EURORDIS Summer School

The EURORDIS Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development is made up of a face-to-face training, held in June in Barcelona, and the free e-learning modules below, available on demand.

The EURORDIS Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development aims to provide rare disease patient advocates with the knowledge and skills needed to become experts in medicines research and development. Since 2015, researchers are also welcome to attend the School.

Each year, 40 rare disease advocates and young researchers from all over Europe are selected to attend this hybrid training. Also, 15 experts, from across all rare disease stakeholders, deliver the training each year. The topics covered include clinical trials methodology, clinical research, ethics in medicines development, regulatory affairs, health technology assessment and marketing authorisation.

Applications for the 2026 Open Academy Schools will open in September 2026!

Take part in free online training

Learn more about medicines research and development at a time and place that suits you! Take the free e-learning courses below.

The conditions of use for all EURORDIS e-learning courses have been licensed with Creative Commons. More information on the conditions of use.

Before you start, you may want to download the following Glossary document, which covers key terms that you will find in the different courses below:
[▼] Glossary on Methodology, Ethics, Statistics, Pharmacology and Regulation

[▼] List of acronyms (2018)

We also advise you to download this compilation elaborated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) containing plain-language descriptions of medical terms commonly used in information about medicines:
[▼] EMA Medical Terms Simplifier

Required Pre-Training for Open Academy School Participants

This course includes all the modules below in a single course which is designed to provide you with a strong understanding of the drug development process. These modules form part of the required pre-training for the Open Academy School on Medicines Research and Development, which participants must complete before attending the in-person session in Barcelona.

Whether you’re a selected participant in the upcoming edition of the Open Academy Schools or a patient advocate eager to learn how medicines are brought to market, you’re in the right place.

Free

Pre-training – School on Medicines Research and Development

⌛️ 15h

⌛️ 1h30

Enroll Now

Support Materials for the Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development

eLearning courses

Free

Recommendations on the required capabilities for patient engagement

⌛️ 2h

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Free

Conflict of interest in patient engagement

⌛️ 2h

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Other resources

IRDiRC’s Orphan Drug Development Guidebook: The “Orphan Drug Development Guidebook” is a patient-focused guidebook that describes the available tools, incentives, resources and practices for developing traditional and innovative drugs/therapies for rare diseases and how to best use them. It can be used by academic, non-profit organizations, small and larger (innovative) biotechs and patient-driven drug developers. READ MORE.
Community Advisory Boards: The “Orphan Drug Development Guidebook” is a patient-focused guidebook that describes the available tools, incentives, resources and practices for developing traditional and innovative drugs/therapies for rare diseases and how to best use them. It can be used by academic, non-profit organizations, small and larger (innovative) biotechs and patient-driven drug developers. READ MORE.
Engaging with the European Medicines Agency: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) plays a crucial role in the regulation and oversight of medicines within the European Union (EU). Recognizing the importance of patient involvement, the EMA actively seeks to engage patients throughout the regulatory lifecycle of medicines. By involving patients, the EMA aims to gather valuable insights, promote patient-centric decision-making, and enhance the overall safety and effectiveness of medicines. Open this page to read the various activities in which patients can engage and how they can actively participate in shaping the regulatory landscape. READ MORE.

About the EURORDIS Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development

Alumni

To date, more than 400 participants from over 40 countries representing more than 75 diseases have participated in the EURORDIS Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development.

Thanks to capacity-building provided by EURORDIS, alumni members have gone on to become involved in various activities at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), such as Protocol Assistance, and to participate in activities related to the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA).

Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development alumni report an increased awareness of the importance of their involvement in all aspects of medicines development and of their potential to be a real force at the European and national levels.

History of the School

The first School was launched in 2008 and was originally developed to fill specific needs identified by expert patients, EURORDIS and the European Medicines Agency.

Expert patients from EURORDIS are permanent representatives on EMA Scientific Committees and working parties, for example, the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, the Patients’ and Consumers’ Working Party and the Scientific Advice Working Party.

EURORDIS, therefore, created the Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development (formerly known as Summer School) in recognition of patients’ needs for support and training that includes an overview of clinical research and methodology, medicines development and regulatory procedures.

Financial support

The EURORDIS Open Academy School on Medicines Research & Development receives funding under ERDERA.

ERDERA has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°101156595. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or any other granting authority, who cannot be held responsible for them.