EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF ASTHMA &ALLERGY ASSOCIATIONS IDEELL FORENING

Their core work

EFA is a European patient advocacy federation representing asthma, allergy, and chronic respiratory disease associations across Europe. In H2020 projects, they bring the patient perspective into clinical research — ensuring that treatments for immune-mediated diseases, asthma, and allergies are developed with real-world patient needs in mind. Their role spans patient engagement, dissemination of research outcomes to patient communities, and advocacy for better disease management approaches. They bridge the gap between clinical researchers and the people who actually live with these conditions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EFA's earlier H2020 involvement (2015–2018) centered on practical asthma management — environmental sensing, self-monitoring tools (myAirCoach), and microbiome-based therapies (CURE). From 2019 onward, their projects shifted toward deeper molecular-level research: multi-omics, immune profiling, treatment non-response, and disease stratification (3TR, ImmUniverse). This reflects a broader trend in the allergy/immunology field moving from symptom management toward precision medicine and understanding why treatments fail for certain patients.

EFA is moving deeper into precision immunology and treatment stratification, positioning itself as the patient voice in increasingly complex molecular medicine consortia.

How they like to work

EFA operates exclusively as a participant, never coordinating projects. They join large Research and Innovation Action (RIA) consortia — their 122 unique partners across 20 countries confirm they work within big, multi-national teams. As a patient federation, they are not a technical contributor but a strategic one: they provide patient perspectives, help with dissemination to patient communities, and ensure research stays relevant to real-world disease burden.

EFA has collaborated with 122 unique partners across 20 countries, indicating deep integration into Europe's health research ecosystem. Their network spans major university hospitals, research institutes, and pharma-adjacent organizations working on immunology and respiratory disease.

What sets them apart

EFA is one of the few pan-European patient federations focused specifically on asthma, allergy, and immune-mediated diseases with a consistent track record in H2020 health research. For consortium builders, they offer something most research partners cannot: legitimate patient representation and advocacy reach across multiple European countries. Their Swedish registration but Brussels base makes them well-connected to EU policy circles.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 3TR
  Large-scale project (2019–2026) tackling why patients don't respond to treatments across autoimmune diseases — combines multi-omics, predictive modeling, and disease stratification.
• myAirCoach
  EFA's highest-funded project (EUR 117,875), combining physiological sensing with environmental monitoring for personalized asthma management.
• ImmUniverse
  Explores gut and skin microenvironments in immune-mediated diseases using liquid biopsy and immune profiling — connects basic science to patient-relevant outcomes.