The European Commission runs evaluations of its research programmes both at the halfway point and after the end of the programme, and in this context a team of experts carried out the final evaluation of the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) programme and the mid-term evaluation of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI).
The results of these evaluations, which involved desk research, stakeholder interviews, and case studies, were published recently in a combined report. The report assesses the programmes according to five evaluation criteria (relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, EU-added value) and four partnership-specific criteria (additionality, directionality, international positioning and visibility, and transparency and openness).
A partnership that is still ‘ahead of the curve’
The conclusions of the report are positive. IMI is recognised as ‘a world-first public-private partnership in the field of health research and innovation’. Furthermore, expanding the scope to include cross-sector collaboration under IHI means the partnership is still ‘ahead of the curve’, the report notes.
More broadly, the report states: ‘The transition from IMI to IHI has shown that it is possible to refresh and expand an institutionalised partnership to strengthen its response to emerging health challenges and to capitalise on opportunities arising from cross-sectoral research and development in areas of fast-paced innovation.’
A programme with impact
A deep dive into the progress of the IMI2 programme reveals ‘substantial achievements’, with the programme exceeding many of the targets set out in its key performance indicators. Here the report highlights the thousands of publications emerging from IMI projects; the project results being used by industry partners; project outputs made available outside consortia; and the significant number of regulatory procedures completed.
New networks established thanks to our projects
On the EU added value of the partnerships, the report highlights the extensive and diverse networks created through the projects which span sectors and countries. ‘These would not have existed in the same way without this European partnership,’ the report says. Furthermore, the strength of these networks is demonstrated in the number of collaborations that continue after IMI funding has ceased.
IHI: a story that is still being written
When the evaluators carried out their research for the report, IHI was still very new, as the first five projects were just getting started. Nevertheless, even at this early stage, the evaluators were able to highlight how IHI projects are contributing to key EU policies such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the European Health Data Space (EHDS). IHI has grown a lot since then, having launched 8 calls for proposals and 23 projects, with more in the pipeline. Between them, the projects launched cover all five specific objectives set out in IHI’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), and address key public health challenges such as cancer, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and more.
“This report highlights the power of public private partnerships like IMI and IHI to build strong networks capable of delivering outstanding results,” said IHI Executive Director Dr Niklas Blomberg. “Looking to the future, I am confident that the growing portfolio of IHI projects will deliver on IHI’s objectives of catalysing transformative new solutions to public health needs, finding new ways to address implementation bottlenecks to generating real benefits for patients and society, and boosting the competitiveness of Europe’s health industries.”
Painting the bigger picture: an assessment of EU partnerships
Another newly-published report assesses the progress made so far by the wider family of partnerships, including joint undertakings like IHI. Among other things, the Biennial Monitoring Report 2024 highlights the contribution of partnerships to EU priorities such as the green and digital transitions as well as the EU’s technological sovereignty and international positioning. On the last two, the report’s section on IHI highlights projects on real-world evidence; cancer and big data; paediatric clinical trials; and antimicrobial resistance.
Read the reports
Evaluation support study on Horizon Europe’s contribution to a resilient Europe
This study covers the Health cluster of Horizon Europe and includes several references to IMI and IHI
Evaluation support study on Horizon Europe’s contribution to a resilient Europe - Annexes
Annex 4 includes two case studies on IMI/IHI:
Case Study No 1: From Innovative Medicines Initiative to Innovative Health Initiative – the early experience
Case Study No 2: IMI2 and IHI: driving innovation in digital health