Arhive Uncategorized - Hubul de Inovație în Sănătate

The strategic directions assumed by the Health Innovation Hub are: clinical trials, education and health promotion in priority chronic diseases, and healthcare digitalization. By implementing this national project, Romania and Romanian researchers are connecting to global innovation and research platforms, with one of the Hub’s objectives being to facilitate access to and the exchange of best practices in health innovation, in an accelerated manner, with similar structures at the international level.

“It is an unprecedented achievement in Romania to bring together all universities of medicine and pharmacy, the industry, and the Ministry of Health as the institutional partner. In any country, the responsibility for research and development, access to innovation, access to medicines, and new medical technologies lies with the Ministry of Health and, by extension, with those who ensure the financing of the healthcare system—the National Health Insurance House. Access to innovation in Romania has been limited or delayed for many years. Now, through this Hub, we have a catalyst for efforts and for shortening many of these timelines.”
— Prof. Dr. Alexandru Rafila, Minister of Health

“When we talk about clinical trials in Romania, I don’t think it even needs to be emphasized that this is truly a win across the board. Everyone benefits—first and foremost the patients, who will gain real access to cutting-edge medicines before they are authorized, a process that itself takes quite a long time and, in Romania’s case, delays access to the latest innovations. This is the door we need to open. In the partnership we have, the role of the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices has been to unblock the process, and now it is to continue supporting it.”
— Dr. Pharm. Răzvan Prisada, President of the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Romania (ANMDMR)

Health Innovation Hub – A Partnership Model Bringing Medical Innovation Closer to Romanian Patients

The Local American Working Group (LAWG) is a promoter of healthcare innovation in Romania and supports the development of public policies aimed at creating an efficient, patient-centered healthcare system with increased access to innovation. LAWG brings together the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies in research and biotechnology, dedicated to developing innovative medicines.

“The partnership between the G6-UMF University Alliance, the Ministry of Health, and the Local American Working Group for the creation of the Health Innovation Hub is an extraordinary opportunity. It is a unique and necessary organization, where—under the guidance of the Ministry’s strategy for the coming years, in the medium and possibly long term—we have as partners the most prestigious Universities of Medicine and Pharmacy in the country, united in a unique association. I don’t believe there is another association of universities at this level, this strong, anywhere else, alongside our association of the most engaged, largest pharmaceutical companies in the world in medical research and development.
This opportunity is also extremely important because we are signing a Protocol. It may seem a small thing, as many protocols have been signed before, but in reality, its true beginning lies in how we succeed in shaping a modern partnership where not only the founding members of this Health Innovation Hub will have the chance to participate and add value to the projects chosen in line with the healthcare strategy Romania aims to pursue. This framework must invite relevant players—Romanian or international researchers—who can add value and ensure rapid progress in the areas we choose.”
— Radu Rășinar, current Vice President of the Local American Working Group (President at the time of the Health Innovation Hub launch)

“One of the Hub’s objectives is to stimulate the development of innovative and pragmatic ideas for strategic healthcare priorities, based on a public–private partnership. This partnership model is already implemented at the European level by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)—a joint undertaking funded by the European Union (represented by the European Commission) and the European pharmaceutical industry (represented by EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations).
Through this event, we are also marking the first step in our engagement with partners—institutional, diplomatic, and patient organizations. In the coming period, we aim to focus on the second stage of expanding the Hub’s partnerships by attracting private entities, NGOs, and other stakeholders interested in joining the Hub’s projects.”
— Frank Loeffler, President of the Local American Working Group (Vice President at the time of the Hub’s launch)

“The launch of the Health Innovation Hub is the result of a unique partnership between the Ministry of Health, academia—through G6-UMF—and the innovative pharmaceutical industry represented by LAWG. Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to increasing the resilience and sustainability of Romania’s healthcare system by implementing projects that address urgent needs. For us, success is measured by achieving measurable performance indicators, tackling relevant themes for a modern healthcare system, such as clinical trials. We are confident that 2023 will bring at least one completed project within the Health Innovation Hub, with direct effects on Romania’s entire healthcare system.”
— Adriana Stara, Secretary General of the Local American Working Group

