BIOEF and Biosistemak take over the presidency and vice-presidency at the General Assembly of the THCS partnership

Iñaki Gutiérrez Ibarluzea, Director of Health Research, Innovation and Evaluation of the Basque Government, opened the event as the political representative of the Basque Country.

This February 2025, Naples hosted the first General Assembly (GA) of the year of the European partnership Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) , a strategic project that is in its third year of implementation (out of seven). This event brought together representatives from various European institutions to share the results achieved so far and to define the next steps of the project.

One of the highlights of this edition was the leading role of the Basque Country. During this 2025, BIOEF assumes the position of Chair of the partnership, while Biosistemak holds the position of Vice-Chair. This leadership reflects the commitment and capacity of Basque institutions in the transformation of health and care systems at European level.

Likewise, Iñaki Gutiérrez Ibarluzea, Director of Health Research, Innovation and Evaluation of the Basque Government, participated in the opening of the event as a political representative of the Basque Country, reinforcing the presence and impact of our community in this field. His speech, made via videoconference, highlighted the importance of international collaboration and the role of the Basque Country as a benchmark in health innovation.

Bilbao, venue for the next General Assembly

Another important milestone is that the next General Assembly will be held in Bilbao on 15 and 16 October 2025, at the Bizkaia Aretoa. This event will not only consolidate the role of the Basque Country as a benchmark in the transformation of health systems, but will also serve as a platform for strengthening international collaborations and advancing the objectives of the partnership.

In the Naples edition, Regina Sauto and Dolores Verdoy, representing BIOEF and Biosistemak, led the GA due to the unavailability of Lorea Mendoza and Ane Fullaondo, official Chair and Vice-Chair. Their participation was key to energise the sessions and ensure the success of the meeting.

The agenda of the event included:

  • Updates of the Work Packages of the project.
  • A thematic session on “Low-Value Care”, with presentations by experts such as Dimitra Panteli (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies) and Michele Calabrò (EUREGHA).
  • Discussions on the EUHA Position Paper and its endorsement by the THCS.
  • Parallel sessions on cross-sectoral topics, such as Evidence in Policy Making, Capacity Building and Qualitative Performance Indicators (KPIs).