At the Craiova Connects 2025 Congress, held on April 10–11, the G6-UMF University Alliance and the Local American Working Group (LAWG) signed an extension of the Collaboration Protocol for the Health Innovation Hub. The Hub is a national project—a platform for dialogue and cooperation—built in partnership with the Ministry of Health, as an honorary and strategic founding member. The platform promotes a vision centered on innovation and contributes to the development of the healthcare system, supporting its connection to international research in this field.
The Health Innovation Hub was established in 2023 as an initiative to stimulate strategic projects with a positive impact on the healthcare system, patients, academia, and medical research in Romania. It is the only initiative in the country that brings together partners from the governmental health sector, the medical and pharmaceutical academic community, and the innovative pharmaceutical industry. The partners work in alignment with the priorities of the National Health Strategy 2023–2030.
The celebration of two years of strategic cooperation within the Health Innovation Hub was marked at the fourth edition of the emblematic “Craiova Connects” event, whose scientific theme this year was obesity. During the meeting, Prof. Dr. Dan-Ionuț Gheonea, Rector of UMF Craiova and President of the G6-UMF Alliance, stated: “Obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of our time, and the complexity of this problem requires an equally robust response—evidence-based, integrated, and supported through education and responsible communication. By signing the addendum extending the partnership between the G6-UMF Alliance and LAWG, with the strategic contribution of the Ministry of Health, we are sending a clear message: the future of health is built through collaboration and constant investment in innovation and medical education. The Health Innovation Hub, developed through the efforts of the G6-UMF Alliance, is a space for generating practical solutions for non-communicable diseases, and this meeting provides us with the right setting to evaluate what we have achieved so far and how we can move forward.”
Reaffirming his commitment to this national project, Frank Loeffler, Vice President of the LAWG Association, stated: “We are proud to be part of this unique initiative in Romania, which brings together all key stakeholders in the healthcare field to build a more innovative and higher-performing health system. Over the past two years, the Health Innovation Hub has demonstrated that strategic collaboration between authorities, medical universities, and the innovative pharmaceutical industry can lead to tangible results—such as the development of the Strategic Plan for Clinical Trials and the advancement of prevention projects for chronic diseases.”
“The role of academia in transforming the healthcare sector is crucial. Extending this collaboration protocol with the G6 Alliance allows us to build on the progress made so far and to expand impactful projects that promote prevention, raise awareness about diseases, support screening, and strengthen medical research in Romania.”
After two years of activity dedicated to driving the transformation of the healthcare system, the Health Innovation Hub’s progress includes results in the area of clinical trials, as well as initiatives for education and prevention of priority chronic diseases. In 2024, through collaboration within the Hub and with the strategic coordination of the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Romania, the “Strategic Plan for Clinical Trials in the Field of Human Medicines in Romania” was developed—the first framework document to set a direction in this important field, created with the contribution of over 50 experts.
In addition, with the Hub’s support, a series of impactful projects and communication campaigns focused on the prevention and early detection of non-communicable chronic diseases will be implemented in 2025. Over its two years of activity, the Hub has organized and participated in numerous workshops and events aimed at strengthening Romania’s capacity to generate innovation for the healthcare system, for patients, and for public policy in this priority area.
“At a time when dialogue between different perspectives is both necessary and constructive, the Hub manages to create an open space for collaboration, where specialists from various fields can work together on sustainable, evidence-based solutions in healthcare. Through the Hub, we aim to expand the strategic directions addressed and the projects undertaken in the coming years, placing Romania on the map of similar platforms in Europe,” added Dr. Teodor Blidaru, Project Manager for the Health Innovation Hub.
Alongside its founding members, over its two years of activity, the Hub has welcomed new external partners who contribute to the implementation of projects and bring complementary perspectives to the platform’s initiatives. These partners include representative patient associations, medical societies, the association of clinical trial management companies, and innovative pharmaceutical companies.
The G6-UMF University Alliance, as a representative of Romania’s medical and pharmaceutical academic community, plays a key role both in promoting the interests of higher medical education and in creating a common framework for cooperation in the educational and scientific fields. The Alliance is made up of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, the “Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași, the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, the “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology in Târgu Mureș, and the “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timișoara.
The Local American Working Group (LAWG) is a promoter of healthcare innovation in Romania and supports the development of public policies for an efficient, patient-centered healthcare system connected to international medical research. The association brings together 14 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies: AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB.
