready to be activated in the event of a health crisis;
• the deployment of a European network of clinical research sites that can be rapidly mobilised during an outbreak.

The creation of the BE READY partnership has been gradually built since 2022 through three complementary components, developed within the framework of successive European Commission calls for projects

A responsive clinical trial network to address health crises: PROACT EU-Response

The PROACT EU-Response consortium aims to prepare Europe to respond rapidly and in a coordinated manner to future health crises.

Led by ANRS MIE and Inserm, the project brings together 25 partners from 11 European countries. With a duration of five years and a budget of €17 million, it aims to deploy a European adaptive therapeutic trial platform capable of rapidly assessing the effectiveness of new treatments against emerging pathogens.

In times of crisis, this platform will be able to evaluate treatments against emerging pathogens in real time, providing rapid, evidence-based answers to health authorities and healthcare professionals, thereby strengthening Europe’s resilience to future pandemics.

By ensuring the overall coordination of the European BE READY partnership and leading the PROACT EU-Response consortium, ANRS MIE is establishing itself as a key player in pandemic preparedness and response at the European level.

Through these initiatives, ANRS MIE demonstrates its ability to bring together European stakeholders around a shared ambition: to better anticipate, coordinate and accelerate the scientific response to future health crises.