EATRIS-CONNECT is a Horizon Europe infrastructure development project that supports the evolution of EATRIS-ERIC, the European Research Infrastructure for Translational Medicine. The project responds to a growing need for digitally enabled, data-driven and patient-centred approaches in personalised medicine, while addressing persistent challenges such as fragmented digital solutions, limited interoperability, uneven digital maturity across countries, and uncertainty around regulatory and ethical requirements for digital health and artificial intelligence (AI).
The overall objective of EATRIS-CONNECT is to strengthen the long-term positioning of EATRIS as a key European enabler of personalised medicine, by integrating digital transformation, patient engagement, impact assessment and sustainability into the core operations of the research infrastructure and through strengthening the organisational, scientific, and managerial capacity of the national nodes. The project combines technical development with capacity building, ecosystem integration and policy alignment at both EU and national levels.
Across Europe, valuable digital tools, data resources and expertise exist, but they are often developed in isolation and are difficult to reuse, scale or combine. This limits their impact on research, healthcare systems and patients. EATRIS-CONNECT addresses this challenge by supporting a federated, interoperable and sustainable ecosystem for digital transformation in personalised medicine.
A central outcome of the project is the creation of the EATRIS Digital Hub, which serves as a knowledge and service gateway for the research community. The Digital Hub brings together validated resources, workflows, guidance and services developed across EATRIS and partner infrastructures, making them easier to find, access and reuse.
Patient engagement is placed at the forefront of the project. EATRIS-CONNECT promotes the active involvement of patients as co-creation partners throughout the research and innovation lifecycle, ensuring that digital and translational solutions are developed in a responsible, acceptable and societally relevant way.
Through these objectives, the project contributes to European priorities such as the European Health Data Space, the AI Act, the European Research Area, and the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, while strengthening national and regional innovation ecosystems.
