Health IPCEI - PIIEC Santé

Creation of Health IPCEI

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the European Union launched several initiatives to strengthen the health sector, including developing new treatments for rare diseases, combating cancer, and preparing Europe for future emerging health crises.

In 2022, sixteen Member States expressed their desire to promote the competitiveness of the healthcare industry and improve the well-being of European citizens through a joint manifesto. With this declaration, these Member States committed to advancing their efforts toward the deployment of the first Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) dedicated to health, thereby stimulating breakthrough innovations in this strategic sector. 

Two Health IPCEI have thus been authorized by the European Commission: Med4Cure, dedicated to pharmaceutical products, and Tech4Cure, dedicated to medical devices.

Authorization of the Med4Cure IPCEI

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the first Health IPCEI. It supports research, breakthrough innovation, and the first industrial deployment of pharmaceutical products. The Med4Cure IPCEI will contribute to achieving the European Union's health objectives by delivering innovations to combat diseases for which there are currently no satisfactory means of prevention or treatment and enabling the EU to be better prepared for emerging health threats.

Source: European Commission

The Med4Cure IPCEI General Assembly is organized annually, with the participation of the European Commission, the Member States, and the companies involved. It provides an opportunity to review the progress of industrial projects, effective collaborations between participants, and dissemination commitments within the European ecosystem.

The annual Health IPCEI conference, also held once a year, aims to showcase the progress of IPCEI and their contributions to breakthrough health innovations within the European Union.

The objectives of Med4Cure

The Med4Cure IPCEI aims to advance the medical sector and the healthcare industry within the European Union. This includes discovering new drugs, particularly those addressing rare diseases, and innovating pharmaceutical production methods.

To achieve this, Med4Cure supports research and development initiatives at every stage of the pharmaceutical value chain: from the collection and study of cells, tissues, and samples to the development of sustainable production technologies (to create innovative therapies and/or personalized treatments) and the accompanying advanced digital technologies.

The IPCEI is expected to conclude in 2036 (timelines may vary depending on individual projects and companies). According to the participating Member States, this project will create approximately 6,000 jobs.

Presentation of Med4Cure projects

Projects led by Direct Participants

"Direct participants" refer to companies leading structuring projects, selected by Member States and submitted to the European Commission for approval through an IPCEI procedure, providing breakthrough innovation and creating a ripple effect within their sector. These projects must contribute to the common European objectives and address market failures identified by Member States and the European Commission within the framework of the Health IPCEI.

Direct participants engage in significant cross-border collaborations and commit to widely disseminating the results of their work through cross-border and cross-sector commitments within the European ecosystem. This includes scientific publications, events, spillover of intellectual property, and various partnerships with a wide range of European stakeholders, including universities and SMEs.

To this date, 13 projects are led by Direct participants as part of Med4Cure:

• OncoRNA (SME) - Belgium
• The DrugCell (SME) - France
• Euroapi France (LE) - France
• Sanofi (LE) - France
• Biotalentum (SME) - Hungary
• Richter (LE) - Hungary
• FAGOTERAPIA (SME) - Italy
• HOLOSTEM (LE) - Italy
• NUREX (SME) - Italy
• TAKIS (SME) - Italy
• Biomedical Engineering (SME) - Slovakia
• SENSIBLE BIO (SME) - Slovakia
• SYLENTIS (LE) – Spain

Projects carried out by Associated partners

Associated partners contribute to Med4Cure with their own projects and receive public funding under a national or regional aid scheme or an EU fund. As part of their contributions, they commit to engaging in effective cross-border collaborations with Direct participants in the IPCEI and to undertaking dissemination activities, and are represented in the governance of the IPCEI.

11 projects are led by Associated partners as part of Med4Cure:

• Theranum (LE) - Belgium
• Laboratorio Reig Jofre (LE) - Spain
• LABORATORIOS ROVI (LE) - Spain
• MEDICHEM (LE) - Spain
• Minoryx Therapeutics (SME) - Spain
• Oryzon Genomics (SME) - Spain
• Offichem (LE) - Netherlands
• Symeres (LE) - Netherlands
• NecstGen (LE) - Netherlands
• SHINE Europe B.V. (LE) - Netherlands
• Ryvu Therapeutics (SME) - Poland

Involvement of Indirect partners

Indirect partners are companies or research laboratories that provide critical technological components for the success of projects led by Direct participants or Associated partners. These Indirect partners are essential to the IPCEI as they contribute to achieving common European objectives and help maximize the economic benefits of the sector within the EU.

