The Wednesday special programme at the ERS Congress 2025

This session aims to bring together International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) national coalition partners and supporters from across Europe to build valuable connections, share insights, and explore opportunities for collaboration. There will be a short presentation, followed by breakfast and networking. The IRC is founded on the idea of multistakeholder collaboration.

About the IRC:

The IRC is a movement to transform respiratory outcomes in a post pandemic world. Led by the European Respiratory Society, the IRC is a multisectoral partnership bringing together the professional respiratory community, patients, and industry. The IRC is currently supporting national-level coalitions who have joined the movement, as they work towards developing, improving and implementing respiratory strategies based on best practice in their own countries.

This session will highlight strategies for preventing respiratory diseases before they develop. Key prevention messages from the WHO’s Chronic Respiratory Disease report will be shared, alongside actions to improve air quality, particularly for children. Innovative prevention programmes like Healthy Lungs for Life and outreach initiatives in Amsterdam will be discussed, along with EU projects targeting lung disease prevention and addressing the impact of tobacco and vaping on public health. Breakout discussions will focus on overcoming primary prevention challenges. There will be presentations from patient organisations and a patient co-chair.

Inclusive solutions for all

This session creates a platform for respiratory professionals to connect, build relationships, and exchange knowledge and experiences. To encourage collaboration in the respiratory profession, fostering partnerships, teamwork, and the sharing of ideas and best practices. To empower women in the respiratory profession by offering career development resources, mentorship programmes, and discussions on leadership and advancement opportunities. To highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field of respiratory care and encourage the community from diverse backgrounds to participate and contribute to the event.

Initiatives that aim at a stronger impact

This session aims to point out how the network can tighten the links, improve its relevance, and address future challenges.

This session aims to promote meaningful collaborative working with patients so that clinical and research innovations meet the needs of people living with respiratory conditions. Learning outcomes: 1) To recognise the significance of patient involvement in respiratory innovation, from consultation to co-design 2) To understand how to capture the voice of patients and family members and incorporate their insights into research and clinical practice 3) To increase awareness of inclusive and innovative strategies to work in partnership with patients and members of the public 4) To facilitate collaborating with communities to align innovations to local context.

Healthcare has a significant environmental footprint, and climate change negatively affects health. This talk explores sustainable initiatives in Dutch healthcare, with a focus on pulmonology. From green hospital practices to eco-friendly inhalers, initiatives that improve both planetary and patients’ health are discussed. In addition, the strength of the Dutch network of sustainable health care providers is highlighted, demonstrating how collaboration can drive change.

This session will provide examples on how project results can be utilised for further research or other purposes. A project’s ultimate success is defined by effective exploitation. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the strategies for effective results exploitation.