IMPROVE PRETERM Annual General Assembly Meeting in Oulu, Finland
The IMPROVE PRETERM General Assembly took place in Oulu, Finland, on June 8 and 9, 2026, as part of the project’s Second Plenary Meeting. Hosted by the University of Oulu, the meeting brought together 20 European project partners, representing more than 50 participants in person, with additional attendees joining online. The objective was to review progress from the first 18 months of the project and to plan the next phase of work.
The General Assembly provided a space for scientific exchange, strategic planning, and cross–work package coordination. Over two days, partners reviewed early results and ongoing research activities, and discussed methodological developments, data infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, and communication strategies.
A central focus of the meeting was the advancement of the project’s scientific work packages. Partners presented progress on the development and expansion of the federated data platform, building on the previous RECAP PRETERM infrastructure. This system enables secure, cross-country analysis of large datasets without transferring personal-level data, and is a cornerstone for comparative effectiveness research on neonatal and early childhood interventions.
Another key topic was the development of tools to strengthen long-term follow-up of children born very preterm. This included work on the PARCA-5/7 parent-reported questionnaire, designed to harmonize developmental assessment at school age across participating countries and improve comparability of outcomes in international research.
The consortium also focused on methodological alignment across teams. Discussions covered observational study designs, causal inference methods, and the integration of diverse data sources, including clinical trials, neonatal networks, and national registries. This harmonization aims to strengthen the robustness, consistency, and comparability of evidence on effective approaches in preterm care.
Stakeholder and family involvement was reaffirmed as a core pillar of the project. The Parent & Patient Advisory Board (PPAB) continues to play an essential role in ensuring that research priorities, tools, and outcomes reflect the lived experiences and needs of families and individuals born very preterm.
In addition, partners exchanged on dissemination, communication, and future collaboration strategies to support the visibility and impact of the project across scientific, clinical, and policy audiences.
Overall, the Oulu General Assembly served as an important coordination milestone, consolidating progress achieved during the first 18 months, strengthening collaboration among partners, and ensuring alignment between scientific, technical, and patient-centered dimensions of the IMPROVE PRETERM project.
The project is coordinated and managed by the INSERM – OPPaLE team, under the leadership of Principal Investigator Jennifer Zeitlin.
- https://improve-preterm.eu/news/improve-preterm-general-assembly-oulu/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/improve-preterm/posts/?feedView=all
- https://improve-preterm.eu/
Jennifer Zeitlin & Tamara Maziashvili
