EuroDURG Summer School 2026

ISPE-EuroDURG Drug Utilisation Research Summer School Groningen

24th–28th August 2026 in Groningen, the Netherlands – a stimulating and enriching learning experience for PhD-students and researchers

University Medical Center Groningen — venue of the EuroDURG Summer School 2026

24–27 August 2026 – Summer School  ·  28 August 2026 – International Symposium

Discover more about Drug Utilisation Research

The 2026 Drug Utilisation Research (DUR) summer school will offer a 4-day training event for PhD students and researchers interested in the assessment and improvement of drug use. A maximum of 30 participants can join, enabling a stimulating and enriching learning experience. Faculty are experts in methods for developing and evaluating interventions and assessing rational and sustainable drug use.

The summer school is open to PhD-students and researchers worldwide, encouraging those with a background or research experience in (social) pharmacy, (pharmaco-)epidemiology, clinical pharmacology, pharmacovigilance, health technology assessment, health services research, health sciences and statistics to apply.

The summer school is organised by the University of Groningen / University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands; local organising committee chaired by Prof dr Katja Taxis and Prof dr Petra Denig, and endorsed by ISPE-EuroDURG.

Complimentary to the 4-day summer school, participants will receive free access to an International Symposium with lectures by three esteemed experts on prescribing safety, deprescribing, and shared decision making.

Registration is open, register here →
Small group session at the EuroDURG Drug Utilisation Research Summer School

24–27 August 2026 – Summer School  ·  28 August 2026 – International Symposium

Enjoy small group learning and hands-on training

The DUR summer school offers (a) seminars and workshops with introductions to the topic and hands-on exercises, (b) small-group discussions of research projects, and (c) social events (see program below).

This will enable you to:

  • understand common frameworks, concepts and methods in Drug Utilisation Research (DUR)
  • apply DUR research methods in (thought) experiments or designs and deepen your understanding of their value and pitfalls
  • create or refine your own research ideas in discussion with other participants
  • receive inspiration for future research and collaboration with other DUR researchers
Registration is open, register here →
Research seminar on drug utilisation methods at UMCG Groningen

24–27 August 2026 – Summer School  ·  28 August 2026 – International Symposium

Established and emerging topics in DUR

We will cover a range of (advanced) methods for developing and evaluating interventions to improve rational and sustainable drug use. You will learn more about established topics like complex interventions, eHealth, medication use patterns, and diversity in real-world data in relation to DUR.

Each day attention will be paid to an emerging topic relevant for DUR, including the application of co-creation methods, AI in medication management, machine learning in prediction models, and assessing & addressing prescribing cascades.

The summer school is organised under the auspices of the European Drug Utilisation Group (EuroDURG — International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology), which is the European chapter of the ISPE's Drug Utilisation Research SIG. For those interested in further training, we can recommend to read the 2nd Edition: Drug Utilization Research. Methods and Applications. Also, one can visit the ISPE 42nd Annual Meeting in Milan, starting with pre-conference courses on August 29th. Please note, the summer school's content does not overlap with these courses.

Registration is open, register here →
City of Groningen, the Netherlands — host city of the EuroDURG Summer School 2026

24–27 August 2026 – Summer School  ·  28 August 2026 – International Symposium

Venue, travel and accommodation

The summer school will be held in a lecture hall located at the north end of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). This is within walking distance to the city center of Groningen, the Netherlands.

The social events — Tuesday dinner, Wednesday sightseeing, Thursday social drinks — will all be within walking distance of the UMCG.

Groningen can best be reached by train. Every hour, there is one direct train connection from Schiphol Airport Amsterdam to Groningen Central station and another connection from Schiphol to Groningen with a transfer in Zwolle.

Groningen offers a range of accommodations, best to be booked well in advance.

For more information about Groningen, see Discover the city of Groningen | Visit Groningen.

Registration is open, register here →

Preliminary Program EuroDURG Summer School 2026 — Groningen, the Netherlands

Time Monday 24 Aug Tuesday 25 Aug Wednesday 26 Aug Thursday 27 Aug Friday 28 Aug
9.00–10.30 — Seminar on developing and evaluating complex interventions in DUR Seminar on health technology assessment and the role of DUR Workshop on diversity in real-world data and DUR International DUR Symposium
10.00–12.00
UMCG, Groningen

Keynote lectures on:
– prescribing safety
– deprescribing
– shared decision making
10.30–11.00 — Coffee / tea break Coffee / tea break Coffee / tea break
11.00–12.30 — Workshop on patient-reported outcomes in DUR Workshop on supervised machine learning in DUR prediction models Workshop on measuring adherence and persistence patterns
12.30–13.30 — Lunch Lunch Lunch —
13.30–15.00 Welcome and introduction to DUR and course aims Workshop on co-creation methods in DUR Sightseeing Groningen Workshop on measuring prescribing cascades —
15.00–15.30 Coffee / tea break Coffee / tea break — Coffee / tea break —
15.30–17.00 Interactive session on designs, methods & statistics in DUR Workshop on eHealth and AI in medication management Workshop on sustainable medication use and opportunities for DUR Presentation of participants' projects —
17.00–17.15 Time to walk to location for parallel sessions — Concluding remarks — —

Faculty to be announced. Program subject to change.