Session 7

Unlocking European competitiveness

How the rare disease ecosystem drives health innovation

Organised by Brains for Brain Foundation, HLM4RARE and EUCOPE

Europe’s competitiveness agenda places health innovation at the core of strategic renewal, with rare diseases serving as its ultimate proof-of-concept. The rare disease field can scale solutions Europe urgently needs: cross-border expertise, multi-country clinical trials, integrated data infrastructures, coordinated Health Technology Assessment (HTA) pathways, patient’s centricity, and solidarity-based financing.

This session explores how a fully resourced rare disease ecosystem can serve as a blueprint for the broader health sector. Built around 24 European Reference Networks (ERNs) spanning 1,606 specialised centres in about 400 hospitals of excellency, this unique ecosystem is a powerful engine for European growth. The panel will address how to implement these building blocks in practice,  to overcome systemic barriers, boost global competitiveness, and position the European Union as a world leader in translational health innovation.

Speakers to be announced