RPP Group – Policy Communication Opportunities

for COST iPlanta

Edoardo Ferri – Director of RPP Group Italy

RPP Group: A true European Firm

• RPP Group is a consultancy focused on policy creation

and development, building on our integrated services such

as digital campaigning and visual communications.

• RPP Healthcare is a member of the RPP Group. Our topical

focus and expertise are in healthcare, well-being,

nutrition, R&D, innovation, market access &

reimbursement, trade, and internal market policy.

• RPP Healthcare offers Public Affairs Services in various

European Countries and on EU Level.

RPP Group offices and services:

• Brussels (HQ) – EU Public Affairs Services and Belgian

Public Affairs Services

• Berlin – Germany Public Affairs Services

• London – UK Public Affairs Services

• Paris – France Public Affairs Services

• Rome – Italy Public Affairs Services

• Hamburg – RPP Visual Communications

Through our integrated services, we go all the way from

building awareness to driving change with you

Advocacy & Policy

In a joint effort with relevant stakeholders we focus on the

creation and development of public policies from their design to their

implementation.

Strategy and Training

We advise our clients at senior management level on relevant public affairs matters with regards to their

corporate strategy and give in house trainings where beneficial.

Event Management

Although we consider events to always be the means not the objective of any public affairs strategy, we have extensive in house experience in managing

successful events.

Association Management

We set-up and manage your industry or multi-stakeholder

association to drive policy objectives.

Digital Communication

We develop social media campaigns to leverage our communication with decision makers and to cooperate

with relevant stakeholders to increase awareness on given topics.

Stakeholder Relations

We engage opinion leaders and decision makers in collaborating on new approaches to jointly develop

consensus and to jointly take action.

Regulatory Advice

In highly regulated environments, we deliver tailored advice based on

a profound legislative and legal knowledge.

Visual Communication

In an environment reduced to a minimum of text, we transform

messages into visual communication tools, for any audience or product.

Governance & Compliance

We establish and implement full political compliance and adapt these

to changing political rules ahead of time.

The role of policy maker engagement in scientific consortia

• While policy decisions are made on the results of scientific

progress, keeping only the results of scientific actions for policy

makers is a major mistake

• In the context of populist activism that is driven by partial

information, often contrary to robust independent science,

scientists must be first to the table with policy makers

• Informing policy makers is an investment in your

own research, setting a productive atmosphere for

legislation around scientific breakthroughs and

building an understanding amongst policy makers

of the value of scientific progress and the evidence

that supports it

• Working in a reactive policy environment is infinitely

more difficult than proactively building an environment

Setting the policy scene for breakthroughs – COST iPlanta

• As a Commission funded international independent

research group, COST iPlanta has a unique role in

bringing evidence to policy makers and engaging with

stakeholders in Brussels on the newest evidence in the

field of RNAi.

• To effectively transfer new evidence into better policy

making requires a continuous partnership with

policymakers and effective communication activities.

• In many ways, we are acting in a reactive space given

the decade of EU policy on GMOs, but the continuous

focus on this topic still give the opportunity to

proactively place key messages on the EU agenda.

v v

Reviewing the objectives

Promote collaboration among

European interested parties and

stakeholders, and with interested

parties outside Europe.

Benefits and Costs associated with using RNAi technologies &

Building our communication plan to reach all stakeholders

Encourage the development

of new relevant research consortia

and programmes within the EU.

At an EU level what does achieving these objectives mean?

One of the major outcomes of engagement with EU bodies is to

ensure continuous funding of projects on RNAi by highlighting results,

potential benefits, risk assessment and activities.

Spreading these results also to policy makers means that they will

have a reference point for future consideration when legislative items

are on the agenda.

Importantly, building supportive relations with other stakeholders in

the EU environment ensures that the scientific voice is multiplied.

Where we are: The GMO space – Policy reflections

• The EU has looked to Regulate GMOs through recent

legislative proposals, mostly relating to the subsidiarity of

decisions across the EU. These however have not passed

after the European Parliament blocked them.

• The European Parliament has emerged as a very strong

actor on the GMO topic and will be a key decision maker in

any future EU legislation on GMOs.

• One of the biggest claims by ‘anti-GMO’ groups is the

“unknown impacts” – this means that scientific groups need

to emphasise the “known impacts” and “known benefits”.

• Concerns largely emerge from uncertainty, and effective

communication around independent international research,

helps resolve that uncertainty.

Where we need to go:

a receptive environment for RNAi technologies

A policy environment that

recognizes the policy

challenges, accepts the

added value of the

breakthrough and reaches

a consensus with the

scientific community on

policy solutions

A differentiation for

RNAi in comparison to

other forms of GM

Educated and supportive

stakeholders in the nutrition

and agriculture field

Desired Outcomes of high level stakeholder engagement?

• Deliver information on RNAi to MEPs, Commission

Officials and key EU stakeholders of the food and

feed chain at EU level.

• Give exposure to independent international research

which deals with innovation and sustainable

agriculture

• Expose benefits of the technology including to the

Environment and Nutrition

• Expose policy and acceptance issues and generate

ideas on how to tackle them

Impact of high level events – results and examples

• RPP’s work with the ‘Virtual Physiological Human’ Institute and the Avicenna

Alliance on in-silico medicine has had many similar communication aims to

COST iPlanta. The development of a communication plan, visually designed

messages and high level engagement culminated in a high-level EU event.

• Results:

• Unknown policy topic entered into the revision of Medical Devices and EMA

Regulation

• 3 consecutive Horizon 2020 programmes featuring research on in silico medicine

• Liaison between EMA and FDA on integration of in silico modelling and simulation

into health practices

• Scientists, industry and regulator have been cooperating since this event on

integrating these brekathroughs into regulatory pathways.

Avicenna Alliance: Where we stand today

• Avicenna Alliance established

as a legal entity with 3

distinct working groups

• Signed memorandum of

understanding with FDA and

EC expected to also join as

an observer member

• Successfully advocated

for inclusion of in silico in

MDR & EMA Regulations

• First contact made with

EMA - Japanese

Regulators needed

• VPH now a member of

the EC eHealth

Stakeholder Group

• 1st event of Avicenna Alliance in

Parliament

Other communication needs

• In addition to regular engagement, policy makers and stakeholders need

information they can easily understand including:

Simple visualization Concise messages Clear and independent

position from the

scientific community

Conclusions

• A stakeholder and Government Affairs program which will include a high level

event in Brussels will be key in order to disseminate and share knowledge

and gain support for RNAi

• A collaboration between RPP and Cost iPlanta can be very productive and

contribute to a more balanced debate in order to foster science-based policy

decisions

• The program should include at least one important event from 2018 to 2020

in order to understand the progress and gain momentum in policy outcomes

at EU level