Impact Innovations (Germany)

Allogeneic blood transfusion is frequently performed in critically ill patients, but accumulating evidence demonstrates that it is not a biologically neutral intervention. Transfusion-associated immunomodulation (TRIM) encompasses the immunological effects of transfusion, ranging from immune suppression to proinflammatory activation and cancer recurrence, with potential impact on morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit. We conducted a narrative review of recent experimental and clinical evidence on TRIM to describe the molecular pathways involved. We reviewed, randomized trials, metaanalyses, and large observational cohorts to evaluate the clinical relevance of TRIM in critically ill populations. TRIM arises from multiple converging mechanisms. These pathways alter innate and adaptive immunity, leading to increased risk of healthcare-associated infections, transfusion-related acute lung injury, acute kidney injury, multiorgan dysfunction, prolonged length of stay, and cancer recurrence in surgical patients. Blood-sparing strategies, including patient blood management (PBM), mitigate exposure. The impact of storage duration and novel processing technologies remains unclear. There is still a gap in research that needs to be addressed. Transfusion-associated immunomodulation (TRIM) is a phenomenon in which donor leukocytes, extracellular vesicles, microparticles, bioactive lipids, and cytokines interact with the host immune system to produce a spectrum of immunological effects. In critically ill patients, the immune system is already fragile, and these mechanisms predispose patients to infections, pulmonary complications, organ dysfunction, prolonged recovery, and even cancer recurrence. Although TRIM cannot currently be diagnosed through a single biomarker or clinical test, its existence is strongly supported by mechanistic studies and consistent clinical associations between transfusion exposure and adverse outcomes.

This study investigates the influence of social norms on male caregiving in Uganda and considers the implications for tailoring and scaling the REAL Fathers mentoring program across six regions. By identifying key norms and reference groups, the findings inform strategies to enhance father engagement in early childhood development within culturally and socially relevant frameworks. This study employed an exploratory Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) approach, integrating in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and community validation workshops to identify and prioritize social and gender norms across the study regions. We found that norms influence male engagement in care giving directly, by setting expectations for how men should behave with their wives and children. Norms also have a strong indirect influence through social expectations about what is appropriate for men and women related to power, decision-making and gender roles. Data shows that the norms and the reference groups that sustain them are consistent across cultural regions and the social sanctions that enforce the norms are largely intangible. We also found some exceptions to the norms. For norm shifting interventions to be effective, practitioners should be intentional in engaging reference groups and take advantage of exceptions to norms as leverage points for behavior change. Also, the different norm shifting strategies adopted should be able to address the complexity and interconnectedness of the norms.

Collaboration is key to discovery and change. The first Global Gateway Forum enabled connections to be made between different stakeholders. It took place in October 2023 in Brussels, welcoming government representatives from more than 20 countries, financial institutions and business and civil society representatives. Attendees gathered to discuss global investment needs, consider solutions and forge new partnerships. At the Forum investments were committed and new partnerships were announced. Global Gateway is Europe’s international investment programme, which seeks to strengthen connections in links in digital, energy and transport sectors and enhance health, education and research systems across the world. It is at the foundation of the Forum, which provides the setting to showcase progress in the Global Gateway strategy. As Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated in her State of the Union address in September 2021, the Global Gateway strategy is ‘a template for how Europe can build more resilient connections with the world’. The aim of the strategy is to secure €300 billion in investments by 2027 to support sustainable projects to push towards global resilience and equity. von der Leyen mentioned key advancements in 90 projects launched in 2023 spanning different sectors. At the Forum, impactful discussions were sparked between leaders about key challenges facing diverse sectors, including green energy, critical raw materials, transport corridors and education. The theme of the Forum was ‘Stronger together through Sustainable Investment’.

Through the Horizon Europe programme, the European Commission is investing €13.5 billion throughout 2023-24 to support researchers and innovators in Europe in developing novel solutions to key challenges. These include environmental, energy, digital and geopolitical issues. Representing the EU's main funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe has a budget of €95.5 billion until 2027. The 2023-2024 work programme has around €13.5 billion funding available to help the EU attain its climate, energy and technological goals. The funding will also be used to assist Ukraine, enhance economic sustainability and aid in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also expected to help secure a strengthened research and innovation environment across Europe, with a greater number of researchers and innovators, improved flexibility and funding for selected research facilities. In terms of the allocation of funding, €5.67 billion is earmarked to help achieve crucial climate action targets such as developing ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions and climate change adaptation, while an additional €1.67 billion is allocated to protecting biodiversity. More than €4.5 billion is available to support digital transformation across the EU, supporting the ongoing development of innovations in digital technologies. Nearly €970 million from the EU’s NextGenerationEU programme is dedicated to accelerate the shift to clean energy, including measures to help end the EU's reliance on Russian fossil fuels in accordance with the European Commission's REPowerEUPlan.

Since its introduction in 2004, the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard (the Scoreboard) has annually compared companies, sectors and geographical areas to provide details of the situation of EU firms in the global R&D setting. The 2022 edition follows the New European Innovation Agenda, which was released in July 2022, a few months before the Scoreboard. Five key foci for the Agenda, which is focused on ‘Deep Tech Innovations’, are: Funding scale-ups; enabling innovation through experimentation spaces and public procurement; accelerating and strengthening innovation in European Innovation ecosystems across the EU and addressing the innovation divide; fostering, attracting and retaining talents; and improving policy making tools. Essentially, the Agenda is seeking to advance innovation, while the Scoreboard measures it, enabling progress to be monitored. Details on 2,500 companies feature in the Scoreboard, 361 of which are headquartered in the EU, accounting for 17.6 per cent of the total R&D investment. In 2021, they invested an impressive €192.8 billion in R&D, overcoming the challenges presented by the pandemic. .‘I am pleased to see the rebound of EU companies’ investment in research and development of 8.9 per cent after a drop last year of 2.2 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic,â–™ commented Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in the Scoreboardâ–™s foreword. Four key sectors account for 77.8 per cent of total Scoreboard R&D: ICT producers, health industries, ICT services and automotive. EU Scoreboard companies were found to be the global leader in automotive R&D.

The World Health Summit (WHS) is an international meeting for experts to discuss the most important issues facing global health care. The 2022 event was co-hosted by WHO, with more than 300 speakers and over 40 WHO experts. In his opening ceremony speech, WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus drew links between the first summit in 2009, which was the year of the H1N1 pandemic and today's backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the theme of the 2022 WHS is 'taking global health to a new level' through a shared response and commitment, a new global architecture and a new global approach. He explained that this requires a new agreement based on 'a common vision, a new global health architecture that is coherent and inclusive, and a new global approach that prioritizes promoting health and preventing disease, rather than only treating the sick'. As such, a new agreement or global accord will be established, ensuring nations of the world commit to bringing this vision to life. Ghebreyesus said that this global accord will 'provide an essential framework and foundation for other initiatives to keep the world safe' and will be based on a shared commitment to solidarity and equity, with countries working together rather than in competition with each other. Indeed, the countries will be involved in negotiating the agreement and it will be implemented according to their respective national laws.