The Role of Universities of Medicine and Pharmacy – Essential for a Modern Healthcare Ecosystem Based on Research and Innovation

The G6-UMF University Alliance Association, as the representative of Romania’s medical and pharmaceutical academic community, plays an essential role both in promoting the interests of higher medical education and in creating a shared framework for cooperation in the educational and scientific fields.

“The Health Innovation Hub represents not only an element of novelty but also one of modernity in Romanian medical life. The G6 University Alliance, created three years ago, was established precisely with the intention of joining forces to achieve higher-performing research—both fundamental and innovative—as well as to generate best practices in teaching and medical activity. We are now facing a project that focuses on pragmatic, innovative research—the extremely important link between physician-researchers and the producers of medicines and medical devices who need feedback on their products, which we will be able to provide.”
— Prof. Dr. Octavian Crețu, Rector of the “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara, Acting President of the G6-UMF University Alliance

“Through the Hub, we aim to develop an environment conducive to creative, tangible ideas that can bring direct benefits to patients and to our community. This Hub will be a bridge between academia and industry, between theory and practice, between research and the implementation of research results. We want to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and innovative vision among our students, and we will facilitate the transfer of technology to the market so that the results of our research reach patients quickly, contributing to improving the quality of medical care and enhancing quality of life. Through this Hub, we also aim to address critical issues in the healthcare system, such as population aging, chronic diseases, poverty, and inequalities in access to medical care.”
— Prof. Dr. Anca Dana Buzoianu, Rector of the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca

“We aim to scale up, at the regional level, solutions focused on preventing non-communicable chronic diseases and episodes of worsening of these conditions. We have prepared and plan to implement, by the end of the year, a tele-cardiology and remote imaging monitoring project in Bucharest and the surrounding counties, thereby creating a secondary prevention registry for cardiovascular diseases. This is a pilot project that can later be expanded across the entire Hub. We will have joint projects, we will develop them, and perhaps, in the future, legislation will change so that we also receive financial support from the state, not only from pharmaceutical companies and medical universities.”
— Prof. Dr. Viorel Jinga, President of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest

“We, the six Universities of Medicine and Pharmacy, believed that we could only move forward as a team, and three years ago we formed this alliance, G6-UMF, to strengthen the academic environment in medical education in Romania. Now, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Local American Working Group Association, we believe we can also support patients and offer everything we, as universities, have in terms of innovation. Because universities, and academia in general, must be the driving force of innovation— especially in healthcare, this field being extremely important for any community.”
— Prof. Dr. Dan Ionuț Gheonea, President of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova

“We all know that a modern society rests on three pillars—education, healthcare, and justice. Each of them is interconnected, but the link between the education system and the healthcare system is especially important, because the Ministry of Health can provide the essential infrastructure for delivering quality education in universities of medicine and pharmacy, while these universities can provide the human resources needed to deliver high-quality medical care. The G6 Alliance has already proven its strength and effectiveness in achieving very important results up to this point.”
— Prof. Dr. Viorel Scripcariu, President of the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iași

“Health innovation is a priority at both the European and national levels, and the Universities of Medicine and Pharmacy are on the front line in this regard. The experience gained and the results achieved by each of us in implementing innovation projects are a guarantee that the partnership between the Ministry of Health, the G6-UMF Alliance, and LAWG will have a major positive impact on clinical and research practice in Romania. The Health Innovation Hub is truly a national project, and the signing of the Collaboration Protocol is the cornerstone in this direction.”
— Prof. Dr. Leonard Azamfirei, President of the “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology, Târgu Mureș

Published at 1 august 2023 in Health Innovation Hub, Project progress, Projects