Over the past two years the VPH Policy Affairs Working Group (PAWG) has been active in galvanising political support for VPH and in silico medicine with many MEPs calling on the Commission to fund activities in Horizon 2020.
On 26 January 2015, Director of the Health and Wellbeing Unit of the European Commission’s DG Connect, Peteris Zilgavis in an interview was asked what are the research priorities in eHealth in the Digital Agenda.
In answer Mr. Zilgavis stated “We have an open call right now which emphasizes the virtual phisiological human-the computer modelling of the organs-,mHealth and the empowerment of the patient...In the future we will be following further the directions of mHealth and virtual physiological human, as well as cybersecurity issues related to systematic security”.
That DG Connect following these advocacy efforts has announced their intention to support VPH in the next Horizon 2020 work programme and beyond, constitutes a huge win for the VPH community in terms of direct monetary value but also in terms of political value in Brussels.
The full interview is available here.
