PRESS RELEASE - Hict contributes key expertise to GENz‑trials, a groundbreaking European project transforming clinical research
Thessaloniki, Greece – February 2026 — Hict is proud to announce its participation in GENz‑trials, a newly launched European initiative funded under the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). The project aims to revolutionize how clinical trials are designed, conducted, and evaluated by leveraging advanced data science, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and simulation technologies. The consortium officially convened for its kick‑off meeting on 26–27 February 2026 in Thessaloniki, hosted by the partner, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).
GENz‑trials brings together a broad, multidisciplinary consortium of leading European organisations working to overcome long‑standing challenges in clinical research — such as slow patient recruitment, heavy administrative workload, and the ethical limitations of placebo‑controlled trials. Through innovations like AI‑driven patient recruitment, generative‑AI workflow automation, digital twins, and synthetic control arms (SCAs), the project aims to create more efficient, inclusive, and ethically sound clinical trials.
Within this large European partnership, Hict serves as a Medtech industry partner, taking on several leadership responsibilities essential to scaling the project’s real‑world impact:
• Lead of the Work Package on Impact Acceleration
Hict guides the work to ensure that GENz‑trials innovations deliver practical, measurable value for healthcare systems, industry partners, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Lead of tasks related to engagement with regulatory bodies
Hict is responsible for supporting regulatory‑facing processes, including the preparation of evidence and alignment activities that help ensure the project’s tools and methodologies meet evolving regulatory requirements.
• Lead of the cost‑effectiveness and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) activities
Hict oversees the economic and HTA analyses, supporting the development of data‑rich evidence packages that strengthen payer, policy, and reimbursement decision‑making frameworks.
These roles position Hict at the heart of the project’s strategy for translating technical innovation into meaningful system‑level change.
GENz‑trials is coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and includes a diverse group of partners from across Europe, such as VIANEX, ELPEN, Daiichi Sankyo, IQVIA, CERTH, KU Leuven, the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN), Gemelli University Hospital, Ainigma Technologies, Ubitech, I3VO, FwdFaster AI, Ethos Legal, Nova Dimension — and Hict.
The consortium unites expertise in medicine, digital health, AI, biostatistics, regulatory science, and clinical operations, providing the foundation for creating a next‑generation clinical trial framework.
With innovations such as synthetic control arms, digital twins, and automated trial workflows, GENz‑trials aims to improve patient recruitment, reduce burden on clinical teams, support more ethical trial designs, and accelerate the generation of high‑quality clinical evidence. These innovations will also strengthen regulatory and HTA decision‑making by providing robust, real‑world‑aligned evidence. [ecrin.org]
Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.
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