EU-AMRI formal launch on 5 April

On 5 April 2022, the European Alliance of Medical Research Infrastructures, EU-AMRI was launched in Brussels with a live broadcast. This virtual launch event brought together important stakeholders to discuss the European biomedical research landscape, and the needs for larger projects to work with alliances of research infrastructures.

Over 140 online guests tuned in to watch a keynote address from Professor Walter Ricciardi, who kicked off this special event by stressing on the importance of leadership and joining forces to tackle complex health challenges, such as cancer.

EU-AMRI Directors, Toni Andreu (EATRIS), Jens Habermann (BBMRI) and Jacques Demotes (ECRIN) took the audience through the EU-AMRI journey, which started back in 2018. They highlighted the need for their infrastructures to join forces with other organisations which share a similar vision for the European Research Area: accelerate patient-centric biomedical research. Finally, they provided examples of the outputs already produced by the Alliance and shared their outlook on the future impact of the initiative on researchers and policy-markers, and more importantly, patients.

Five additional panelists, representing policy-makers, funders and patients, joined EU-AMRI leaders for a vivid conversation on the future of biomedical research.

The roundtable discussion featured:

• Dr. Pierre Meulien – Executive Director, Innovative Health Initiative
• Ms. Anna Panagopoulou – Director of ERA and Innovation, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
• Radislav Sedlacek – Former Chair of the ESFRI Health & Food Strategic Working Group
• Anca Toma – Executive Director, European Patients’ Forum
• Professor Radka Wildova – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czechia
• Professor Walter Ricciardi, Former Chair of the Cancer Mission Board

EU-AMRI is the collaboration between the European research infrastructures BBMRI for biobanking and biomolecular resources, EATRIS for translational research, and ECRIN for multinational clinical trials. The three research infrastructures provide services to researchers in the field of biomedical sciences, and are complementary and support the development of personalised medicine and new treatments.

To find out more about EU-AMRI, please visit the website at eu-amri.org and follow EU-AMRI on Twitter and LinkedIn.