In May 2013, I joined the newly established International Foundation for Integrated Care, to support preparations for ICIC14 in Brussels and to lead communications and dissemination for Project INTEGRATE, one of the major European-funded collaborations helping to build the evidence, networks and international profile of integrated care.
As the Foundation’s work progressed, I was later able to join IFIC full-time as Director of Communications in January 2014. Since then, conferences have been a constant thread through my work. There is something particularly auspicious about ICIC27 for me personally: the 27th International Conference on Integrated Care will not only take place in 2027, by the time we arrive in Tallinn next May, it will also be the 27th IFIC conference I have organised across our International, World, Asia Pacific, North American, and national conference series. That makes Tallinn particularly special to me and definitely some kind of milestone to celebrate!
The same year I formally joined IFIC, on 18 September 2014, I travelled to Tallinn for a Project INTEGRATE consortium meeting. On that day from Tallinn, we launched the Call for Papers for ICIC15 which would take place in Edinburgh, Scotland in March 2015. (Strangely, on that same day Scotland voted on independence from the UK, with no clue that two years later they would be still with the UK, but not with Europe!)
I still remember the sense of possibility around that period. IFIC was a newly established not-for-profit organisation with big ambitions, a growing international network and a very clear purpose: to improve outcomes for people and communities by changing how health and care systems work together.
I also remember Tallinn. It was a beautiful, forward-looking city, and I was struck by the commitment of the people we met to innovation and to finding better ways of organising care. I remember thinking that I hoped one day we might bring the International Conference on Integrated Care there.
Thirteen years later, we are.
ICIC27 takes place in Tallinn from 10–12 May 2027, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia and the International Journal of Integrated Care. Our theme, From Integration to Impact: Delivering better outcomes through data, coordination and population health, reflects where I believe the field needs to focus now.
We need to understand how digital infrastructure and shared intelligence can genuinely support integrated care; how we measure outcomes that matter to people and communities; how integration can make systems more resilient when faced with crises and disruption; and how we demonstrate the value of care coordination, including its impact on outcomes, experience, workforce and system efficiency.
For the programme to answer those questions properly, we need evidence and experience from many different places and perspectives.
We are looking for research, evaluation, policy, implementation and practice. We want to hear about work that succeeded, work that changed direction because of what was learned, and approaches that others can adapt. We particularly welcome submissions that involve patients, caregivers and communities as partners in designing, delivering or evaluating care.
With the conference in Estonia, I particularly want to see strong participation from Estonia itself and from the Baltic states, Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the wider European region. There is important work happening across these countries that is still too rarely visible in the international integrated care literature. At the same time, ICIC remains a global conference. We want submissions from every region of the world and from health and care systems at very different stages of their integrated care journey.
The Call for Papers is open until 1 November 2026, and there is plenty of support available if you are thinking about submitting.
On 13 October, colleagues from the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs and the wider Estonian system will join us for From Reform to Impact: Integrated Care in Estonia and the ICIC27 Call for Papers. The webinar will explore Estonia’s health and social care reform and what care coordination, population health, digital health and person-centred approaches look like in practice.
On 14 and 15 October, we will run two Submitting a High-Quality Abstract to ICIC27 webinars, providing practical guidance on developing your submission, understanding the assessment criteria and navigating the submission process.
You can also find detailed guidance and resources on the ICIC27 website, and our conference team is always happy to answer questions.
Finally, I have one request for everyone in the IFIC network. Please do not think only about whether you have something to submit. Think about the people around you. Which team is doing work others could learn from? Which community initiative deserves a wider audience? Which colleague has evidence they have never presented internationally? Which country or perspective is missing from our usual conversations?
Our network has always been one of IFIC’s greatest strengths. We need you to be the conduit through which new evidence, new voices and excellent work find their way into the international conversation.
Encourage someone to submit. Share the Call for Papers. Help us bring the very best of what is happening around the world to Tallinn.
I have waited a long time to bring this conference to Estonia. I hope you will help us make the programme worthy of the place and of the opportunity.
Fiona Lyne
International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC)