Theme: “Rare Diseases in a Changing & Competitive Europe: Shaping policies to address the unmet needs of people living with rare diseases”
The European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products (ECRD) is Europe’s largest patient-led policy-shaping event dedicated to rare diseases. Organised by EURORDIS, it brings together people living with rare diseases, patient advocates, policymakers, healthcare professionals, industry leaders, regulators, and Member State representatives to advance impactful policies and initiatives.
In 2026, the conference will take place in Prague, welcoming over 500 participants onsite and 300+ online through a hybrid format that promotes connection, knowledge exchange, and collaboration across the rare disease community.
ECRD 2026 will also mark the launch of a multi-stakeholder process to develop a European Action Plan for Rare Diseases, defining shared priorities, structure, governance, funding, and delivery mechanisms — ensuring collective ownership and lasting impact across Europe.
The programme will address key topics such as:
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Therapy development and access to innovation
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Timely and accurate diagnosis
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Advances in social sciences and specialised care
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Health technology assessment and sustainable healthcare policies
By joining ECRD 2026, you will take part in shaping the future of rare disease policy in Europe and beyond, contributing to real, lasting change for millions of people.
👉 Learn more and explore outcomes from past ECRDs on the official ECRD website
Posters at ECRD 2026
Poster abstract submissions for the ECRD 2026 are now open until 6 March 2026.
We encourage patient groups, academics, healthcare professionals and all other interested parties having conducted research or studies on rare diseases or public health projects to submit a poster abstract for the ECRD 2026.
- All abstracts received will be scored by the ECRD 2026 Poster Committee;
- All accepted posters will be displayed on the official ECRD 2026 virtual platform;
- Posters whose authors register to attend the in-person conference in Prague will also be displayed on a board at the event’s venue. For those interested in this opportunity, the deadline to register for in-person attendance will be 30th April 2026;
- The 3 top scoring posters will each receive an award (non-financial) to be presented on the final day of the conference;
- Authors of a limited number of top scoring posters will be invited to present their poster live during one of two dedicated sessions at the conference;
- Additionally, the authors of the 40 top scoring posters will be invited to submit their poster abstract after the conference to be published in a special ECRD 2026 edition of the Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases (OJRD). Please click here to view published supplements since 2010.
Morre info here 👉 https://www.rare-diseases.eu/posters/
