JA MENTOR Consortium Forum 2025: Collecting Knowledge Across Europe

On 9–10 October 2025, partners and stakeholders of the EU4Health Joint Action Mental Health Together (JA MENTOR) gathered in Warsaw, Poland, for the project’s first Consortium Forum, hosted by the National Health Fund (NFZ). The two-day event, held under the theme “Collecting Knowledge Across Europe,” marked an important milestone at the close of the project’s first year — a time to reflect on progress, exchange insights, and plan the next phase of joint action to promote mental health equity across Europe.

Day 1 – Learning, Sharing, and Co-Creating

• The Forum opened with greetings from key representatives: Marek Augustyn (Deputy President, NFZ), Ledia Lazeri (WHO Regional Office for Europe), Sibilla Neimane (Project Coordinator, National Centre of Mental Health, Latvia), and WP 5 and WP6 Work Package Leaders – Gemma Calamandrei from Istituto Superiore di Sanità  and Guido Biele, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, as well as the host Agnieszka Żukowska, WP2 Leader from the Polish National Health Fund

Their messages collectively underscored a shared conviction: mental health is everyone’s responsibility, and collaborative learning is fundamental to progress.

Throughout the first day, participants took part in interactive workshops and learning labs, exploring practical ways to:

• Apply evaluation criteria for community and digital mental health solutions,
• Involve people with lived experience in mental health service design and delivery, and
• Integrate the Mental Health in All Policies (MHIAP) approach across diverse sectors.

The day concluded with a hands-on session testing the HappApp digital tool, followed by a roundtable discussion summarizing key takeaways and reflections from the day’s activities.

Day 2 – From Knowledge to Sustainability

The second day focused on transforming shared knowledge into sustainable action. Discussions centred on integrated care pathways supporting social inclusion and quality of life for people with mental health conditions. Partners then participated in synergy sessions between work packages to reinforce interlinkages and foster stronger collaboration.

Work Package Leaders presented the main achievements and next steps in the areas of evaluation (WP3), sustainability (WP4), communication (WP2), and coordination (WP1). The discussions highlighted significant progress in developing guidance, methodologies, and digital tools to advance the project’s objectives.

As the first project year concluded, consortium members emphasized the importance of sustaining the momentum built through shared vision, cooperation, and evidence-based innovation.

Looking Ahead The JA MENTOR Consortium Forum reaffirmed the project’s mission to promote mental health equity, strengthen systems, and ensure accessibility to community-based and digital mental health solutions across Europe.
Building on the knowledge and collaborative energy gained in Warsaw, partners are now preparing for the next phase — turning collaboration into action and action into lasting change.