UM-led 'SEED' project to improve care during the early stages of pregnancy

On Monday 20 April 2026, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research, and Innovation, Hon. Keith Azzopardi Tanti, has launched the SEED project (Study of Early Events in Development), a three-year national research initiative aimed at transforming the care and knowledge regarding the first trimester of pregnancy in our country.

The SEED project, a UM-led research initiative, serves as a foundation for more humane and informed care that will change how we understand the first steps of life in Malta. It is a collaboration between the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering within UM, and partners at Mater Dei Hospital, who will establish the first modern database in this field. The study will analyse hospital data while looking at the lived experiences of women and doctors.

Dr Lara Sammut, the principal researcher of the project, emphasised the need for this study within the local health sector. “SEED was born from the need to better understand what is happening at the beginning of pregnancy in Malta, a stage where there is much uncertainty but little clear evidence. Thus, it is crucial that we build this evidence so that we can make more informed decisions and improve care at the start of pregnancy", she said.

In his address during the launch, Hon. Azzopardi Tanti maintained that this project fits perfectly within the framework of the Malta Vision 2050, where the goal is for research to translate into practical solutions for society. He explained that the findings of this study will serve as a guide for better planning and for services that are resilient and capable of adapting to change, while they build a system that applies knowledge in a way that makes a real difference in the quality of life for our people.

This project stands as a strong example of how robust, locally grounded evidence can shape more responsive and effective approaches to early pregnancy care. By going beyond statistics to also capture lived experiences, the research highlights the importance of understanding the full human dimension of care.