The Sustainability Coordination Body (SCB) of JADE Health was formally established to help ensure that the achievements of the Joint Action continue to deliver impact after the project’s completion. The inaugural meeting of the SCB took place online on 10 June 2026, bringing together leading experts and stakeholders from across Europe.

JADE Health is one of the most significant dementia-focused programmes funded under the EU4Health Programme, aiming to strengthen dementia prevention, early detection, care, and support systems across Europe. Through its 44 pilot actions implemented across participating countries, the project is generating practical solutions and innovative approaches to address the growing dementia challenge. Recognising the importance of sustaining these achievements beyond the project’s funded lifetime, the SCB was created as a strategic advisory platform to guide and coordinate sustainability efforts across the consortium.

The newly established body brings together leaders of European organisations, representatives of sister Joint Actions and mental health programmes, policy experts, researchers, and specialists in dementia, ageing, public health, implementation science, and health policy. The diverse expertise represented within the SCB reflects the broad, cross-sectoral approach needed to address the growing challenges posed by dementia.

Opening the meeting, SCB Chair Gábor Kovács highlighted that the body was established to ensure that JADE Health’s results do not remain fragmented or dependent on individual efforts. He emphasized that innovation can only be preserved and strengthened through structured collaboration, shared responsibility, and long-term strategic coordination.

SCB Co-Chair Bernardino Morillo presented the project's sustainability framework and reminded that sustainability must be embedded throughout implementation, not addressed only at the project's end. He called on the SCB to act as a catalyst for collaboration, helping pilots align their efforts, exchange knowledge, and unlock future opportunities for growth and continuation

Ledia Lazeri, Regional Advisor for Mental Health and Well-being at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, highlighted the rapidly growing importance of dementia on the European health agenda. She stressed that lasting impact depends not only on strong policies but also on effective partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to transform knowledge into meaningful action.

High-level representatives of international organisations and leading experts exchanged their perspectives on future collaboration opportunities and discussed how the sustainability tools, methodologies, and best practices developed within JADE Health can be made widely available, effectively disseminated, and adopted by organisations and initiatives beyond the project consortium. 

The establishment of the Sustainability Coordination Body marks an important milestone in ensuring that the knowledge, tools, and innovations developed through JADE Health continue to benefit people living with dementia, their families, and health systems across Europe well beyond the project period.