MINISTERU GHAS-SAHHA U L-ANZJANITA ATTIVA

Their core work

Malta's Ministry for Health and Active Ageing is the national government body responsible for health policy, public health infrastructure, and healthcare regulation in Malta. Within H2020, it has contributed to European health research coordination — hosting the 2017 EU eHealth Conference during Malta's Council Presidency, participating in rare disease research networks, and supporting COVID-19 population health data infrastructure. Its role is that of a policy authority bringing national health system data and regulatory perspective to EU research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The Ministry's H2020 involvement began with a high-profile policy event — the 2017 EU eHealth Conference during Malta's Council Presidency — reflecting a focus on digital health diplomacy. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward health data infrastructure, rare disease research networks, and pandemic response. The recent keyword set (FAIR data, omics, patient empowerment, COVID-19) signals a move from policy convening toward active participation in data-driven health research.

Moving from one-off policy events toward sustained engagement in European health data sharing and disease-specific research networks.

How they like to work

With 180 unique partners across 36 countries from just 3 projects, the Ministry operates exclusively within very large consortia — typical for CSA and EJP funding schemes. It has coordinated once (EHW17) but more commonly joins as a participant or third party, contributing national health system perspective rather than leading research. This is a policy-level partner, not a research lab — expect institutional authority and national data access rather than hands-on technical work.

Despite only 3 projects, the Ministry has an unusually broad network of 180 partners in 36 countries, driven by participation in large European Joint Programmes and coordination actions. This gives them wide exposure across European health research institutions and national health authorities.

What sets them apart

As Malta's health ministry, they bring something most research partners cannot: direct authority over a national health system plus access to population-level health data for a well-defined island population. Malta's small size makes it attractive for pilot studies and health data projects where complete national coverage is feasible. For consortium builders, they offer a guaranteed pathway to policy uptake — results don't just sit in reports, they can influence national health policy directly.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EHW17
  Coordinated the EU High Level eHealth Conference during Malta's 2017 Council Presidency — the largest funded project at EUR 300,000 and the Ministry's only coordinator role.
• EJP RD
  The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases is one of the flagship health programmes in H2020, running until 2024, connecting the Ministry to a massive rare disease research network.
• PHIRI
  Directly addressed COVID-19 population health data needs, demonstrating the Ministry's role as a national data provider for pandemic response research.