On February 26 and 27, Istituto Superiore di Sanità has hosted Work Pacakge 7 pilot leaders, representatives of other work packages, key stakeholders, and the newly appointed WP1 secretariat of the Equity Group, in order to identify common denominators and map possible interactions among the pilots and with other WPs, targeting the most useful results in terms of policy, practice and implementation.
Being the JA PreventNCD at its third year of activity, a strong focus was placed on identifying and exploiting potential pathways for uptake and transferability by engaging not only interested parties and targeted groups but also multipliers and other stakeholders.
The meeting, attended by more than 50 participants from 14 European countries provided common background to think outside the box, strengthening connections and collaboration among project partners and stakeholders toward the same broader goal of NCDs prevention in the several and differentiated environments and communities across Europe.
The three pilot clusters (Health inequalities monitoring, Health literacy and Vulnerable groups), during dedicated hands-on sessions, worked synergically to highlight complementary, overlaps and potential collaboration opportunities.
By sharing an equity-driven approach to maximize joint efforts in non-communicable disease prevention, the event has been pivotal to foster alignment and strengthen synergies on several levels: within the single pilot clusters, across the different piloting actions, and also with other Joint Action activities.
Additionally, the two-day of networking and lively group discussions allowed the participants to further explore the existing relevant links to other PreventNCD actions such as the ones encompassed in WP8 on monitoring. The pilots under cluster “Health inequalities monitoring” had the opportunity to have an in-depth focus on the shared methods used, tools implemented and aligned results, such as interactive dashboards for data visualization to relevant stakeholders or inclusive process for co-creation and transformative processes. Other specific-WP topics were well addressed, from the implementation of best practices at community level for better living environments (e.g., activation of baby-friendly community in WP6) or the sustainable impact on policies which is under development in several WPs (i.e., WP4, WP5, WP9).
The JA PreventNCD WP7 Pilots event further reinforced connections and coverage with respect to communication and dissemination issues thanks to the participation of WP2 Leaders, addressing key project achievements in general (such as policy documents) and those specifically related to the General Assembly, to be hosted at ISS in Rome in early June 2026.
Key Meeting Takeaways
1. Reflection & Analysis Dedicate time to reflect on the various outcomes of the meeting.
2. Thematic Group Structure Establish specific thematic groups to strengthen links
- between individual pilots within a cluster
- among WP7 pilot clusters
- across JA PreventNCD work packages.
3. Enhanced Engagement Increase engagement of the Equity Group - supported by the newly appointed secretariat (WP1) and of all relevant stakeholders.