Last week, the EU PAL-COPD consortium convened in Brussels for a three-day consortium meeting hosted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Held from 12–14 May 2025, the meeting brought together researchers, clinicians and project managers from across the consortium’s 13 partner institutions to review progress, align on upcoming activities and deliver hands-on training to support the upcoming trial phase.
The meeting opened with a welcome from the project coordinators, Luc Deliens and Koen Pardon (VUB), followed by a project overview highlighting the progress achieved to date. The first day focused on key implementation areas, including EU reporting obligations, work package (WP) updates and the status of trial planning across participating countries.
Updates were shared across all WPs, with discussions led by work package leads from institutions including RUMC, ULANC, UGENT, UCPH, KCL and others. Participants discussed practical aspects of trial implementation, addressed emerging issues and engaged in planning for dissemination and training activities.
Day two shifted the focus to operational readiness. Led by Michelle Van Der Meer, Mishka Beutels (VUB) and Marie Van de Walle (UGENT), sessions covered detailed plans for initiating the trial.
Partners also exchanged strategies for data collection and training of local teams, followed by a collaborative session on insights from home care models and a discussion on upcoming dissemination and communication efforts.
The final day was fully dedicated to practical training for research teams. The agenda included hands-on sessions with the participants sharing their experiences from earlier phases and reflecting on lessons learned that will help inform the full-scale trial rollout.
With key clinical and operational elements now in place, the Brussels meeting marked a major step forward for the EU PAL-COPD project. It reinforced the consortium’s shared commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred research that can improve care for people with advanced COPD across Europe.
We extend our thanks to our hosts at VUB for their excellent organisation and warm welcome and to all partners for their engagement and valuable contributions throughout the meeting.
