As 2025 begins, it’s a good moment to look back at some of the key events that marked the Real4Reg journey in 2024. From important discussions to collaborative initiatives, the past year was full of activities and achievements.
The Real4Reg partners were proud to be part of several key events. Here’s a quick summary:
On January 25–26, 2024, EUpALS participated in the kick-off meeting of the EU Horizon project HEREDITARY (Heterogeneous Semantic Data Integration for the Gut-Brain Interplay) held in Padua, Italy. During this event, EUpALS took the opportunity to briefly present the Real4Reg initiative, showcasing its relevance and contributions to advancing data integration and collaboration in health research.
On February 23–24, 2024, Erica Viegas from the INFARMED, I.P. Executive Board participated in the XVI Hospital Pharmacy Days, organised by the Council of the Hospital Pharmacy Speciality College of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society in Porto, Portugal. In a session titled “Artificial Intelligence and Health Data,” she provided an overview of Real4Reg, highlighting its scope and goals to an audience of hospital pharmacists.
On May 14, 2024, the project was presented at the More-EUROPA Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, during the session titled “Role of Registries in HTA.” The presentation, which focused on the “Role of RWE in INFARMED,” highlighted the significance of real-world evidence in Health Technology Assessment (HTA), showcasing Real4Reg’s contributions to this area.
On June 16, 2024, during the EUpALS Annual General Meeting, EUpALS provided an update to members of 28 national ALS associations and industry partners on the progression of Real4Reg, with a particular focus on the ALS use case.
From August 24-28, 2024, Real4Reg members actively participated in the ISPE Annual Meeting in Berlin, celebrating 40 years of pharmacoepidemiology. The project was highlighted during Julia Wicherski’s presentation on identifying patient groups at high risk of fluoroquinolone-associated serious adverse events in German routine care. Our team contributed 5 posters, 1 talk, and 2 panel discussions, strengthening collaborations within the scientific community.
In early September 2024, BfArM colleagues presented the Real4Reg survey results on the perceptions of Real-World Evidence (RWE) among patients and physicians during a joint conference of five German medical associations, in Dresden (GMDS, DGSMP, DGEpi, DGMS and DGPH). Read more
On 20 November 2024, the Real4Reg project was highlighted during INFARMED’s Annual Conference in Lisbon, themed “Innovative Future of Medicines and Health Technologies.” Prof. Dr. Karl Broich (BfArM), Portuguese Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, and other speakers referred to Real4Reg as a key example of digital transformation in health regulation. Read more
In November 2024, Real4Reg members attended the 31st Annual Meeting of the German Drug Utilisation Research Group (GAA) in Bonn. Highlights included a mention of Real4Reg during the opening ceremony by BfArM President Prof. Dr. Karl Broich and a first-place poster award for Martin Russek’s study on external control arms using German real-world data. Read more
On December 11, 2024, during the Big Data Steering Group (BDSG) meeting, BfArM colleagues provided an update on ongoing AI initiatives aimed at enabling health data research, highlighting the Real4Reg project.
2024 was also a milestone year, as the first grant period successfully concluded in June followed by a positive project review from the European Commission and external experts. Among the year’s highlights were two impactful workshops organised by the consortium, which brought together experts, stakeholders, and patients to foster valuable discussions and advance key objectives. These workshops demonstrated Real4Reg’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and practical impact. The year also featured a memorable in-person gathering in Helsinki, among other relevant moments, further strengthening collaboration and driving the project’s progress. Additionally, our continued engagement with the MetReal Cluster, including a productive hybrid meeting in Bonn with sister projects, focused on fostering synergies and exploring future collaborations. As we reflect on 2024, we’re excited to see where 2025 will take us next.