For anyone who has followed the progress of EUPATI, the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation, from its early beginnings the project’s first full conference with a 183 participants, held in Rome on 19 April 2013, was a revelation.

After a successful first year of the project, with lots of challenges, achievements and learning, EUPATI is now looking to the future: 2020 and three years beyond the end of the project - how will the tools and knowledge provided through EUPATI make a difference to patients advocates, patient organisations and the public?

Short presentations are designed to inspire a collective vision, using actual examples the speakers will bring to life existing best practices. All participants of the conference are invited to an open and active dialogue, jointly shaping and building this vision for the future.

If you are interested in participating at the conference on 19 April 2013 in Rome, please apply here

Results of first steps in the "information needs and gap analysis" available to EUPATI Network members

To help understand what patient-centric educational material on medicines R&D is already existing in Europe and in what quality, EUPATI started to collect, catalogue and review existing information, education and training (IET) resources aimed at patients on the topic of medicines development through an intensive internet research and with input from patient organisations and other stakeholders. The list of third-party resources is now available here for EUPATI Network members (after registration and login).

The European Patients' Academy for Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI) took its first steps with its inaugural workshop, held in Frankfurt, Germany, on 5 September 2012.

The following resources are available to EUPATI Network members. Membership is free!

• Read our Meeting Report (Web version) or PDF/print version - more details on interesting discussions!
• See the Photo Gallery - to remember people you've met!
• See the agenda & webstreams - all workshop presentations are available in a video!
• Read the Press Release - our shortest summary!
• Discuss about our workshop in the Online Forum, our LinkedIn group or Facebook page!

If you are already a member, please log in. If you are not yet registered, please register here.

With its kick-off event on 5th of September 2012, the European Patients' Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI) provided an open forum for stakeholders from all over Europe. More than 100 registered participants from 24 countries attended the first public workshop of EUPATI in Frankfurt, demonstrating the broad interest and real need for more patient involvement when new treatments are being developed.

Please join the EUPATI Network! The Network is open to patients and patient organisations, caregivers, academia, pharmaceutical & biotech companies, journalists, and anyone else interested in finding information on medicine research & development in lay language. Membership in the network is free of charge. Being a member of the EUPATI Network provides the following benefits:

Within your activities as a health professional, patient advocate or researcher, we are sure you have come across interesting educational material on medicines research & development. We do not want to re-invent the wheel. The Patients' Academy is now asking for your help to identify existing educational material and training resources on medicines development. Please go to http://www.patientsacademy.eu/suggest and point us to pre-existing educational material that you found interesting!

The first public meeting of the European Patients' Academy on Therapeutic Innovation will be held during the DIA EuroMeeting on 27 March 2012 from 14:00-15:30 in Copenhagen. Hear the leaders of this IMI sponsored project during the DIA EuroMeeting. Come along to the Hotel Bella Sky Comwell in Copenhagen, next to the DIA EuroMeeting's conference center, for this special satellite session. See the programme - Register here!

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public private partnership between the European Commission and EFPIA, funds the 'European Patients' Academy on Therapeutic Innovation' (EUPATI). Starting on 1 February 2012, the patient-led academy will develop educational material, training courses and a public Internet library to educate patient representatives and the lay public about all processes involved in medicines development. Topics will include personalised and predictive medicine, design and conduct of clinical trials, drug safety and risk/benefit assessment, pharmaco-economics as well as patient involvement in drug development. EUPATI will provide educational material in six European languages targeting eleven European countries.