Infarmed Launches INOV@INFARMED Network to Unite Science and Regulation

Portugal’s medicines regulator Infarmed launched the INOV@INFARMED network on 18 September 2026, at a session that brought together representatives from the country’s universities and research units. The network, formally the Innovation Network in Regulation and Health Technology Assessment, marks the start of a structured collaboration between the national regulator and academia.

The aim is to promote scientific research and the joint development of studies, projects and strategic actions across medicines regulation, medical devices, health technology assessment, and health policy and innovation.

Opening the session, Infarmed’s President Rui Santos Ivo said science and regulation are natural allies. “Regulation and science share the same commitment and the same founding principles: method, evidence, transparency, critical review and independence. A decision by the regulatory authority is, in essence, a scientific decision with public health consequences. It has to be well founded,” he said.

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He framed the partnership as a two-way exchange. “The partnership is bidirectional: Infarmed brings real problems, data and regulatory context; the institutions bring method, analytical capacity and critical mass. Both win,” he said. The 26 founding partners span Portugal’s main universities and research institutes.

How the INOV@INFARMED network will operate

INOV@INFARMED is designed as a living, dynamic network that will grow and evolve as new challenges in regulation and health innovation emerge. Beyond the founding partners, it is open to new institutional partnerships that widen its competences, knowledge and research capacity.

Participation can take several forms. Infarmed will identify project proposals from its own needs and challenges, which partners can express interest in. The network will also run open calls, letting higher education institutions and research units submit projects aligned with the four pillars.

Four strategic pillars

Four strategic pillars will guide the first months of work:

• regulatory science
• medicines policy
• digitalisation and technological integration
• citizenship and responsible use of health technologies

More information on INOV@INFARMED, its projects and how to take part will be published shortly on the Infarmed website.

Source: Infarmed