THEMED WORKSHOPS

In addition to the regular ENMC workshop applications, where topics of the workshops originate from the workshop organisers, ENMC is launching a call for themed workshops applications. This programme prepares the stepping stones for the future by listening to the needs of the neuromuscular patient and research community. With a “Themed Call”, ENMC provides workshop funding opportunities for 1 or 2 themed workshops per year, focusing on pre-identified themes which:

  • are of broader interest to more than one condition (transversal workshops)
  • require a multidisciplinary approach
  • are topics and/or diseases that are not often discussed in a workshop and are therefore unique
  • are groundbreaking, strategic and require development of a sustainable platform in the future

At the 1st ENMC General Assembly Meeting in April 2023, the ENMC Full Partners, Associated Partners, members of the Research Committee and members of the Company Forum selected two themes:

1. Challenges of complex drugs and therapies in neuromuscular disorders

Sub-categories: Accessibility to advanced therapies, treatment readiness such as hospital infrastructure to treat, care and follow up of patients with newly marketed drugs, impact on SOC’s and daily life for patients, compassionate use programs, health economics, Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP): challenges and opportunities etc.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or data sharing in neuromuscular disorders
Sub-categories: what is the registry/databases status in the NMD field, how do we share data in a FAIR way, ethical-legal (GDPR)-ownership challenges in sharing data across borders, owners (pharma) and clinical centres, development of harmonised European & Global Databases, patient- and clinician-driven registries, reuse of clinical trial data, making use of Big Data from sources perhaps outside NMD field.

By 2030, AI will access multiple sources of data to reveal patterns in disease and aid treatment and care. Healthcare systems will be able to predict an individual’s risk of certain diseases and suggest preventative measures. AI will help reduce waiting times for patients and improve efficiency in hospitals and health systems (source: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting).

The themes are broad, hence ENMC does not expect that all sub-categories are covered in a workshop application. Organisers, who would like to pick up one of these themes and apply for an ENMC workshop, may focus on one or more topics which are related to the theme. Organisers further define the rationale, background, objectives and resulting deliverables of the workshop, according to the ENMC Workshop Application Guidelines and the additional Guidelines for Themed Workshop Applications.

The submission deadline is: 1 March 2024. If you seek support in this process, please do not hesitate to contact us and/or send a preliminary draft for a first check by the office: enmc@enmc.org.

               ENMC is:   LISTENING

                                             SUPPORTING

                                                   ANTICIPATING