Objective
A well-coordinated Joint Action (SHARP) with functioning management, including timely reporting, budget control and support for successful implementation.
Outputs & activities
SHARP is a large and complex joint action involving 26 associated partners and 35 affiliated entities from 26 countries, as well as 10 collaborating stakeholders. The SHARP actions are organized into five core work packages (WP 5, 6, 7, 9, 10).
The coordinator ensures that the project work packages work together to gain the objectives of the Joint Action.
The Coordinator leads the project with the support of the steering committee, oversees the execution of the work packages and takes part in their execution, as appropriate. The coordinator facilitates the building of country ownership together with the work package leaders.
Tasks of the coordinator
- Monitor that the action is implemented properly;
- Act as the intermediary for all communications between the beneficiaries and the Agency, unless the Grant Agreement specifies otherwise;
- Request and review any documents or information required by the Agency and verify their completeness and correctness before passing them on to the Agency;
- Submit the deliverables and reports to the Agency;
- Ensure that all payments are made to the other beneficiaries without unjustified delay;
- Inform the Agency of the amounts paid to each beneficiary, when required.
The management structure of the JA consists of THL Coordination Team, Steering Committee, Advisory Board and Partnership Forum. In addition, each WP has its own leadership and internal meetings/teleconferences.
Activities
- Kick-off meeting
- Two Partnership Forums
- 14 Steering Committee meetings
- Four Advisory Board meetings
- Interim report
- Thematic meeting on preparedness and IHR strengthening during Finnish EU Presidency (autumn 2019); organized with WP2
- Closing conference
- Final report
Deliverables
- Interim report – Progress report for the first 18 months of the JA
- Final report – Final report of the action
Milestones
- Kick-off meeting
- Establishment of Steering Committee and Advisory Board
- Consortium agreement
- Partnership Forums
- Closing conference
Activities, and events where WP1 has presented
| Place & date | Event |
| 23-24 May 2019, Stockholm, Sweden | ECDC Joint meeting for NFPs for Preparedness & Response and NFPs for Threat Detection, EWRS & IHR |
| 13-14 June 2019, Hamburg, Germany | HEALTHY GATEWAYS General Assembly |
| 18-20 June 2019, Sydney, Australia | Global Health Security Conference 2019 |
| 30 September 2019, Brussels, Belgium | The High Level Conference of the EU Health Programme |
| 20 November 2019, Marseilles, France | EUPHA Pre-conference: EU cooperation to strengthen preparedness and management of cross-border health threats |
| 12-16 October 2020, (online) | EUPHA virtual conference |
| 7 May 2021, (online) | Joint Action TERROR kick-off meeting |
| 11 March 2022, (Hybrid) | Healthy Gateways Final Conference |
| 23 May 2022, (online) | Study supporting the final evaluation of the 3rd Health Programme: Focus group discussion for Joint Actions |
| 1-3 June 2022, Stockholm, Sweden | ECDC expert consultation on the implementation and evaluation of non-pharmaceutical interventions |
| 28-29 September 2022, Stockholm, Sweden | ECDC COVID-19 Lessons Learnt Expert meeting |
| 11 November 2022, Berlin, Germany | 15th European Public Health Conference, Lunch Symposium: SHARP Joint Action – strengthening capacity in preparing for the unexpected. |
| 24 November 2022, Belgrade, Serbia | National congress of physicians, SHARP presentations |
| 7 December 2022, Oslo and online | Nordic Health Preparedness Conference |
| May 2023 | SHARP JA featured on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) May 2023 newsletter. Disseminated to more than 70 countries, international and non-government organisations and private sector companies on the GHSA framework. |
| 19-20 June 2023 | SHARP JA Final Conference was organised in Helsinki and online. The Final Conference gathered 150 members, partners and health policy makers to discuss the results of SHARP JA and how to take them forward after the end of the project. Read more about the conference. |
| 12 September 2023 | SHARP JA poster was presented at the Annual Meeting of ECDC NFPs for Preparedness and Response, and for Threat detection, EWRS and IHR. 108 people took part in the meeting, of which 26 participated in the SHARP JA poster presentation. View the poster. |
Work Package key organisations and people:
Work Package lead: The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland
THL is a governmental research institute and a public health agency under the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The main mission of THL is to promote health and welfare in Finland and to provide reliable, evidence-based information for the government, decision-makers and other actors in the social welfare and health sectors.
The Department of Health Security at THL oversees preventing, combating and monitoring infection and environmental threats on a national level. The Department maintains preparedness to diagnose and control infectious diseases, and it directs, supports and develops national monitoring and surveillance systems for infectious diseases and the national vaccination programme.
THL is part of international networks (ECDC, WHO), and it serves as national IHR and EWRS focal point. THL has been key partner in development of WHO Joint External Evaluation (JEE) process for IHR assessment and THL has participated and led several JEE missions globally.
Project manager: Dr Anna Katz, Ph.D., is a project coordinator and senior researcher at the Department of Health Security at THL. Katz is a specialist in microbiology, virology, and molecular biology and she’s experienced in biosecurity, biosafety and working with highly pathogenic microbes.
Project manager: Outi Karvonen, MA, Development Manager at the International Affairs team at THL. Outi Karvonen has 26 years of experience in managing and coordinating international health and development projects funded by various national and international donors.
Laura Kalin-Mänttäri (MSc, BBA) is a senior researcher at the Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Her main areas of expertise are microbiology, laboratory diagnostics, and biothreat preparedness. Laura joined THL in 2020, after working in a joint project of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Finnish Defence Forces in 2012-2017 and in the private sector in 2017-2020.
Taru Miller (MSc) is an expert in Infectious Diseases Control and Preparedness at the Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Her main areas of expertise are water- and food-borne pathogens, epidemiological and outbreak investigations and infectious diseases of asylum seekers and immigrants.
Co-Coordinators:
- Instituto Nationale malattei infettive L.Spallanzani (INMI) – IRCCS
- The Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
Contact:
Your feedback is very important to us. Email sharp@thl.fi for any information, or suggestions you might have. Or, subscribe to updates.
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