Charité Assumes Presidency of European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA)
Over the next seven months, Charité will represent the alliance’s health policy priorities at the European level and work with its members to advance them. A highlight of Charité’s presidency will be EUHA’s tenth-anniversary conference in Berlin on May 27, 2027. The event will bring together representatives from academia, healthcare, industry, and policymaking to discuss the future of European healthcare systems.
“Ten years of EUHA have shown that the major challenges facing European healthcare systems – from crisis preparedness and digital transformation to workforce shortages – can only be addressed together,” says Prof. Heyo K. Kroemer, Chief Executive Officer of Charité. “EUHA not only promotes cross-border exchange and collaboration but also gives Europe’s leading university hospitals a collective voice in European health policy. Given the challenges we face today, that voice is more important than ever.”
University hospitals play a unique role in their national healthcare systems through their responsibilities in patient care, research, and education. They are not only pioneers and drivers of innovation but also role models. To join forces at the European level, nine university hospitals founded EUHA in May 2017. Membership has since grown to eleven institutions. One of the alliance’s central goals is to help make healthcare in Europe fit for the future.
Health security: Addressing global crises and the impacts of climate change
One priority of the presidency is to strengthen European cooperation on health security in response to current changes. This includes tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and developing strategies to manage the effects of climate change, terrorism, armed conflict, and potential future pandemics. “During this anniversary year, we want to raise the profile of Europe’s university hospitals as indispensable partners in European health policy, health security, research, and education,” Kroemer emphasizes.
Through symposia, position papers, and participation in European consultations, EUHA aims to establish health security as a firm priority on the EU agenda during Charité’s presidency. Initiatives under discussion include a joint training program for cross-border patient care in large-scale emergencies. In addition, EUCARE, a European continuing education program designed to prepare intensive care nurses for crisis situations, will be further developed to ensure its long-term sustainability beyond the initial Erasmus+ funding period.
The alliance is also planning an initiative to strengthen preparedness for antimicrobial resistance across EUHA hospitals. Member hospitals are currently developing a proposal with partners including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
A new addition to EUHA is the European Midwifery Network, recently established and coordinated by Charité. After all, crisis-resilient healthcare relies on qualified professionals across all disciplines and occupational groups.
University hospitals as drivers of European competitiveness
Another priority of Charité’s presidency is to position university hospitals as strong drivers of healthcare innovation and European competitiveness. This is particularly relevant in light of the European Biotech Act, which seeks to support research, innovation, and clinical trials in the EU. Working with other alliances, EUHA has already helped ensure that university hospitals are recognized as key players in research-driven innovation and taken into account in funding instruments.
Over the coming year, Charité and EUHA will focus particularly on personalized medicine and novel, individualized treatments known as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). There is an urgent need to facilitate cross-border clinical trials, improve conditions for spin-offs, and strengthen collaboration with industry. Charité already coordinates the Join4ATMP consortium and is advancing a European ATMP competence center to help bring research findings into clinical practice.
University hospitals as pilot sites for digital healthcare in Europe
Digital transformation gives patients better access to their electronic health data and makes that data more useful for patient care, research, and development. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is establishing a common framework for this. All EUHA members are already actively involved in its development, introducing the necessary data standards, and are ready to serve as pilot sites. In parallel, a EUHA expert group will explore the responsible use of artificial intelligence in healthcare over the coming months and develop standards for its application. Experts from Charité and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) are playing an important role in this effort.
About EUHA
The European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA) was founded in Barcelona in 2017. Today, it brings together eleven of Europe’s leading university hospitals: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Aarhus University Hospital; Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus; UZ Leuven; HUS Helsinki University Hospital; King’s Health Partners in London; Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan; Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris; Erasmus MC in Rotterdam; Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm; and the Medical University of Vienna together with Vienna General Hospital (AKH). The alliance represents and brings together the expertise and capabilities of European university hospitals in patient care, research, and education while promoting exchange of knowledge and experience. EUHA also advises on health policy issues at the European level.
Learn more about EUHA and EUHA projects
