HEAL Italia Project

Health Extended Alliance for Innovative Therapies, Advanced Lab-research and Integrated Approaches of Precision Medicine

The HEAL Italia project is an Extended Partnership funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). With a total funding of €114.7 million, the project aims to structurally strengthen the development and adoption of precision medicine in Italy.

Hub Vision

HEAL Italia was created to build a broad health alliance capable of integrating innovative therapies, advanced laboratory research, and multidisciplinary approaches to precision medicine.
The partnership is based on a multidisciplinary network of laboratories, clinical research centers, and companies that share knowledge, data, and technologies to improve the quality of healthcare services and support the National Health Service in transitioning toward a more personalized, effective, and sustainable model.

The project adopts a holistic and interdisciplinary vision that combines basic research, translational research, innovation, and technology transfer, enhancing the expertise of the academic, clinical, and industrial sectors. Through a One Health approach (where human, environmental, and animal health are considered in an integrated way), HEAL Italia addresses the complexity of multigenic and multifactorial diseases by analyzing the interaction between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, with particular attention to the most vulnerable populations.

Objectives

HEAL Italia represents the first project of the HEAL Italia Foundation and was conceived to coordinate a qualified multidisciplinary network of universities, IRCCS, companies, scientists, technologists, and young researchers.
The project aims to strengthen the research and innovation value chain in the field of Precision Medicine.

Numbers

INSTITUTIONS

THEMATIC NETWORKS

DISEASE CLUSTERS

610

SCIENTISTS

240

RESEARCHERS AND TECHNOLOGISTS

CELL FACTORIES GMP

EUROPEAN-LEVEL BIOBANKS

200

ACTIVE CLINICAL TRIALS

100

SPECIALIZED LABORATORIES

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONAL DESKS

Program Organizational Model

The organizational model of HEAL Italia follows a Hub & Spoke structure.
The HEAL Italia Foundation operates as the strategic coordination Hub, while scientific and applied activities are developed through eight thematic Spokes, each with a clear and complementary scientific responsibility. Together, the Spokes cover the entire precision medicine value chain: from understanding biological mechanisms to generating predictive models, from advanced diagnostics to the development of innovative therapies and devices, up to clinical validation and adoption within the National Health Service.

The activities of the partnership are overseen by an International Scientific Advisory Board, which monitors the progress of the project and discusses its results in annual international scientific meetings.
A central role is also given to training and advanced qualification, through programs aimed at PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, as well as scientific dissemination activities in international journals.

Partnership Expertise

The institutions involved in the project are characterized by high levels of scientific excellence, solid experience in collaboration at both national and international levels, and well-established expertise in the fields of research, innovation, and advanced technologies.

HEAL Italia stands out for its strong cross-sector integration, involving stakeholders from academia, clinical research, and the private sector within the thematic Spokes, promoting the transfer of research results into innovation and clinical practice.