MULTIPULM Successfully Kicked Off in Athens, Greece

The MULTIPULM project officially launched with a dynamic two-day Kick-off Meeting on 29–30 September 2025, hosted by Uni Systems SMSA. The event brought together the full consortium of partners, setting the stage for a collaborative journey aimed at improving multimorbidity management in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), applying an integrated care digital-based ecosystem.

We were honoured to have the European Commission Project Officer, Marina Koussathana, with us throughout both days. Her guidance, encouragement, and active engagement gave the consortium confidence as we embark on this ambitious project. A special thanks also goes to our wonderful host, Konstantinos Vaianos (Uni Systems), whose warm welcome and excellent organisation made the event both productive and enjoyable.

Spotlight on the Clinical Pilots in Brazil, Serbia and Türkiye 

One of the highlights of the Kick-off Meeting was the introduction of the project’s three clinical pilots, which will explore how MULTIPULM’s approach can be applied in real healthcare settings across different contexts:

• Brazil – testing new strategies in resource-limited settings to improve patient outcomes and empower caregivers.

• Serbia – adapting innovative solutions to strengthen chronic disease and multimorbidity care.

• Türkiye – developing patient-centred digital tools that integrate smoothly into the national healthcare system.

These pilots will be at the heart of MULTIPULM’s work, providing valuable insights on how to create effective, inclusive, and sustainable solutions that can be scaled across LMICs.

Consortium Alignment and Work Package Overviews

On the first day, the meeting agenda ensured that partners were fully aligned on the project’s strategic direction. Key sessions included:

• Overview of MULTIPULM’s vision, objectives, and expected impacts (WELLICS)

• Policy and project management context (EC presentation)

• Work Packages introductions covering the analysis of the current healthcare systems and user requirements, as well as the implementation design (SHINE), technology adaptations (UNIGR), awareness and capacity building (KU), and validation studies (KU).
  

Long-term Strategies and Ethics

On the second day, discussions turned to sustainability, business viability, and upscaling (PHEA), followed by a session on the legal and ethical framework (MI), addressing GDPR, data protection, and informed consent.

The day was concluded with a presentation on the strategy for dissemination, communication, and networking (Future Needs) to ensure that MULTIPULM’s results reach stakeholders, policymakers, and healthcare professionals through the right channels for the 3 pilot countries of Brazil, Serbia and Türkiye. The coordinator (UNIGR) closed the meeting with a focus on project management, quality assurance, and next steps.

A Warm Thank You for this Strong Start for MULTIPULM 

The Kick-off Meeting set a strong foundation for collaboration, clarity, and commitment across the consortium. With its three pilot studies in Türkiye, Serbia, and Brazil, MULTIPULM is well-positioned to deliver transformative solutions for multimorbidity management in LMICs.

We would like to sincerely thank our hosts at Uni Systems, our Project Officer Marina Koussathana, and all our dedicated partners for making this Kick-off Meeting such a success. The energy, ideas, and teamwork demonstrated over these two days are a promising sign of what MULTIPULM will achieve in the months and years ahead.

The Kick-off was just the beginning, and we are excited for the journey to come!