From Coordination to Readiness
Ecraid hosted a CoMeCT Sustainability Workshop focussed on the project's next phase of growth and impact within the European clinical research landscape.
Earlier this week, Ecraid – who is a partner in the EU-funded CoMeCT project, hosted a CoMeCT Sustainability Workshop that focussed on the future development of the project’s coordination activities and its next phase of growth and impact within the European clinical research landscape.
The workshop brought together representatives from the CoMeCT and the BE READY projects to explore how CoMeCT can evolve beyond its current role as a coordination mechanism for cohort studies and adaptive platform trials into establishing an ever warm-based network of networks in Europe.
The goal to ensure operational readiness for multi-national clinical trial management in the event of a future public health emergency. This will be achieved in the Be Ready project, the successor of CoMeCT, under the European Pandemic Preparedness Plan.
Key discussion topics included:
- Improving cross-network alignment to minimise fragmentation.
- Establishing an ever-warm, EU-wide network of networks for clinical research.
- Strengthening stakeholder engagement and inclusivity across research, policy and implementation communities.
- Advancing data harmonisation to support timely, coordinated research responses.
The workshop also highlighted the importance of investing in sustainable coordination structures to ensure readiness when timely evidence generation is critical.
As partner in the BE READY project, Ecraid is responsible for bridging its pan-European ‘warm-base’ hospital and primary care networks, ensuring an organised and prepared network where sites are engaged, well-resourced, trained, and continuously involved in clinical research. The ambition is to improve Europe’s rapid clinical research response and strengthen pandemic preparedness.
"We need to build a system that is genuinely adaptive – one that is also inclusive and can evolve as new groups come in, and where that adaptability is clearly reflected in the governance," says Lennie Derde, CEO Ecraid.
Building on the outcomes of a SWOT analyses, participants identified a range of strategic priorities that will inform the next phase of CoMeCT’s development. These insights will help shape actions aimed at sustainability, governance and operational readiness across Europe’s diverse infectious diseases networks and organisations.
Thank you to all participants for the thoughtful insights and collaboration!