The EC’s proposal for the second Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI2), which will run from 2014 to

2024, has been published. The IMI2 will operate in line with the common Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation, although there may be some derogations. The major goal of the initiative is to speed up the development of safer and more effective medicines through research funded via a public- private partnership.

Shortly after the proposal was published, a draft of the Strategic Research Agenda for IMI2 was also released. The SRA was developed after a consultation process involving a wide range of healthcare actors, and ideas can still be submitted. The SRA draft summarises the major challenges currently facing the European healthcare system, the pharmaceutical industry and its regulatory framework. It is intended to underpin the development of specific projects or research programmes which will be prioritised for funding. Launched in 2008 with a €2 billion budget for FP7, the IMI funds large-scale projects in which partners from industry, academia, small businesses, patient groups and others join forces to tackle some of the biggest challenges in drug research and development.