Berlin, Germany | October 20^th - 22^nd, 2013

The M8 Alliance

Mission

The M8 Alliance’s vision is to harness academic excellence to improve global health.

The M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centres, Universities and National Academies is a collaboration of academic institutions of educational and research excellence committed to improving global health, working with political and economic decision makers to develop science-based solutions to health challenges worldwide.

This international network provides an outstanding academic foundation to the World Health Summit – the pre-eminent annual forum for healthcare dialogue – and acts as a permanent platform for framing future considerations of global medical developments and health challenges in an equitable way.

The M8 Alliance promotes the translation of research progress from the laboratory 'benchtop to the bedside', transformation of our present medical care approach of treating sick people into a true health care system with effective prevention of diseases, and the adaptation of health-related solutions to our rapidly changing living conditions through research in priority areas such as demographic shift, urbanization and climate.

Goals

The M8 Alliance is improving global health through pursuit of five strategic goals:

Developing a network of academic health science centers worldwide, bringing together universities and health care providers;
Facilitating dialogue through the World Health Summit across a global network of stakeholders engaged with academic health science centers – encompassing government, industry and commerce, inter-governmental agencies, health care providers, academies of medicine and science, professional associations and the media;
Setting an agenda for global health improvement through addressing issues of interest to academic health science centers, and by generating key statements conveying findings and recommendations based upon scientific evidence;
Positioning the M8 Alliance as an authoritative, credible and respected influence upon global health decision making; and
Creating a knowledge base amongst M8 Alliance members, promoting mutual learning, research collaboration, enrichment of educational capabilities and enhanced clinical outcomes.

Treaty

M8 Alliance Treaty Preamble

(...) Health and personal well-being are of highest importance, not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole. Much has been achieved by the medical advances of the last century. Whilst recent discoveries promise to bear the potential for even greater improvements in health care, the new Millenium also poses new challenges for the standard of health world wide. The rising cost of health care, together with demographic changes, require a conscious effort to improve medicine, whilst keeping it affordable. Health is a basic human right; it has to be ensured that it is delivered.

Only a global effort can succeed in tackling this global challenge. The M8 Alliance, an Alliance of Excellence, is set up as an international network of prestigious medical faculties to further this process. Medicine and the Life Sciences have to be firmly established on the political and social agenda. The first step towards this goal will be increased exchange between the members of the M8 Alliance and co-operation in the realms of research, education, health care and the organization of the World Health Summit.

The M8 Alliance will closely co-operate with other bodies such as the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) and the Inter-Academy Medical Panel (IAMP) to increase the leverage of academic medicine to improve health together with stakeholders on the national and international level.

The World Health Summit will be the central platform of the M8 Alliance. It will be held annually. The first World Health Summit in October 2009 will mark the formal inauguration of the M8 Alliance.(...)

M8 Members