On 04 and 05 March 2013, Dr. Adriano Henney, Prof. Peter Coveney and Dr. Riam Kanso represented VPH in meetings with Members of the European Parliament to discuss how VPH can offer sustainable solutions for increasingly problematic health issues.
The meetings, which took place with Mr. Sean Kelly (EPP, Ireland) and Prof. Vittorio Prodi (S&D, Italy), were designed to introduce VPH to key members of the European Parliament and to raise awareness of the needs of VPH.
Mr. Sean Kellyis a strong supporter of researchers and has done sterling work in promoting the needs of SMEs and spin-off industries in the EU. The meeting was very positive, with Mr. Kelly indicating a strong interest in the concept of in silico medicine and how VPH could be used to better train healthcare workers.
Prof. Vittorio Prodiis a highly experienced Member of the European Parliament with a strong interest in toxicology. In the discussion, the VPH representatives highlighted the benefits that VPH could bring to “pre-clinical” toxicology testing and also how long term support for VPH could reduce the costs of conducting clinical trials in the EU.
These meetings, which are part of a larger contact programme, represented a first crucial step for the VPH advocacy activities towards the European Parliament. The encouraging positive responses by both Kelly and Prodi are of great help to build the political momentum needed to make sure that VPH can be adequately addressed to the benefit of public health in the EU.
