Zentiva as a member within a Horizon 2020 grant from the European Commission

Thanks to active participation of Prague Development Center within consortium formed by European universities interested in bridging industry and academia, Zentiva has become one of the receivers of the European grant within Horizon 2020, supporting exchange of young researchers between academic and industrial sectors.

Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI) from Warsaw, Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), Trinity College at the University of Dublin and University of Helsinki created an academic European core which they further bridged with several European companies, also extending academic connection to Rutgers University in New Jersey in US. The group within which Zentiva has been involved as an industrial partner, officially named Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support (ORBIS), responded to the call within Horizon 2020 from the European Commission with a proposal to form an international and inter-sectoral academic and industrial network.

Specifically, common aim of the group is to improve drug product development pathways integrating multidisciplinary research on processes and technologies by involving academia and industry from EU (Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany and Czech Republic), EU associated country (Ukraine) and US.
The complementary consortium comprises experts in computations, physical chemistry, material science, nanotechnology, pharmacy, pharmacology and bioanalysis. Within 4 years European scientists will merge their expertise in drug synthesis and dissolution, oral formulations, and bioanalytical methods with the knowledge on dermal research provided by the US partner.

Based on areas where Zentiva aims to further deepen its scientific expertise, closest cooperation will be achieved with the University of Helsinki, Trinity College, PUMS, PRI and Rutgers.
Our aim is to exchange researchers between us and Universities through so-called “secondments” which are the type of assignments resulting in few-month research spent within laboratories of the members of the consortium, exchanging knowledge and expertise based on real-life examples faced on a daily basis during drug product development.

As a long-term result of such approach, we believe that drug product development process will be shortened, risk of failures will be mitigated and new drug products will be made more accessible and affordable for society.

“Although very exciting, product development also carries high complexity, requiring continuous development of knowledge and scientific understanding, but also preparedness to fail. Translated into business language, it requires time and significant financial support which at the end reflects in the costs of the product.
With this program while learning more, we are also faster, and we bring the medicines to the patients sooner. In other words, we are making healthcare more affordable: a right, not a privilege.”
Aleksandra Dumicic, Innovation Director, Zentiva.