On December 4th, 2025, the UNITY consortium organized its first consortium meeting at the Quinton House in Utrecht to discuss how we can ensure better advice during pandemics. The project, led by dr. Anja Schreijer, aims to integrate biomedical, societal and economical perspectives to provide actionable, evidence-based advice for policymakers.

UNITY is structured into five work packages (WPs), each focusing on different aspects of the development of an integrated advice framework. Additionally, three cross cutting themes (CCs) have been identified with tasks and contributions overarching the work packages. The consortium meeting started with updates from all WPs and CCs about their progress and plans.

WP1: Data, Knowledge & Knowledge synthesis is developing a consensus list of ‘key questions’ that should ideally be answered during a pandemic, along with an overview of available methods that could generate actionable evidence to answer those questions. WP1 started by extracting key questions from literature and categorizing them to create a flowchart that helps support evidence-based advice and decision making. The next step of WP1 is to map the methods to answer the essential knowledge questions, which includes assessing the methods’ actionability and weight of evidence.

WP2: Integrated framework will synthesize and map existing knowledge to support the integrated assessment framework, develop a tool for integrated advice, establish a science-policy interface process, and produce practical guidelines and a manual to support implementation of the framework. WP2 is drawing on learnings from previous (national and international) research on integrated advice and existing advisory frameworks, and will test their findings both within the consortium and with external groups through, for example, focus groups with policy makers.

WP3: Modelling focuses on developing an improved model for infectious disease outbreaks in the Netherlands. To this end, researchers are reviewing current state-of-the-art models that evaluate epidemiological impact of interventions against respiratory infections in the Dutch context. The outcomes will be used to synthesize new models that are suitable for providing timely, actionable insights during outbreaks. Moreover, researchers will identify ways to calculate economic and societal impacts of pandemic measures.

WP4: Simulation exercises & Practical feasibility is developing several simulation exercises, including a small one in May 2026 and a larger one in July 2026, to practice with integrated advice and the developed UNITY framework. WP4 is also working on an analysis to determine which stakeholders should be involved in assessing the practical feasibility of the framework.

WP5: Reflection, interaction and mutual learning has the goal to improve and enrich the process of UNITY itself. Researchers will explore effective strategies to integrate diverse perspectives and address differences in viewpoints in the UNITY project. So far, WP5 has completed an ethical review, identified the first topics for reflection and laid the basis for internal and external collaborations. In the coming months, researchers will continue to observe and analyse the collaboration to provide a learning space for the consortium.

CC1: Vulnerability will ensure that a ‘vulnerability lens’ is systematically included throughout the UNITY project. This is challenging, as vulnerability has different interpretations (for example: medical, social  or economic vulnerability) and is multi-dimensional and context-dependent. Therefore, their first objective is mapping and defining vulnerability through studying existing vulnerability frameworks. They will also conduct surveys and interviews in collaboration with other WPs and CCs.

CC2: Citizen Engagement examines in what way citizen engagement should be included in the steps towards an advisory framework, and will add a ‘citizen engagement lens’ to every WP. Through literature studies and surveys, they will eventually establish effective and feasible methods for citizen engagement in scientific advice. Together with CC3: Scientific Uncertainty, they will also work on a citizen survey about, amongst others, communicating scientific uncertainty.

CC3: Scientific Uncertainty discussed their progress on developing a scientific uncertainty framework; a guidance document to help scientific experts with mapping and managing scientific uncertainty when developing policy advice, and a communication tool to support experts in communicating scientific uncertainty to the general public. In the coming months, this CC will tackle the challenge of dealing with different types and levels of uncertainty, and consider how to include behavioral uncertainty in the framework.

After the presentations, there was an opportunity for reflection by the Sounding Board, which consists of representatives from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN), the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the national umbrella organisation of the Municipal Public Health Services and Regional Medical Assistance Organisations (GGD GHOR), the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP), the Health Council of the Netherlands (Gezondheidsraad) and the National Acute Care Network (LNAZ).

The afternoon continued with speed-date sessions where teams explored overlaps and shared challenges. This close collaboration is essential, as all WPs and CCs are highly interdependent and rely on each other’s in- and output to achieve their goals. All in all, the consortium meeting was an important moment of connection and reflection. Remarkable was the engagement among participants, and their enthusiasm for helping to guide and refine each other’s work, which highlighted the value of bringing multiple perspectives together to strengthen the science. The afternoon underscored the importance of collaboration, which lies at the heart of the UNITY project.

Read more about the UNITY project and the UNITY kick-off meeting.