On the 6th and 7th of February 2020 the first face-to-face meeting of the EC-supported UNICOM (Up-scaling the Global Univocal identification of Medicines)innovation action was hosted by the project coordinator empirica at the Bonn University Club on the banks of the Rhine river in Germany. Around 80 experts from 40 consortium partners came together for an introductory session, detailed presentations of all 13 work packages and their activities planned for year one of this 4-year project. This was supplemented by intensivecollaborative workshops of three core action lines integrating subsets of workpackages to explore interdependencies, plan and coordinate upcoming work.

After an initial online Kick-off very early into the Action, this meeting enabled partners to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas and get to know each other better. Highly motivated and eager participants and a great atmosphere, both during the two days and in the evening at the social dinner, helped to bring the UNICOM family closer together and focus ambitions towards a successful project for improved patient safety and better healthcare for all.