Europa-Bio Patients Bio-Forum
Objectives and aims of the Forum
The EuropaBio Patients-Bio Forum aims to:
- Primarily provide a platform for an exchange of views and expertise between patient organisations, EuropaBio and its members on issues of common concern related to the field of healthcare biotechnology.
- Provide a platform for EuropaBio to seek input from patient organisations on policy issues related to the healthcare biotechnology field.
- Provide a platform whereby patient organisations can seek non-product specific information from industry experts on scientific, regulatory and policy issues related to the healthcare biotechnology field.
Format
The Forum has two face-to-face meetings per year. Each meeting will focus on a specific topic agreed in advance by all members, with a certain degree of flexibility, allowing for example members to focus on the same topic during two meetings or on two topics during the same meeting. External experts may also be invited to exchange views with the Forum on an agreed topic.
Each meeting will be prepared by an informal steering committee, made of the Vice-Chairs of the Patients-Bio Forum, the EuropaBio Secretariat and representatives from one or two patient organisations and company members of the Patients-Bio Forum, depending on the topic being discussed, and selected on a voluntary basis.
Governance
The Forum will be chaired by the Chair of the EuropaBio’s Healthcare Council. In addition, a Vice-Chair appointed by industry representatives and a second Vice-Chair appointed by patient members will oversee the daily operations of the Forum and chair the meetings on a rotating basis in the absence of the Chair. Vice-Chairs of the Forum will be elected for a mandate of two years, renewable once.
The Chair of the Bio-Patients Forum, the industry Vice-Chair and the EuropaBio Secretariat will provide a link with the EuropaBio Healthcare Council1.
Membership Criteria
Patient membership of the Forum includes pan-European patient organisations active in the field of EU policy-making, and with an interest in biotechnology-related issues – including EFNA. The membership will regularly be reviewed.
Patient organisations will need to meet the following criteria to become eligible as full members of the Forum:
- They should have a legitimate right to represent the interest of patients
- Their members should primarily be patient associations or patients based in the European Union
- They should be pan-European organisations active in the field of EU policy-making
- They should have an interest in biotechnology-related issues.