METAGEN – A ROHU Cross-Border Innovation to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
Project Identification
Total Budget: €2,266,696.33 – EU (ERDF) contribution: €1,813,357.05 (80%)
Project ID: ROHU00049
Project Title:
A ROHU cross-border innovation to combat antibiotic resistance while ensuring health equity and system resilience
Lead Partner:
“Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Timișoara (UMFVBT), Romania
Partners:
– University of Szeged (SZTE), Hungary
– ONCOHELP Association, Romania
Programme Priority:
P2 – Cooperation for a more social and cohesive partnership between Romania and Hungary
Specific Objective:
Ensuring equal access to healthcare and fostering the resilience of health systems, including primary care, while promoting the transition from institutional to community-based care
Duration:
02.07.2025 – 01.01.2028
Impact
The METAGEN Project represents a major step forward in cross-border cooperation, public health innovation, and equitable healthcare access.
Expected Results
- Faster pathogen identification: Diagnostic times reduced from several days to less than 24 hours.
- Enhanced epidemiological surveillance: Real-time outbreak tracking via integrated Nanopore, IR Biotyping, and LC-MS platforms.
- Regional AMR Database: A shared Romania–Hungary platform for monitoring resistance genes and guiding evidence-based interventions.
- Improved healthcare equity: Broader access to modern molecular diagnostics for communities across both countries.
Added Value
METAGEN not only strengthens healthcare systems but also:
- Builds sustainable scientific capacity in advanced genomics and bioinformatics.
- Promotes cross-border knowledge exchange and shared medical standards.
- Contributes directly to EU objectives on health resilience and innovation.