Call
Staying Healthy (Two stage - 2024) (HORIZON-HLTH-2024-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage)
Type of action
HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]
Deadline model
two-stage
Opening date
30 March 2023
Deadline dates
19 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
11 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Open for submission
Topic description
Expected Outcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several impacts of destination 1 “Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim at delivering results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to several of the following expected outcomes:
· Citizens have access to and use effective personalised prevention schemes and health counselling (including through digital means) that take into account their individual characteristics and situation. Individuals can be assigned to particular groups based on their characteristics, and receive advice adequate to that group. Stratification of a population into groups showing similar traits allows for effective personalised disease prevention.
· Health professionals use effective, tried and tested tools to facilitate their work when advising both patients and healthy individuals. Public health programme owners gain insight into the specificities and characteristics of disease clusters within the population through stratification. This can then be used to facilitate the identification of population groups with elevated risk of developing certain diseases and improve the programmes, update them and design effective strategies for optimal solutions and interventions.
· National and regional programmes make better use of funds, data infrastructure and personnel in health promotion and disease prevention, primary and secondary healthcare. They can consider the use of new or improved ambitious policy and intervention options, with expected high population-wide impact, for effective health promotion and disease prevention.
· Companies generate opportunities for new product and service developments to cater to the needs of the healthcare service and individuals.
Scope:
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for the majority of the disease burden in Europe and are the leading cause of avoidable premature death. The human and financial cost of NCDs is high and expected to grow. Reducing the burden of NCDs requires a holistic approach and tackling health inequalities across the board. Preventing NCDs from developing in the first place will be at the core of successful public health programmes in the future.
Personalised approaches and the development of targeted interventions have led to an impressive progress in several fields of medicine and have been included in many treatments. However, the use of stratification and individualisation in guiding prevention strategies is still not widely in use even though examples of its potential are accumulating. Identifying people at risk of developing a particular disease before the disease starts to manifest itself with symptoms greatly improves treatment options. It is estimated that about two thirds of all NCDs are preventable, many affecting people who are unaware of their disease risks or do not have access to information pertaining to the management of the condition.
Personalised prevention is the assessment of health risks for individuals based on their specific background traits[1] to recommend tailored prevention[2]. This can include any evidence-based method[3]. Personalised prevention strategies complement general public health prevention programmes without replacing them, optimising the benefit of both approaches. Personalised prevention is ideally suited to the use of large data sets, computational and omics approaches, with design and use of algorithms, integrating in-depth biological and medical information, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and ‘virtual twin’ technology, taking into account explainable and transparent AI[4].
The funded projects will work towards reducing the burden of NCDs in line with the ‘Healthier Together’ – EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative[5]. This does not limit the scope of projects under this topic to particular diseases as any disease area of interest, co-morbidities and health determinants[6] can be addressed.
Accordingly, the proposed research is expected to deliver on all of the following points:
· Enable the understanding of areas of unmet need in NCDs prevention, possibly also addressing disease mechanism, management of disease progression and relapse. Providing new approaches for prevention, focussing on the digitally supported personalised dimension, that can be adopted and scaled up.
· Devise new or improved ambitious policy and intervention options, with expected high population-wide impact on the target groups in question. To be proposed and made available for effective health promotion and disease prevention including targeted communication strategies to successfully reach out to the risk groups.
· Design an integrated, holistic approach that includes several of the following aspects: genetic predisposition to NCDs, meta-genomics, epigenomics, the microbiome, metabolomics, sleep disorders, large cohorts, molecular profiling in longitudinal health screening, impact of lack of physical activity, novel predictive biomarker candidates, diets and nutrition, eating habits for designing customised dietary patterns (geographical variation), and the influence of choice environment on personal choices.
· Study the ethical, legal and social aspects as well as health economics of the personalised prevention tools and programmes being developed. Consider optimal health counselling and communication to the patients/citizens. Address legal aspects of balancing the right not to know and the obligation of helping people in danger.
Furthermore, the proposed research is expected to deliver on several of the following points:
· Develop and validate effective strategies to prevent NCDs and optimise health and well-being of citizens (including the most vulnerable). Propose the strategies to policymakers along with mechanisms to monitor their progress. The strategies need to be aligned with relevant national and European health laws and policies.
· Provide scientific evidence on interactions between the genetic predisposition to multifactorial diseases and environmental factors or environmental triggers. Propose scientifically supported personalised prevention strategies that ensure how to modify the environmental drivers of behavioural risk factors.
