EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOCIETY

Their core work

The European Respiratory Society is a leading international medical society based in Lausanne, Switzerland, representing respiratory health professionals across Europe and beyond. They coordinate major fellowship and researcher exchange programs (RESPIRE series) that train the next generation of lung disease specialists. In H2020 projects, ERS serves as a clinical network hub — connecting hospitals, researchers, and patient groups across large-scale trials in areas like antimicrobial resistance, AI-driven diagnostics, and precision medicine for respiratory and infectious diseases. Their contribution is typically clinical expertise dissemination, guideline development, patient engagement, and connecting research outputs to practicing clinicians.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ERS began its H2020 participation focused on core respiratory research — lung disease, COPD, palliative care for breathlessness, and building researcher exchange programs through the RESPIRE fellowships. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward antimicrobial resistance (VALUE-Dx, FAIR, ECRAID-Base) and AI-driven clinical tools (DRAGON, OPTIMA, UNITE4TB). This evolution reflects a professional society expanding from its traditional respiratory medicine base into broader infectious disease preparedness and digital health, likely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ERS is moving toward digital health and pandemic preparedness, making them an increasingly valuable partner for projects combining clinical respiratory expertise with AI, data science, or antimicrobial resistance research.

How they like to work

ERS operates primarily as a participant (10 of 12 projects), joining large research consortia rather than leading them — their two coordinator roles are both MSCA-COFUND fellowship programs, which fit their identity as a professional society managing researcher mobility. With 226 unique partners across 26 countries, they function as a network connector, bringing clinical reach and professional credibility to consortia without typically driving the technical research agenda. Their value to a consortium is access to Europe's respiratory medicine community — clinicians, hospitals, and patient networks.

ERS has collaborated with 226 distinct partners across 26 countries, reflecting their role as a pan-European medical society with global reach. Their network spans universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and public health agencies, with particularly strong presence in Western European clinical research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

ERS is not a research institute — it is Europe's foremost professional society for respiratory medicine, representing over 30,000 members. This gives consortia something no university can: direct access to a continent-wide network of practicing clinicians, established guidelines infrastructure, and the ability to disseminate research findings into clinical practice at scale. For any project needing clinical validation, patient recruitment pipelines, or rapid translation from lab to bedside in respiratory or infectious disease, ERS is an unmatched partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RESPIRE4
  Largest ERS project (EUR 1.7M) and one of two they coordinate — a flagship MSCA-COFUND fellowship program training the next generation of respiratory researchers through international exchanges.
• DRAGON
  Represents ERS's pivot into AI and pandemic response, applying deep learning and decision support systems to rapid diagnosis and precision medicine during health crises.
• ECRAID-Base
  EUR 500K contribution to building Europe's permanent clinical research infrastructure for infectious disease outbreaks and AMR — positions ERS in long-term pandemic preparedness.