Governance

Designed to be the highest decision-making body in the project, the Steering Board assembles all X-eHealth consortium partners to jointly leading the project on the strategic level.

Its responsibilities range from decision-making to monitoring as all issues with possible significant effects on the project have to be decided within this body. These include financial/administrative decisions such as amendments to the Grant Agreement, project procedural rules, resources reallocation and deliberating recommendations.

The SB shall assemble at least once every three months to present the progress of the project to its associates and to disseminate outcomes. In-person meetings shall occur twice a year. Extraordinary meetings are to be arranged if circumstances demand so. Herein, voting rights are exclusively held by consortium partners (one per partner). The PC shall chair these body meetings.

Concerning decision-making procedures, a consensus is the preferred practice, however, the Steering Board decides by a two-thirds majority when the quorum is reached (half of the partners with voting rights are present).

The PC takes on the responsibility of organizing, controlling and coordinating the entire project. The project coordinator shall guarantee by appropriate management tools that the project develops smoothly and effective communication is ensured between bodies, partners and associates.

To optimize its coordination responsibilities, the PC role (feature by WP1) shall be aligned with the WPs for dissemination and evaluation, WP2 and WP3 respectively. The PC chairs and shall act as a link between the Steering and the Executive Boards assemblies. PC team shall carry out all the project administrative issues, from legal to financial and from technical to organizational.

WP1 is responsible for monitoring project activities (including risk and quality management) while maintaining an up-to-date view of progress, serving at the same time as the official interface between the consortium and the EC.

The Executive Board is responsible for aligning, coordinating and monitoring the course of the project across all WPs. These liabilities shall factor to address the PC with recommendations for its overall coordination and are to be reported to the SB semi-annually.

Although the SB stands as the highest decision-making in X-eHealth, it is the EB’s competence to undertake executive decision that does not require the SC approval. Executive decisions that go beyond its competence shall be prepared by this body and proposed as recommendations for deliberation in the SB.

The EB is chaired by the PC and comprises the representatives of each WP: Leaders, Co-Leaders and Task Leaders. (The risk and quality managers are herein represented by WP1 Leaders). The EB shall assemble via monthly telephone conferences and might have face to face meetings each half a year.

The EB decides by a simple majority, still, a consensus is the preferred practice. Each WP and Task Leader holds one vote only, despite of leading more than one WP or Task within the project.

The quorum is reached if half of the partners with voting rights are present.

Designed as an external body with counselling functions, the Advisory Group for digital health innovation and practice was instituted to assist the EB with the technical-scientific expertise in the following domains: interoperability assets, use cases, and future pilots.

Jointly composed of senior experts and representatives of international organizations, this body gathers a set of high-level strategic advisors eager in the abovementioned domains with a special focus on the EEHRxF component. Their role in X-eHealth is to contribute with high-quality advice to the project strategic direction, to provide operational guidance and to assess programme effectiveness when the group needs.

The AB shall meet twice a year by using remote communication means. The AG does not have voting rights neither budget allocation. However, travel costs to attend X-eHealth conferences may be provided by the project funds.

CPs bring together a set of international organizations with the interest and expertise to be a significant asset for X-eHealth areas of focus.

Established as an external resource aimed at supporting the project development, engaged collaborative partners are free to integrate the WPs of their area of interest. Still, the EB shall encourage CPs involvement to match the project needs. MedTech Europe, EHTEL, COCIR, EFMI, and ECHALLIANCE have already agreed to participate as collaborative members.

CPs shall be part of EB meetings whenever X-eHealth consortium considers their expertise needed and appropriated. CPs do not hold voting rights neither budget allocation. Still, travel costs to attend X-eHealth F2F meetings may be granted if consortium partners deem it appropriate.

Get to know the list of the collaborative partners, although it’s important to mention that new names could be added to this list:

1) Med Tech Europe

Description: MedTech Europe is the European trade association for the medical technology industry including diagnostics, medical devices and digital health.
Country: Belgium

2) COCIR

Description: COCIR is the European Trade Association representing the medical imaging, radiotherapy, health ICT and electromedical industries. Founded in 1959, COCIR is a non-profit association headquartered in Brussels (Belgium) with a China Desk based in Beijing since 2007.COCIR is unique as it brings together the healthcare, IT and telecommunications industries. Our focus is to open markets for COCIR members in Europe and beyond. We provide a wide range of services on regulatory, technical, market intelligence, environmental, standardisation, international and legal affairs.COCIR is also a founding member of DITTA, the Global Diagnostic Imaging, Healthcare IT and Radiation Therapy Trade Association (globalditta.org).
Country: Belgium

3) EFMI

Description: The European Federation for Medical Informatics Association (EFMI) is the leading organisation in medical informatics in Europe and represents 32 countries. EFMI is organized as a nonprofit organisation concerned with the theory and practice of Information Science and Technology within Health and Health Science in a European context.
Country: Switzerland

4) EHTEL

Description: EHTEL is a multi-stakeholder collaboration platform dedicated to the digital transformation of health and care in Europe. EHTEL facilitates interactions and sharing of knowledge among stakeholder groups. The association acts as a neutral forum, not as a lobbying group.
Country: Belgium
Main Workpackage (WP) Participation: WP2 and WP8

5) ECHAlliance

Description: The European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) is the Global Connector for Digital Health, facilitating multi-stakeholder connections around ecosystems, driving sustainable change and disruption in the delivery of health and social care.
Country: Ireland