The public-private partnership, READI, seeks to help clinical studies (CS) to finally serve the complete general population, and therefore more patients. To date CS have struggled to recruit and retain participants from diverse backgrounds and communities, such as marginalized or disadvantaged groups (e.g., sexual, gender, age, cultural, and socioeconomic cohorts). The resulting knowledge gaps entrench or increase health disparities. The READI consortium strives to tackle these challenges by fostering a more cohesive and integrated CS ecosystem for underserved (US) and underrepresented (UR) communities. It will actively connect all key stakeholders who can facilitate access to a wide range of patient populations. It will provide these stakeholders with the necessary tools, training programs, and approaches essential for the recruitment and retention of US/UR patients in CS. In addition, it will design, build and implement a digital platform which is patient-centred, sustainable, open and innovative. This will foster improved access to CS information and READI tools, while also supporting patient connections with the created communities. Finally, at least 4 CS will be used for testing the effectiveness of the developed tools and approaches. READI has a three-fold objective: to help US/UR communities overcome CS participation barriers (e.g., lack of information/awareness, mistrust, poor communication, geographic limitations, prejudice), which in turn will improve research of many diseases and conditions, preventative care and treatment effectiveness in different demographic groups, and better serve society. READI’s success will draw from its interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder, consortium composition of 73 organizations from 18 countries, with key expertise in drug development and CS (design and operations), engagement strategies for US/UR populations, digital platform development, training and capability building initiatives, effective communication and dissemination, long-term sustainability, ethics and regulatory affairs.

SHIFT-HUB aims to establish a pan-European Smart Health Innovation Hub bringing together a rich network of multidisciplinary stakeholders across the dimensions of the quadruple helix, with the mission to facilitate the development, ensure the promotion and foster the uptake of Smart Health technologies and services. SHIFT-HUB will develop and test with the community a complete service offer, integrating networking and matchmaking, identification of partners and support for procurement, guidance for access to funding, research infrastructures and scientific expertise. In complement to a complete service offer based on JRC’s guidelines for the establishment of DIH’s, SHIFT-HUB’s differentiating factors consist in: 1) an immersive approach to involve patients and citizens in the co-creation process based on the Living Lab methodology, coupled to an on-line gamification based e-learning journey allowing to raise awareness, increase literacy and foster the adoption of Smart Health solutions. 2) an approach based open innovation to foster a collaborative, demand-driven and SME-inclusive development and uptake of Smart Health solutions [in a ecosystem of multidisciplinary stakeholders]. 3) a technical platform pilot including a Health Data Hub, a Smart Health Apps Repository and an on-line Marketplace to support the experimental development based on a secure and interoperable access to data and showcase a portfolio of solutions developed by the community members. SHIFT-HUB will identify a pool of 100 high potential Smart Health apps, that will be assessed by at least 300 patients and citizens during 5 Living Lab events, 1500 users on-line and will be connected to at least 50 Healthcare organizations for further uptake.