HERA Symposium: Exploring Grants and Actions for advancing laboratory and digital capacities for health emergency preparedness and response

On April 4^th and 5^th, key stakeholders from across the European Union attended in Brussels the HERA Symposium. The event focused on advancing laboratory and digital capacities for health emergency preparedness and response to fortify Europe's threat detection capacities and public health intelligence in relation to medical countermeasures. During the two days experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from diverse disciplines, ranging from healthcare institutions to governmental bodies, research organisations, and academia met to enhance collaboration, knowledge sharing, and leveraging innovative solutions to safeguarding public health amidst future crises.

Background and objectives

Aligned with the objectives of the EU4Health programme, HERA has initiated various projects aimed at enhancing both preparedness and response to health crises. These efforts include funding 21 projects involving 26 EU Member States focusing on methods used to detect and amplify genetic material such as whole genomic sequencing (WGS) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, HERA is promoting the institutionalisation of wastewater surveillance through the EU-WISH initiative, which aims to strengthen and improve national capacities by enhancing knowledge exchange and sharing best practices. Furthermore, HERA has facilitated the characterisation of pathogens and the development of medical countermeasures (MCMs) by establishing DURABLE, a network of biomedical and public health laboratories. Additionally, investments have been made in Member States' IT systems to assess health threats and gather intelligence on medical countermeasures (EU-HIP). These initiatives, alongside support for digital solutions such as the Electronic Information for Open Sources (EIOS) platform and efforts to enhance sequencing and intelligence gathering capacities in Africa, play a crucial role in bolstering preparedness and response to cross-border health threats.

Agenda highlights

The symposium's agenda addressed a wide range of topics crucial to advancing health emergency preparedness and response.

On the first day, presentations introduced various HERA-funded initiatives, including genomic sequencing and characterisation, improving exchange of data and development of medical countermeasures.  The second day featured breakout sessions covering themes such as data sharing, international collaboration, integration of laboratory and digital capacities, impactful data for medical countermeasure response, and new technologies for increasing scope and capacity. Additionally, a session created and facilitated by DURABLE Young aimed at increasing the understanding of what is necessary to prepare the next generation of scientists and public health professionals in the field of epidemic preparedness and response.

The symposium further featured case study sessions revolving around various potential threats, such as Avian Influenza, large outbreaks of West Nile Virus across several EU Member States, an antimicrobial resistance outbreak caused by hypervirulent multi-resistant Klebsiella bacteria and an outbreak of Mpox.

The exercise allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the expected outputs and identified potential bottlenecks in data generation and operational timelines. Participants reflected on the evolving landscape of health emergencies and identified areas for improved exchange and collaboration between existing and future actions. This critical analysis aimed to enhance the collective ability to respond effectively to serious cross-border threats to public health.

In the concluding part of the event, a panel comprising representatives from each initiative (DURABLE, EU WISH, EU HIP and the WGS RT-PCR projects), engaged in a reflective dialogue about the lessons learned, emphasising the need for continued collaboration, innovation, and proactive measures to fortify Europe's healthcare capabilities in the face of evolving health emergencies.

More information:

• EU-WISH: Home | EU-WISH
• EU Interoperability with HERA’s IT Platform (EU-HIP (ssi.dk))
• DURABLE
• HERA Preparedness and Response