· Develop new computational tools combining and analysing comprehensive data with different dimensions[7] to identify risk factors and modifiers. Creating procedures and algorithms to combine information from different sources (with standardised common data models) to generate risk scores for several diseases and provide health promotion recommendations for the individual as advised by healthcare professionals. Furthermore, develop advanced computational modelling techniques[8] for predicting disease risk and predisposition (addressed together in an integrative approach) and identifying the optimal solution/intervention for different target groups and individuals.
· Develop tools and techniques to increase the efficiency and cost- effectiveness of on the one hand interventions, adjusting their scope, characteristics and resources, and on the other hand healthcare infrastructure and how it promotes and delivers health promotion, disease prevention, and care effectively to the different population groups.
· Design tools to collect various data to advance health promotion and disease prevention and strategies for providing omics essays for the general patient with a focus on cost-effectiveness and flexibility.
· Determine how to optimise the benefits of physical activity, smart monitoring of physical activity and sedentary behaviour with measurable data, addressing barriers to uptake and implementation of healthy lifestyles in daily life, understanding what promotion methods work and why, behavioural science to understand healthier choice environments. Balancing the ecosystem associated with the economic, social, and health consequences of NCDs. Affordability related consideration should be taken into account to ensure accessibility of new tools and techniques.
· Conduct data mining of real-world data and develop quantifiable and distinguishable indicators from wearables data, taking into account ‘light-weight’ AI means to ensure patient privacy and short reaction times.
· Demonstrate with a practical prototype on a given health challenge: from multimodal data collection to identification of an effective prevention strategy to be tested and validated for one or several NCDs.
Where relevant, the projects should contribute to and create synergies with ongoing national, European and international initiatives such as the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, the ‘Healthier Together’ - EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative[9], Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Mission on Cancer, WHO’s 9 targets for NCDs, the EMA ‘Darwin’ network[10] etc.
This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Where relevant, activities should build on and expand results of past and ongoing research projects. Selected projects under this topic are expected to participate in joint activities as appropriate, possibly including also related projects from other call topics. This can take the form of project clustering, workshops, joint dissemination activities etc. Applicants should plan a necessary budget to cover this collaboration.
Applicants invited to the second stage and envisaging to include clinical studies should provide details of their clinical studies in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. See definition of clinical studies in the introduction to this work programme part.
[1] (Epi-)genetic, biological, environmental, lifestyle, social, behavioural, etc.
[2]Possibly along with digitally supported disease management schemes.
[3]For example: medication, diet programmes, early diagnostics, monitoring, lifestyle advice and modification, specific training/exercise, psychosocial interventions, meditation, etc.
[4] See: European strategic research agenda in artificial intelligence: https://www.elise-ai.eu/work/agenda-and-programs
[5]https://ec.europa.eu/health/non-communicable-diseases/overview_en
[6]Social and economic environment; physical environment; individual characteristics; behaviour.
[7] For example, genomic, biomarkers, metagenomics, diet, synthetic data, lifestyle, wearables (physical activity), mental health, gender, age, physical and social environment.
[8] Computational techniques, e.g., virtual twin; deep, fair and/or federated machine learning; AI and symbolic AI.
[9]https://ec.europa.eu/health/non-communicable-diseases_en
[10]https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/how-we-work/big-data/data-analysis-real-world-interrogation-network-darwin-eu
Destination
Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society (2023/24)
Calls for proposals under this destination are directed towards the Key Strategic Orientation KSO-D ‘Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society’ of Horizon Europe’s Strategic Plan 2021-2024. Research and innovation supported under this destination should contribute to the impact area ‘Good health and high-quality accessible health care’ and in particular to the following expected impact, set out in the Strategic Plan for the health cluster: ‘citizens of all ages stay healthy and independent in a rapidly changing society thanks to healthier lifestyles and behaviours, healthier diets, healthier environments, improved evidence-based health policies, and more effective solutions for health promotion and disease prevention’. In addition, research and innovation supported under this destination could also contribute to the following impact areas: ‘High quality digital services for all’, ‘Sustainable food systems from farm to fork on land and sea’, and ‘Climate change mitigation and adaptation’.
People´s health care needs are different, depending on their age, stage of life and socio-economic background. Their physical and mental health and well-being can be influenced by their individual situation as well as the broader societal context they are living in. Furthermore, health education and behaviour are important factors. Currently, more than 790 000 deaths per year in Europe are due to risk factors such as smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, and obesity. Upbringing, income, education levels, social and gender aspects also have an impact on health risks and how diseases can be prevented. Moreover, people´s health can be impacted by a rapidly changing society, making it challenging to keep pace and find its way through new technological tools and societal changes, which both are increasing demands on the individual´s resilience. In order to leave no one behind, to reduce health inequalities and to support healthy and active lives for all, it is crucial to provide suitable and tailor-made solutions, including for people with specific needs. Preventing diseases from developing in the first place is at the core of successful public health programmes in the future.
