Third Consortium Meeting of the European project IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE

PRESS RELEASE

Internal IPOV Consortium Meeting Online

On 16 January 2026, from 15:00 to 19:00, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV, Tarragona) will organise the Third Consortium Meeting of the European project IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE (International Platform on Obstetric Violence & Respectful Care), funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-Staff Exchange, Grant Agreement No. 101130141).

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What is the Third Consortium Meeting in a Horizon MSCA project?

Within a Horizon MSCA project, the Third Consortium Meeting is the third major governance meeting of the consortium: an internal working space where partner institutions:

• Review the scientific and technical progress of the work packages.
• Assess the staff exchanges.
• Analyse risks and ethical issues.
• Plan the next phases of research, training, communication and dissemination.

During the meeting at URV, partners will present the results of the first two years, define priorities for the next period, and strengthen coordination between European and Latin American partners.

Access and participation:
The meeting is restricted to members of the institutions participating in the IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE consortium.

4:5 social media poster for the Third Consortium Meeting Online of the European project IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE on 16 January 2026.

About the IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE project

IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE is a four-year Horizon MSCA Staff Exchange project (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-Staff Exchange, grant agreement no. 101130141) that started on 1 January 2024. It examines obstetric violence as a systemic and structural form of gender-based and institutional violence and seeks to transform maternal care towards a more empathetic, evidence-based and women-centred model. The growing interest of international bodies such as the United Nations (2019), the Council of Europe (2019) and the European Parliament (2021) in this issue underlines the relevance and timeliness of the project.

Bringing together 19 organisations from six European and three Latin American countries, IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE combines scientific research, higher education and human rights advocacy to generate knowledge, tools and training for respectful care in pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. The project is coordinated by the University of Udine (Italy) and involves universities, hospitals, research centres and civil society organisations.

In Europe, the consortium includes:

– In Spain: Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona), Universidad de Granada, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Fundación Hospital Universitario Vall d’Hebron – Instituto de Investigación (Barcelona), En Positivo Comunicación y Diseño Social para ONGs (Málaga) and the Observatorio de Violencia Obstétrica (Madrid).
– In France: Institut National d’Études Démographiques (INED, Aubervilliers Cedex).
– In Norway: Universitetet i Søraust-Noreg (Porsgrunn).
– In the United Kingdom: Durham University.
– In Portugal: ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Lisbon) and Gimnográvida – Preparação Para Parto e Maternidade (Porto).
– In Italy: University of Udine, Istituto di Cura a Carattere Scientifico e Ospedale Materno Infantile Burlo Garofolo – WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal and Childbirth Health (Trieste) and Scuola Elementare di Arte Ostetrica (Florence).

In Latin America, the partners are:

– In Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos (Concepción del Uruguay), Municipalidad de San Isidro – Hospital Materno-Infantil de San Isidro, and Asociación Civil Argentina de Puericultura (Buenos Aires).
– In Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica (San José).
– In Uruguay: Universidad de la República (Montevideo).

A multidisciplinary team of researchers, lecturers, health professionals and civil society representatives works along several key lines of action:

• Designing and implementing an international, interdisciplinary digital platform that connects academic research and public policy, prioritising the perspectives and needs of women, health professionals and civil society.
• Collecting and updating evidence on obstetric violence through research, fieldwork and staff exchanges across consortium institutions, and making this knowledge accessible through the platform.
• Developing an innovative training programme for health professionals—particularly gynaecologists and obstetricians—based on an intersectional, gender-sensitive and human rights approach. This programme will be piloted at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, and the lessons learned will support the creation of online training materials hosted on the platform.
• Identifying strategies to connect key stakeholders—from social movements to national and supranational institutions—through a permanent advisory network of experts. This network will organise a Consensus Conference on obstetric violence in France, bringing together leading European and international voices.

The project includes a broad set of research, training, dissemination and communication activities aimed both at the scientific community and at the wider public. These activities range from scientific publications and policy briefs to seminars, workshops, educational materials and awareness-raising campaigns addressed to women, couples, professionals and institutions.

4:5 social media poster for the Third Consortium Meeting Online of the European project IPOV – RESPECTFUL CARE on 16 January 2026.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.