Who We Are

INSERM – Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (National Institute for Health and Medical Research) coordinates IMPROVE PRETERM and leads the project’s scientific and management activities. The team contributes world-class expertise in perinatal epidemiology, biostatistics, and comparative effectiveness research.

Oulun yliopisto (University of Oulu) advances research on perinatal and neonatal care using data from Finnish and Nordic registers. The team brings strong expertise in pediatrics, genetics, and lifecourse epidemiology.

University of Leicester leads the development and validation of the PARCA-5/7 follow-up tool. Its experts in psychology, psychometrics, and population health support long-term developmental research for preterm children.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) leads work on follow-up and early intervention programs. The team contributes pediatric, physiotherapy, and epidemiological expertise using Nordic register and cohort data.

Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto – ISPUP) ensures social, policy, and health equity perspectives are integrated across the project. The team brings expertise in public health, epidemiology, sociology, and qualitative research.

University of Oxford leads the project’s health economic analyses. Its team develops economic evaluation frameworks to assess the comparative effectiveness of interventions for very preterm children.

Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GFCNI) leads communication, dissemination, and stakeholder involvement. The foundation coordinates the Parent & Patient Advisory Board to ensure family voices guide all phases of the project.

INESC TEC (Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science) develops open-source digital tools and data infrastructure for the expanded RECAP Preterm platform. The team contributes expertise in software engineering, artificial intelligence, and secure data processing.

Epigeny designs privacy-preserving data management and analysis solutions to support secure use of health data across countries. The team enhances OBiBa tools and helps partners deploy platform components in their local IT environments.

Karolinska Institutet (Karolinska Institute) provides clinical and research expertise in pediatrics, neurology, psychology, and biostatistics. The team contributes data from the Swedish Neonatal Register and the EXPRESS cohort.

Københavns Universitet (University of Copenhagen, UCPH) contributes expertise in perinatal and lifecourse epidemiology. The team provides access to Danish national health registers to support long-term outcome research.

Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen (University Hospital Antwerp, UZA) contributes expertise in neonatology and family-centered care. UZA provides data from the Belgian Neonatal Network and supports translation of research into better clinical practices.

IRCCS “Eugenio Medea” – La Nostra Famiglia brings clinical, ethical, and psychosocial expertise in neonatal follow-up and rehabilitation. The team contributes knowledge on early development and the impact of early-life experiences.

Tartu Ülikool (University of Tartu) contributes expertise in neonatology, child psychology, and follow-up research. The team draws on Estonian and European cohorts to support long-term developmental studies.

Varsinais-Suomen Hyvinvointialue (Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland, VARHA) provides clinical expertise in neonatal follow-up and rehabilitation. The team contributes data from the Finnish Neonatal Register and the PIPARI cohort.

University of Warwick leads studies on adult outcomes after very preterm birth. The team links early-life experiences with health and development across adulthood.

Uniwersytet Medyczny im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Poznaniu (Poznan University of Medical Sciences, PUMS) brings expertise in neonatology, infectious diseases, and clinical trials. The team integrates data from Polish neonatal units and European cohorts.

INSERM Transfert supports project management, ethics, and administrative coordination. The organization ensures compliance with European research standards and smooth collaboration across partners.

University of Zurich (Universität Zürich – University of Zurich, UZH) contributes expertise in neonatology, epidemiology, and data infrastructure through the Swiss Neonatal Network and Registry. As an associated partner, UZH supports data integration, quality assurance, and platform sustainability.