BE READY
Creating a European partnership in research and innovation for pandemic preparedness
Last updated on 23 April 2024
Main points
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of planning and investing in research and innovation in infectious diseases with epidemic risk, long before a health crisis occurs. BE READY uilding a European Strategic Research and innovation Area in Direct Synergy with other EU and International Initiatives for Pandemic Preparedness) aims to build a European Partnership on Pandemic Preparedness.
Creating a European research and innovation area
This partnership will enhance the EU’s capacity to predict and respond to emerging health threats by better coordinating funding for research and innovation at the European level. BE READY will establish guidelines for common research objectives through an agreed Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). The partnership will be able to leverage existing pandemic preparedness networks and will work in synergy with the European Commission (notably through the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation DG RTD, and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority HERA), in close collaboration with the ECDC, the EMA, and other relevant international and European actors.
To build this ambitious partnership, BE READY (launched on June 1, 2022 for a duration of three years) relies on the expertise of 26 public health organizations, ministries (of science, education, health, innovation, or environment), and research agencies from 16 countries, to ensure a cross-cutting and interdisciplinary One Health and Global Health approach.
As part of this initiative, the ANRS MIE is specifically responsible for the overall coordination of the consortium and for defining the strategic research and innovation agenda.
Find out more about BE READY
26
public health organizations
16
countries
6
main objectives
The six main objectives of BE READY
- Engage with all prospective partners of the expected future Partnership to support alignment on its scope, common objectives, governance and ways of working/operationalisation.
- Elaborate an innovative and visionary Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for pandemic preparedness ensuring a cross-cutting, interdisciplinary Global Health and One Health approach.
- Consolidate the future European Partnership on Pandemic Preparedness.
- Ensure complementarities, coordination and collaboration with the European Commission (especially with DG-RTD, DG-SANTE and HERA).
- Involve relevant stakeholders and initiatives in the area of pandemic preparedness, ensuring collaboration and coordination, and avoiding duplication (e.g. GloPID-R, WHO R&D blueprint, ACT-Accelerator, G7/G20 Health WGs, etc).
Raise awareness of the importance of increased pandemic preparedness both outside and during epidemic/pandemic episodes
The ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases (MIE) is responsible for supporting, coordinating and funding the national research community focused on emerging infectious diseases. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and adopting a One Health approach, ANRS MIE has a unique capacity to contribute to preparedness and response to emerging infectious diseases. Involvement in the Be Ready CSA as coordinator is a key element of the agency’s European and global strategy to promote coordination in preparedness and response strategy, in order to limit the effects of emerging epidemic events.”