THE SYNERGIST

Their core work

The Synergist is a Brussels-based organization specializing in patient engagement, health data governance, and medication safety within European research initiatives. They bridge the gap between patients, regulators, and researchers — ensuring the patient voice is embedded in how medicines are developed, monitored, and communicated. Their work spans rare disease platforms, pregnancy pharmacovigilance, cohort data harmonization, and health literacy tools, consistently playing the role of connecting communities with complex health research processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The Synergist entered H2020 in 2018 with a dual focus on patient-centered research dialogue (PARADIGM) and rare disease digital platforms (SHARE4RARE). From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward more technical health data challenges — cohort harmonization, pregnancy pharmacovigilance with biobanks and predictive models, and medication adherence standards. The trajectory shows a clear move from advocacy-oriented engagement toward structured health data governance and digital health tools.

Moving toward digital health literacy and medication self-management tools, suggesting future work at the intersection of patient empowerment and health data services.

How they like to work

The Synergist operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never leading projects — consistent with an organization that contributes specialized expertise rather than driving large-scale research agendas. With 141 unique partners across 27 countries from just 5 projects, they consistently join very large consortia (averaging 28+ partners per project), typical of IMI and major health research initiatives. This broad but non-overlapping network suggests they are valued for a specific capability that large health consortia need.

Remarkably broad network for their size: 141 unique partners across 27 countries from only 5 projects, indicating participation in major pan-European health consortia. Their Brussels base positions them at the center of EU health policy networks.

What sets them apart

The Synergist occupies a distinctive niche as a Brussels-based SME that brings patient engagement methodology and health communication expertise into large pharmaceutical and health research consortia. Unlike academic partners who contribute scientific research or pharma companies who bring clinical infrastructure, they focus on the human interface — how patients interact with medicines information, how communities generate collective health intelligence, and how medication safety data reaches the people who need it. Their IMI2 involvement (PARADIGM, ConcePTION) signals credibility with both industry and regulatory audiences.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ConcePTION
  Longest-running project (2019-2024) focused on pregnancy pharmacovigilance — a critical and underserved area where medication safety data is chronically lacking.
• PARADIGM
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 543,829) and an IMI2 initiative on patient engagement in medicines development, reflecting high trust from industry-public partnerships.
• Gravitate-Health
  Most recent and longest project (2020-2026), signaling the organization's forward direction into digital health empowerment and medication self-management standards.