Europe's partnership for health : Innovative Medicines Initiative

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a partnership between the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and the European pharmaceutical industry, represented by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). IMI is working to improve health by speeding up the development of, and patient access to, the next generation of medicines, particularly in areas of unmet medical or social need. IMI does this by facilitating collaboration between the key players in health research, including universities, pharmaceutical companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), patient organisations, and others. IMI has a total budget of over €5 billion for the period 2008-2024. Half of this comes from the EU's research and innovation programmes, while the other half comes from EFPIA members as well as some other large organisations and companies