These partners benefit from some of the work conducted by the Direct and Associated partners. Indirect partners' projects may also receive public funding under standard aid frameworks, or be self-financed.

As part of the Med4Cure IPCEI, more than 175 Indirect partners have been selected by Direct participants and Associated partners to contribute to their individual projects and to the technological building blocks essential to their success. In France, aligned with the France 2030 plan, special attention has been given to emerging players (start-ups and SMEs) when co-financing Indirect partners.

Authorization of the Tech4Cure IPCEI

The second Health IPCEI, entitled “Tech4Cure” and dedicated to innovative medical devices was authorized by the European Commission in July 2025. It supports technological improvement projects in three areas: the lifespan of active implantable medical devices, the development of connected and portable medical imaging solutions, and the sustainable design of medical devices.

Tech4Cure aims to support collaborative research and innovation, as well as the first industrial deployment of these cutting-edge technologies. The IPCEI will thus contribute to the achievement of several European Union objectives in terms of access to healthcare, strengthening European production capacities, and building ambitious European partnerships. 

Tech4Cure was authorized by the European Commission after six months of review. SMEs, which represent 60% of the project leaders in this IPCEI, benefited from a simplified authorization procedure.

The Tech4Cure IPCEI General assembly will be held annually to review the progress of industrial projects, collaborations between participants, and dissemination commitments within the European ecosystem.

The objectives of Tech4Cure

The Tech4Cure IPCEI focuses primarily on creating innovative medical devices equipped with advanced and novel digital solutions, which aim to further develop the predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (“3P” medicine) concept.

Predictive medicine uses data and analytical tools to predict future health risks of individuals. Preventive medicine allows the early detection of risk factors and medical conditions to timely intervene and prevent diseases. Personalized medicine adapts treatments and care plans to the unique characteristics of each individual patient. The 3P medicine concept improves patient outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and improves EU citizens’ quality of life.

The work initiated in the framework of Tech4Cure is expected to be completed in 2036 (timelines may vary depending on individual projects and companies involved). According to participating Member States, this IPCEI will create around 800 jobs.

Presentation of Tech4Cure projects

Projects led by Direct Participants

10 projects are led by Direct Participants as part of Tech4Cure:

• FineHeart (SME) – France
• Corwave (SME) – France
• Tronico (LE) – France
• Medicor Elektronica (SME) – Hungary
• Engineering Ingegneria Informatica (LE) – Italy
• iVis Technologies (SME) – Italy
• S.I.T. - Sordina IORT Technologies (SME) – Italy
• Innovaway (LE) – Italy
• Powerful Medical (SME) – Slovakia
• Cosylab (LE) – Slovenia

Projects led by Associated Partners

18 projects are led by Associated Partners as part of Tech4Cure:

• Aurora (SME) – France
• InjectPower (SME) – France
• Dent-Art-Technik (SME) – Hungary
• Cellbox Labs (SME) – Latvia
• DATI Group (SME) – Latvia
• LabMedTech (SME) – Latvia
• UNISO (SME) – Latvia
• BioSistemika (SME) – Slovenia
• Caretronic (SME) – Slovenia
• Inden (SME) – Slovenia
• MESI (SME) – Slovenia
• Result (SME) – Slovenia
• XLAB (SME) – Slovenia
• Žejn (SME) – Slovenia
• Ekliptik (SME) – Slovenia
• Implant3D (SME) – Slovenia
• Interesansa (SME) – Slovenia
• SIPRA engineering (SME) – Slovenia

Involvement of Indirect partners

As part of Tech4Cure, around 45 Indirect partners (companies or research organizations) will benefit from the creation of an EU medical device ecosystem, as well as from activities to disseminate the results of the PIIEC.

Find out more about the five French projects selected