"The IMI Scientific Committee consists of some of the most skilled scientists in Europe, and being part of it is one of the highlights of my scientific career. To be appointed Chair is a great honour," said Professor da Silva Lima, who is an expert in pharmacology and pharmacotoxicology. "From the start, IMI has been for me an enormously exciting project for countless reasons. Thanks to IMI, we have seen an enormous reformulation of the European research environment as well as researchers attitude. This re-thinking of the full drug development process is the most challenging and exciting exercise that I have experienced during my entire working life. Finally, there is huge potential to expand the principles underlying IMI to the rest of the world."
Professor Perola, whose research focuses on genetics and other risk factors for common diseases, commented: "I am very glad of the appointment. As Vice Chair, I hope to be able to give better advice to people with questions about IMI and thus potentially help people to build up better consortia for IMI calls. I am very excited about working for IMI for the opportunities it gives me to network with people active in drug development and related fields. Public-private partnership is an underused tool in Europe, and as a public servant, I see a lot of potential in it to advance the health and welfare of all people."
IMI Executive Director Michel Goldman said: "The Scientific Committee represents the voice of the scientific community within IMI, and their input is vital to our success. I am looking forward to working with Maria Beatriz da Silva Lima and Markus Perola, and the rest of the committee, to foster open collaboration in pharmaceutical research."
The Scientific Committee provides the IMI Governing Board and Executive Office with strategic, scientific advice, for example on the IMI research agenda and the annual scientific priorities (which form the basis of the Call topics). In addition, the Scientific Committee participates in the consultations on new topics for Calls for proposals, and plays an active role in reviews of ongoing IMI projects. Members are nominated by IMI’s States Representatives Group and appointed by the Governing Board.
About IMI
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is the world's largest public-private partnership in health. IMI is improving the environment for pharmaceutical innovation in Europe by engaging and supporting networks of industrial and academic experts in collaborative research projects. The European Union contributes €1 billion to the IMI research programme, and this is matched by in kind contributions worth at least another €1 billion from the member companies of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
The Innovative Medicines Initiative currently supports 42 projects, many of which are already producing impressive results. The projects are all working to address the biggest challenges in drug development, with the goal of accelerating the development of safer and more effective treatments for patients.