Pharmaceutical regulation requires specialised expertise in key areas such as medical device assessment, medicinal product evaluation, and advanced clinical pharmacy for special populations, including the elderly, to support active aging.

On Thursday 13 February 2025, the University of Malta and the Malta Medicines Authority, entered into an agreement with the aim of building a skilled workforce at the Authority and expanding on research initiatives and innovation in the field of pharmaceutical regulation.

The two agreed to collaborate by recruiting and engaging postdoctoral fellows, training them by means of mentorship and the provision of relevant courses to keep consolidating their expertise, as well as participating in research initiatives to mutually advance research and innovation in the area.

The existing International Fellowship Programme, which has been spearheaded by the Authority for the past nine years, and which is currently offered to Master and Doctorate students, will now also be offered to Postdoctoral level students. This Programme, which offers researchers an opportunity to excel in regulatory sciences, spans over a minimum of two years, with the option to extend to a third year.

University of Malta Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella said "in this sector, the human resource is of massive importance, and this further education and training does not just help them progress in their careers, it also helps develop the right research that is patient-centric and that favours their needs above all else.”

Malta’s Minister for Health and Active Ageing, Hon. Jo-Etienne Abela, Malta’s Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Health and Active Ageing, Mr Joseph Chetcuti, a number of representatives from the Authority as well as members from the Department of Pharmacy, were present at the signing.