MediPIET

The Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (MediPIET) aimed to enhance health security in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region by supporting capacity building for prevention and control of natural or man-made threats to health posed by communicable diseases through the implementation of:

• a long-term regional Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP)
• Training of Trainers activities (ToTs)
• annual scientific events
• other networking and capacity building activities.

From 2021 to 2025, MediPIET was implemented by ECDC as a part of the EU Initiative on Health Security. The programme ended in 2025, with the last cohort of its training programme graduating in the same year.

Objectives

• Training a regional cadre of field epidemiologists
• Training national trainers and supervisors and provide support to cascade trainings
• Disseminating expertise, knowledge and skills among non-EU partner countries, EU partners and other key actors in the field; fostering synergies between MediPIET and other FETPs.
• Engagement with partner countries, for bigger impact, and incorporating national and regional public health priorities to the programme curriculum.
• Fostering country commitment, ownership, and regional networking for the sustainability of the programme. 

About the MediPIET programme

History

• MediPIET programme was set up in 2013 at the initiative of the European Commission with the aim of reinforcing health security capacities across the European neighbourhood regions. The programme has been implemented across four phases, starting with a two-year establishment phase led by ECDC (2013-2014), followed by two implementation phases carried out by two consortia under the scientific leadership of ECDC: consortium of International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (2014-2017) and a consortium of ISCIII and Fundación Estatal, Salud, Infancia y Bienestar Social (FCSAI) (2018-2021).
• From 2021 to 2025, ECDC implemented MediPIET as an integral part of the EU Initiative on Health Security.

Programme design

The MediPIET training programme was set up in a format which allowed the partner countries to decide on the scale of their involvement, depending on the specific partner countries' needs. The programme included:

MediPIET programme and its curriculum was built on a set of core competencies, which were agreed with the partner countries when the programme was launched in 2013.  

After the two-year training, MediPIET graduates are considered experts in applying epidemiological methods and provide evidence to guide public health interventions for communicable disease prevention and control.

The curriculum provided training and practical experience using the ‘learning by doing’ approach in acknowledged training sites across the partner countries.

MediPIET's 4th cohort (2021 – 2023)

The MediPIET cohort 4 started its training on 15 September 2021. It included 16 fellows from 11 partner countries of the EU Initiative on Health Security.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

**This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

MediPIET's 5th cohort (2022 – 2024)

The MediPIET cohort 5 started their fellowship on 15 September 2022. It included 16 fellows from 11 partner countries of the EU Initiative on Health Security.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

**This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

MediPIET's 6th cohort (2023 – 2025)

The MediPIET cohort 6 started their fellowship on 25 September 2023. It included 13 fellows from 13 partner countries of the EU Initiative on Health Security.

*This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.