9 September 2026
The International Respiratory Coalition (IRC) had a busy and productive week at the ERS Congress 2026 in Barcelona, from 5 to 9 September. Across two World Village sessions and a networking breakfast, we brought together national coalition members, patient advocates, clinicians and partners to share data, experiences and ideas for advancing respiratory health.
Here are our highlights:
Lung Facts updated with latest national-level data on disease burden and economic impact
IRC Chair Prof Anita Simonds opened the first of two World Village sessions on Monday (7 September) to discuss the methodology and key changes as part of the 2026 update to Lung Facts, which is IRC’s open-access platform providing epidemiological and economic data on respiratory disease across 21 countries.
The session featured Jana DeBrandt (Belgium) and Aleksander Kania (Poland), who shared practical examples of how their national coalitions have used Lung Facts to build the political case for respiratory health – from influencing parliamentary debate to securing permanent public funding for lung cancer screening.
Patient voices shaping national coalitions
In a second World Village session, we explored the vital role of persons living with respiratory disease in IRC’s national coalitions.
Patient advocates Juan Fuertes Guillén (Spain) and Jean-Michel Fourrier (France) spoke about how lived experience strengthens advocacy, brings relevance to policy conversations, and helps coalitions build more effective national respiratory strategies.
Exploring climate and health and networking
Finally, on Wednesday (9 September) morning, we gathered our community together for a working breakfast, which was led by Prof Anita Simonds and featured a talk from Juan Fuertes Guillén about climate and health in Spain.
This was followed by lively discussions around vaccination, impact of climate change on respiratory health,, and goals for the next year. It was a valuable opportunity to reconnect across the network and exchange ideas on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Project grants: applications still open
A reminder that IRC’s current round of national coalition project grants remains open. Grants of up to €50,000 are available to support coalitions in delivering strategic projects that advance respiratory health. The deadline to apply is 15 October 2026.
IRC extends our sincere thanks to all our supporters for your contributions at the ERS Congress, including our national coalitions, stakeholders and funders. Without your support, IRC’s work would not be possible.