ID-CARE team in Paris for face-to-face meeting of the CoMeCT project

Earlier this week, ID-CARE team members attended the CoMeCT Face-to-Face Meeting in Paris, France.

The meeting, held on 22–23 June 2026, brought together project partners and stakeholders to reflect on achievements, discuss sustainability, and shape the future of coordinated clinical research preparedness across Europe. Under the theme “Strengthening for Sustainability,” the meeting focused on how the knowledge, networks, and structures developed through CoMeCT can continue to support outbreak response and infectious disease research beyond the project's lifetime.

The first day centred on transitioning CoMeCT’s key functions into future frameworks, with discussions on scientific coordination, advisory mechanisms, and crisis response. ID-CARE Director, Evelina Tacconelli, joined CoMeCT Coordinators Nina Langeland and Victoria Simensen for a panel session exploring how research coordination initiatives within CoMeCT, namely the Cohort Coordination Board (CCB) and Trial Coordination Board, can be sustained and expanded outside of CoMeCT. Other presentations also examined lessons learned in data harmonisation, common study endpoints, electronic case report forms, and the mapping of clinical research sites and studies across Europe, helping to identify ways to strengthen future preparedness efforts.

Day two provided an opportunity to reflect on the project’s progress and achievements. As part of the work package overviews session, ID-CARE researchers presented the achievements of the CCB, including the launch of the Central Data Repository, and the results of the IDEPP Project (definition of Infectious Diseases with Epidemic/Pandemic Potential). Subsequent sessions also covered interim evaluation outcomes, stakeholder engagement, global collaboration efforts, and the growing body of publications and scientific outputs generated through the project. These discussions helped identify priorities for the final months of CoMeCT while celebrating the impact already achieved.

The meeting concluded with a dedicated session on the legacy of CoMeCT, focusing on sustainability, long-term impact, and the integration of key outputs into future European preparedness initiatives. Through collaborative discussions and reflections from partner organisations, the event highlighted how CoMeCT has strengthened Europe’s capacity to coordinate clinical research during outbreaks and how its achievements can continue to support public health resilience in the years ahead.

Find out more about CoMeCT here: https://www.id-care.net/projects/comect

This work is part of the CoMeCT (101136531) project, which was funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.