In January 2025, the pioneering project READI – Representative Clinical Research, Advancing Inclusivity in Europe – was launched in Madrid. This project is a Horizon Europe Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) with the goal of promoting a less fragmented and more democratic ecosystem for clinical studies.

Underserved and underrepresented populations in Europe, including ethnic minorities, older people, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, are often excluded from clinical studies. This creates gaps in understanding diseases and limits access to innovative health technologies.

READI aims to build a cohesive, patient-centered ecosystem for clinical studies by:

• Identifying and addressing barriers to participation.
• Co-creating tools, resources, and training programs for inclusive study designs.
• Developing an innovative digital platform to enhance stakeholder collaboration.

In collaboration wth 75 partners across 18 countries, we’re fostering health equity and improving the quality of clinical research across Europe.

Innovative trainings addressed to different stakeholder groups (patient communities, HCPs, researchers & teams at sites, pharmaceutical industry & CROs as well as the general public) play an important role in facilitating the reach, engagement, recruitment and retention of underserved and underrepresented populations in clinical studies.

This is where EUPATI’s expertise in training will come into play, supporting and co-developing educational materials for all different stakeholder groups and ensuring efficient patient engagement within the project consortium itself.

EUPATI is a workpackage co-lead in this project, focusing on training and capacity building efforts supporting the important goal of enhancing inclusiveness and representativeness in clinical studies in Europe!

EUPATI’s contribution:

• • Co-lead of WP4 -Tailored Educational and Training Materials Supported by a Virtual Learning Platform– with GSK to manage the creation and implementation of tailored trainings and online resources for all stakeholders.​
  • Co-create trainings that are reliable, relevant and sustainable for the different target audience.​
  • Build capacity through training across all stakeholder groups to enhance inclusiveness and representativeness in clinical studies.​
  • Spread awareness on the value of patient voice for better healthcare development.

Collaborators within:

• • WP1 -Understanding/ Characterizing Underserved and Underrepresented Populations​, and Guidance to Enhance Inclusion in Clinical Studies
  • WP5 -Clinical Sites Capability Building
  • WP6 -Community Connectivity
  • WP9 -Communication, Dissemination and Stakeholder Engagement for Long-Term Sustainability

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For more information, visit the official READI website: https://ihi-readi.org/