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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ Date: 25 February 2025 ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО Ms Helen Sõber Adviser, European Union Affairs and International Head office: Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social Affairs UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Suur-Ameerika 1 Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Tallinn 10122, Estonia Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.euro.who.int Our Your reference: reference: Notre Votre référence: référence: Unser Ihr Zeichen: Zeichen: См. наш На Ваш номер: номер: Dear Ms Sõber, WHO European regional consultation meeting: Harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH) 1 April 2025 The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe is pleased to invite Member States to a virtual consultation meeting on 1 April 2025 to further shape and contribute to the Regional Strategy for harnessing innovation for public health 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH). This initiative builds on the unanimous support from all Member States during the 74th session of the Regional Committee in October 2024, where the development of this Strategy was strongly endorsed. Your participation is crucial to refine a transformative roadmap that addresses the Region’s permacrisis challenges, including climate-related health threats, noncommunicable diseases, an ageing population and health workforce shortages. Aligned with the European Programme of Work 2025–2030 (EPW 2.0), which dedicates 30% of regional efforts to innovation, Innovation4PH aims to foster systemic transformation through equitable, cross-sectoral solutions. The draft strategy, developed through extensive technical consultations and aligned with global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, now seeks your expertise to ensure it reflects diverse national contexts and prioritizes actionable, scalable approaches. The meeting will centre on receiving your feedback to strengthen the strategy’s relevance and impact. Key discussion areas include mechanisms to enhance collaboration across health, environment, technology and industry sectors; strategies for scaling innovations in resource- constrained settings; and governance models to align innovation ecosystems with public health priorities. Member States are encouraged to share best practices, policy insights and implementation challenges to enrich the Strategy’s practicality and adaptability. Your contributions will directly shape the final Strategy to be presented at the 75th session of the Regional Committee, ensuring it serves as a dynamic tool for building resilient, equitable public health systems across the Region. To ensure comprehensive representation, nominations are invited from Ministry representatives (e.g. health, digital transformation and science/technology) and national innovation leaders (e.g. directors of innovation hubs, research institutions or public-private partnerships). Please provide us with the names, official positions and titles, and email addresses of the proposed participants at your earliest convenience. For your reference, we have attached the Scope and purpose document. The working language for the event will be English, with simultaneous interpretation in Russian provided for your convenience. Access details and preparatory documents, including the draft strategy and provisional agenda will be shared upon confirmation of participation. To facilitate the nomination process, we kindly request that your response be addressed to Dr Moredreck Chibi via email [email protected], with a copy sent to Nataliia Shapoval [email protected] . We would appreciate receiving your country's nomination no later than 15 March 2025 Yours sincerely, Dr Gauden Galea Special Advisor to the Regional Director, Special Initiative on Noncommunicable Diseases and Innovation (SNI) WHO Regional Office for Europe –2– Enclosures: Scope and purpose Copy for information: Ms Agne Nettan-Sepp, Head, European Union Affairs and International Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, Suur-Ameerika 1 Tallinn 10129, Estonia H.E. Ms Riia Salsa-Audiffren, Ambassador Representative of the Republic of Estonia, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit- Saconnex 28A Genève CH-1209, Switzerland H.E. Mr Andre Pung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, Frederiksgade 19, 4th floor Copenhagen K 1265, Denmark Ms Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer, WHO Country Office, Estonia, Paldiski Road 81 Tallinn 10617, Estonia –3– Saatja: SHAPOVAL, Nataliia <[email protected]> Saadetud: 18.03.2025 18:19 Adressaat: <=?iso-8859-1?Q?Helen_S=F5ber?=> Koopia: <"Agne Nettan-Sepp">; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; KÖHLER, Kristina <[email protected]> Teema: FW: Invitation to Consultation Meeting on WHO European Innovation Strategy Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.Dear Ms Sõber, I am kindly following up on the request for nomination to attend the virtual meeting on the strategy. Best regards, Nataliia Shapoval From: SHAPOVAL, Nataliia Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 2:12 PMTo: [email protected]: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; KÖHLER, Kristina &lt;[email protected]&gt;Subject: Invitation to Consultation Meeting on WHO European Innovation Strategy Dear Ms Sõber, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to invite your country to participate in an upcoming consultation meeting regarding the WHO European Innovation Strategy. Please find attached two important documents for your reference: the Scope and Purpose document and the Nomination Letter. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Nataliia Shapoval Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Tel.: &#43;45 91 87 71 52 Email: Web: Saatja: "SHAPOVAL, Nataliia" <[email protected]> Saaja: "Helen Sõber" Teema: FW: Invitation to Consultation Meeting on WHO European Innovation Strategy Kuupäev: 2025-03-18 16:19 Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada. Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada. Dear Ms Sõber, I am kindly following up on the request for nomination to attend the virtual meeting on the strategy. Best regards, Nataliia Shapoval From: SHAPOVAL, Nataliia Sent: Monday, March 3, 2025 2:12 PM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; KÖHLER, Kristina &lt;[email protected]&gt; Subject: Invitation to Consultation Meeting on WHO European Innovation Strategy Dear Ms Sõber, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to invite your country to participate in an upcoming consultation meeting regarding the WHO European Innovation Strategy. Please find attached two important documents for your reference: the Scope and Purpose document and the Nomination Letter. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Nataliia Shapoval Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Tel.: &#43;45 91 87 71 52 Email: [email protected] Web: www.euro.who.int WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L'EUROPE WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО WHO European regional consultation /2 meeting: Harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030 (Innovation4PH) 01 April 2025 – Virtual format Original: English Scope and purpose Background and rationale The WHO European Region faces a complex array of public health challenges that demand innovative solutions. Noncommunicable diseases, mental health disorders, antimicrobial resistance and the health impacts of climate change are straining health systems across the Region. Traditional approaches are proving inadequate to address these interconnected issues, necessitating a renewed focus on harnessing innovation for public health impact. The European Programme of Work 2025–2030 (EPW 2.0) sets an ambitious vision, dedicating 30% of efforts towards innovation to tackle these megatrends affecting public health in the Region. To realize this vision, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is developing a comprehensive Regional Strategy for harnessing innovation in public health, which received unanimous support from all Member States during the 74th session of the Regional Committee. Recent technological advancements, including mRNA vaccines, immunotherapies and artificial intelligence, have demonstrated the transformative potential of innovation in health. However, a widening gap has emerged between industry-driven innovation and public health systems. Many public health systems lack the agility to adopt these disruptive technologies due to the absence of population-level guidance, hindering the equitable realization of their full benefits across the Region. The Region possesses a wealth of untapped innovation assets, including world-class research institutions, dynamic innovation hubs and a thriving private sector. These innovation hubs and Scope and purpose page 2 institutions represent significant opportunities for collaboration and impact. However, the fragmentation of these resources often hinders their collective contribution to public health. A strategic framework is needed to foster collaboration, accelerate knowledge exchange and drive transformative health innovations across the WHO European Region. In the context of public health, innovation is defined as the development and application of new processes, policies, products or programmes that respond to unmet health-related patient or societal needs and enhance quality, impact and efficiency in population health and living environments in an equitable and sustainable way. This definition underscores the importance of innovation to create value, focusing on solutions that address pressing public health challenges and deliver measurable improvements in health outcomes. Aims and objectives To address these critical needs, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is convening a virtual WHO European regional consultation meeting on 1 April 2025. To ensure comprehensive representation, the meeting will draw the participation of ministry representatives (e.g. health, digital transformation and science/technology) and national innovation leaders (e.g. directors of innovation hubs, research institutions or public-private partnerships). The main objectives of this consultation meeting are to: • gather diverse perspectives and expert input on the content, themes and strategic priorities of the new Regional Strategy for harnessing innovation in public health; • ensure the Strategy reflects the unique needs, challenges and aspirations of all Member States within the WHO European Region; • foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among participants, laying the groundwork for a robust innovation ecosystem; • identify concrete actions and policy recommendations to accelerate the development, adoption, and scaling of high-impact health innovations; and • explore mechanisms for strengthening governance, coordination and financing of health innovation initiatives across the Region. Approach  Scope and purpose page 3 The virtual European regional consultation meeting will employ a dynamic and interactive format to maximize engagement and outcomes, including: • keynote presentations on global health innovation trends and regional priorities, • thematic working groups focused on key strategic areas to develop concrete recommendations and action plans for strategy implementation; • panel discussions exploring critical topics such as ethical considerations, regulatory frameworks and public-private partnerships in health innovation; and • case study presentations showcasing successful health innovation initiatives from across the region. Expected outcomes This consultation will yield several crucial outcomes, namely: • a comprehensive set of recommendations to inform the final content and structure of the Regional Strategy; • strengthened partnerships and collaborative networks among key innovation stakeholders across the Region; • the identification of priority areas for investment and capacity building in health innovation; • a clear roadmap for Strategy implementation, including specific actions for Member States and WHO; and • enhanced understanding and ownership of the Regional Strategy among Member States and partners.