AZIENDA OSPEDALIERO UNIVERSITARIA PISANA

Their core work

AOUP is the university teaching hospital of Pisa, combining clinical care with academic research under the University of Pisa. In the H2020 context, they contribute as a clinical and patient-facing node in large European rare disease programmes, bringing access to patient cohorts, clinical trial infrastructure, and hospital-based expertise in rare disease diagnosis and management. Their participation in EJP RD and ERICA positions them as a hospital partner that bridges bench research and clinical translation — providing the real-world clinical setting that pure research institutions lack. They operate within the broader Italian and European rare disease reference network, aligning their work with the international IRDiRC research agenda.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (EJP RD, from 2019), AOUP's contribution centred on operational clinical research activities — patient data sharing, omics, FAIR data principles, training, and patient empowerment, reflecting a hospital deeply engaged in the daily mechanics of running rare disease research. By their second project (ERICA, from 2021), the vocabulary shifted toward European network alignment and IRDiRC goals, suggesting AOUP is moving from participant-in-research toward participant-in-governance — contributing to how the European rare disease field organises and prioritises itself. The trajectory is from clinical execution toward strategic network engagement, a natural evolution for a hospital establishing its European profile in rare diseases.

AOUP is expanding from a clinical contributor in rare disease projects toward a node in pan-European rare disease coordination structures, making them an increasingly relevant partner for ERN (European Reference Network) and IRDiRC-aligned initiatives.

How they like to work

AOUP has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as a consortium member in very large, multi-hundred-partner joint programmes. This reflects the typical hospital model: they provide clinical expertise, patient access, or data infrastructure as one specialised node among many, rather than driving the scientific agenda. Working with them likely means engaging through a structured consortium framework where roles are predefined, and their contribution is most valuable when clinical validation, patient cohort access, or real-world data are needed.

Despite only two projects, AOUP has touched 153 unique consortium partners across 35 countries — a network scale explained entirely by their participation in EJP RD, one of the largest joint programmes in European rare disease research. Their connectivity is broad but shallow: wide geographic reach by association, not by repeated bilateral partnerships.

What sets them apart

AOUP is one of Italy's major academic hospital systems, combining clinical throughput with university-level research capacity in a way that smaller research institutes or pure universities cannot replicate. In the rare disease space specifically, a university hospital brings something irreplaceable: direct access to diagnosed patients, multidisciplinary clinical teams, and the ethical and regulatory infrastructure to run clinical studies. For a consortium needing an Italian clinical site with rare disease experience and European network credentials, AOUP is a credible and well-connected choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EJP RD
  One of the flagship EU joint programmes on rare diseases with hundreds of partners across Europe, AOUP's participation signals integration into the core rare disease research infrastructure of the continent.
• ERICA
  A dedicated coordination and support action for rare disease research aligned with IRDiRC goals, indicating AOUP's role extends beyond project execution into shaping the European rare disease research agenda.