European initiatives for better training in medicines development

Abstract

In the last decade, the environment for medicines development has undergone unprecedented change, including: a shift from predominantly big Pharma to one of extensive industry–academia and SME partnerships and collaborations, greater emphasis on understanding the molecular basis of disease for stratified and personalised medicine,and a focus on societal/patients’ needs and priorities.
A variety of European initiatives have been established to support the training of scientists/professionals involved inmedicines development in order to respond to this constantly changing, demanding, and chaotic landscape. Some of these initiatives are directed specifically at medicines development, some address scientific research including training relevant to medicines development, and some support general training needs which can include medicines development.
There are a number of European initiatives supporting better training in medicines development. They differ in their approach, ranging from IMI (specific to medicines development) to Erasmus+ (boosting skills and employability in all areas). The scope, budgets, and requirements differ considerably and they each have to be reviewed in detail to decide which might be the most appropriate for a particular target group. The common theme is to support the aims of the European Research Area (ERA), i.e., a significant improvement in Europe’s research performance to promote growth and job creation.