The HIVE project, Enhancing Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) management for HIV population, has officially started with a two-day kick-off meeting hosted by the University of Nicosia (UNIC) Medical School in Nicosia, Cyprus. Supported by €4 million in Horizon Europe funding, HIVE brings together 15 international partners to advance integrated HIV and non-communicable disease (NCD) care across four pilot countries: Kenya, Kazakhstan, Greece and Malta.
Running until 2028, the project focuses on improving care for people living with HIV (PLWH) by expanding a digital health tool originally developed by Columbia University and embedding NCD and psychosocial care into routine HIV clinic services.
Opening session: context, vision and local needs
The meeting opened with welcome remarks by Eleni Tolma and Adonis Ioannides, who introduced UNIC Health and the Medical School’s research strategy. They highlighted the strategic importance of HIVE for UNIC and for Cyprus, stressing the university’s commitment to leading projects that strengthen health systems and address equity in chronic care.
In the first thematic session, Georgios Siakallis presented an overview of HIV epidemiology in the Republic of Cyprus. He noted a marked rise in diagnosed cases after 2019, largely associated with migration, and described a shift from MSM to predominantly heterosexual transmission, with HIV subtypes A1 and B most prevalent for inland transmission. He also underlined the urgent need for PrEP services, which are not yet routinely available in Cyprus but are expected to be introduced in Nicosia and Larnaca in 2025, an important step toward achieving the 95-95-95 targets nationally.
Consortium introductions and roles
During a dedicated session, all partners briefly introduced their institutional structures, core teams and key work packages. This roundtable highlighted the project’s multidisciplinary nature, bringing together expertise in:
- HIV and NCD clinical care
- Public health and implementation research
- Digital health and data science
- Community engagement and health policy
The introductions helped clarify how each organization will contribute to co-designing, piloting and evaluating integrated care pathways in the four participating countries.
Message from the EU Project Officer
In a plenary address, EU Project Officer Andres Moya San Martín officially welcomed the consortium and outlined expectations for high-quality project implementation. He emphasised:
- The importance of clear, regular communication between the Project Officer, the Coordinator and all partners
- The availability of flexible budget management and amendments, when justified and processed according to Horizon Europe procedures
- The need for timely delivery of milestones and deliverables, with any delays properly explained and recorded through the Funding & Tenders / Participant Portal
He reminded partners that the grant agreement, manuals and detailed procedural guidance are available in the Portal and should be used as the reference for day-to-day management.
Building digital innovation for integrated HIV and NCD care
Through several working sessions, partners explored how to adapt and scale the digital health tool developed by Columbia University for use in different country contexts. The platform is designed to support PLWH in self-managing multiple long-term conditions and to help clinicians integrate NCD screening, management and psychosocial support into busy HIV clinics.
Discussions focused on:
- Co-design with patients, clinicians and community stakeholders
- Interoperability with existing health information systems
- Data protection, ethics and governance
- Implementation of research methods to measure effectiveness, feasibility and equity impacts
Governance, work plan and next steps
The meeting concluded with agreement on project governance structures, including the roles of the General Assembly, Executive and Advisory bodies, as well as key decision-making and reporting lines. Work package leaders presented their first-year plans, timelines and immediate next steps, ranging from context mapping and stakeholder engagement to technical adaptation of the digital platform.
Participants also discussed the dissemination, communication and stakeholder engagement strategy, ensuring that evidence generated by HIVE will inform national and international policy on integrated HIV and NCD care.
A shared commitment to equity in chronic care
Reflecting on the launch, partners underlined that HIVE is more than a technology project: it is a joint effort to improve equity in chronic care by ensuring that people living with HIV receive holistic, person-centered services that address NCDs and psychosocial needs alongside viral suppression.
The Nicosia kick-off meeting successfully aligned the consortium on this mission and marked the beginning of a multi-country collaboration that aims to generate practical tools, robust evidence and scalable models for integrated HIV and NCD care.