TEDDY Network’s contributions to child engagement and evidence-based paediatric medicine at a global scientific event
The TEDDY Network is proud to announce that two abstracts have been accepted for poster presentation at the international congress “Paediatric Research for the Future of Children: A Global Forum” PRFC 2026, taking place on 11–13 February 2026 at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland.
This exceptional event is jointly organised by the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR), the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR), the University of Geneva, and Geneva University Hospital. Limited to 300 participants, the forum will bring together leading clinicians, researchers, policymakers, patient advocates, and institutional representatives to foster critical dialogue on the future of paediatric research worldwide.
TEDDY’s accepted posters fall under the congress theme “Promoting Global Paediatric Research and Paediatric Clinician Scientists”, a key pillar aimed at strengthening the international paediatric research ecosystem.
The first poster, “Strengthening Global Paediatric Research Through the Engagement of Children and Young Patients,” highlights TEDDY’s commitment to meaningful Patient and Public Involvement in paediatric research. As a non-profit organisation and active member of European initiatives, including Accelerating Clinical Trials in the European Union (ACT-EU), European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP), European Network of Pediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency (Enpr-EMA), and European Paediatric Transnational Research Infrastructure – Association International Sans But Lucrative (EPTRI-AISBL). TEDDY promotes a research framework founded on ethical standards, transparency, and a child‑centred approach. TEDDY Working Group on Children Empowerment and Engagement, together with the TEDDY KIDS Network, that includes Young Persons’ Advisory Groups (YPAGs) across Europe: ANDO Portugal, Eye YPAG London, KIDS Albania, KIDS Bari, KIDS Kosova, KIDS rare Hellas, KIDS Umbria, POLPEDNET Warsaw, RAiN Ireland enabling children and young people to contribute to clinical research and health-related decision-making. The poster showcases specifically TEDDY’s young involvement in major European funded projects, including ERDERA, OrphaDev4Kids and INVENTS, where young patients’ perspectives were embedded across research and innovation activities.
The second poster, “Empowering Evidence-Based Paediatric Medicine Through the European Paediatric Medicines Database (EPMD),” focuses on TEDDY’s long-standing role in improving access to reliable information on paediatric medicines. Since 1995, TEDDY has maintained the EPMD, which systematically collects and analyses data from EMA-approved medicines and European Public Assessment Reports. The work is led by Mariagrazia Felisi, Chair of TEDDY who oversees the collection, analysis, and dissemination of this critical data to support evidence-based paediatric care.
Recent analyses show that by 2024, 1,092 active substances were approved under the EMA Centralised Procedure, with 438 authorised for paediatric use, while also identifying persistent unmet needs and age-related gaps. Detailed reports for 2024 can be found here.
These contributions are further strengthened by TEDDY’s leadership and governance. Donato Bonifazi, Board Member of TEDDY and Coordinator of working groupon Children empowerment and engagement will be the presenting author of the accepted posters. He plays a central role in shaping the European paediatric research landscape as Coordinator of EPTRI AISBL, Member of the Coordinating Group at Enpr-EMA, Member of the ACT EU Multi-Stakeholder Platform Advisory Group (MSP AG), and Member of the international Children Advisory Network (iCAN) Advisory Group and The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Working Group on Young People Engagement. Through these roles, he actively supports multi-stakeholder collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, and the meaningful involvement of children and young people in research and innovation.
The acceptance of these two posters at a high-level international forum underscores TEDDY’s continued commitment to advancing global paediatric research, promoting ethical and child-centred innovation, and contributing to the future of safer and more effective paediatric research.