As set out in the Strategic Plan 2021-2024, destination 1 focuses on major societal challenges that are part of the European Commission’s political priorities. This is why destination 1 in the work programme 2021-2022 covered immediate urgencies, notably a better understanding and prevention of mental illness, prevention of obesity, digital empowerment in health literacy, understanding the transition from health to disease and making use of AI tools to predict the risk for onset and progression of chronic diseases. The work programme 2023-2024 will complete the ambitions of the Strategic Plan by focussing on holistic and integrated approaches to disease prevention and health promotion, notably healthy ageing, on a life course approach to physical and mental health starting in early childhood and on personalised approaches to prevention of diseases.
More specifically, research and innovation supported under this destination will provide new tools, digitally enabled solutions and evidence-based health and care services to prevent and delay progression of age-related diseases. Research and innovation will also provide tailor made strategies and solutions to support children and adolescents adopting and maintaining person-centred healthy lifestyles. Specific measures will be developed to educate and empower citizens of all ages and throughout their life to play an active role in the self-management of their own health and self-care, to the benefit of an active and healthy ageing. This destination will also call for proposals specifically aiming to develop integrated and holistic personalised disease prevention strategies, making use of multiple data sources, including real-world health data. This initiative will build on the impressive advances made in the area of personalised medicine to treat diseases, but here the focus will be on personalised approaches to prevent rather than treat diseases.
Dialogue and coordination between stakeholders and policymakers as well as integration across different settings will be needed to develop more effective cross-sectoral solutions for holistic approaches to health promotion and disease prevention and deliver improved evidence-based health for all.
In view of increasing the impact of EU investments under Horizon Europe, the European Commission welcomes and supports cooperation between EU-funded projects to enable cross-fertilisation and other synergies. This could range from networking to joint activities such as the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Opportunities for potential synergies exist between projects funded under the same topic, but also between other projects funded under another topic, cluster or pillar of Horizon Europe. In particular, this could involve projects related to European health research infrastructures (under pillar I of Horizon Europe), the EIC strategic challenges on health and EIT-KIC Health (under pillar III of Horizon Europe), or in areas cutting across the health and other clusters (under pillar II of Horizon Europe). For instance, with cluster 2 “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society” such as on health inequalities, on other inequalities affecting health, or on citizens’ behaviour and engagement; with cluster 4 “Digital, Industry and Space” such as on digital tools, telemedicine or smart homes; with cluster 5 “Climate, Energy and Mobility” such as on urban health or on mitigating the impact of road traffic accidents and related injuries; with cluster 6 “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment” such as on the role of nutrition for health (incl. human microbiome, mal- and over-nutrition, safe food), personalised diets (incl. food habits in general and childhood obesity in particular) and the impact of food-related environmental stressors on human health (incl. marketing and consumer habits).[[ Strategic Plan 2021-2024 of Horizon Europe, Annex I, Table 2.]]
Expected impacts:
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to staying healthy in a rapidly changing society, and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:
· Citizens adopt healthier lifestyles and behaviours, make healthier choices and maintain longer a healthy, independent and active life with a reduced disease burden, including at old ages or in other vulnerable stages of life.
· Citizens are able and empowered to manage better their own physical and mental health and well-being, monitor their health, and interact with their doctors and health care providers.
· Children and adolescents are empowered to better monitor and manage their physical, social and mental health with a view to lifelong healthy lifestyles.
· Society benefits from reduced economic and health burden from avoidable sickness, disease and premature death. Efficiency is increased by targeting scarce resources in appropriate, cost-effective ways, to areas of high social return, contributing to an improvement and optimisation of health and well-being of citizens and reduction of health inequalities.
· Citizens´ trust in knowledge-based health interventions and in guidance from health authorities is strengthened, including through improved health literacy, resulting in increased engagement in and adherence to effective strategies for health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, while digital literacy inequalities are minimised.
· Health policies and actions for health promotion and disease prevention are knowledge-based, people-centred, personalised and thus targeted and tailored to citizens' needs, and designed to reduce health inequalities.
Call
Tackling diseases (Two stage - 2024) (HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage)
Type of action
HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]
Deadline model
two-stage
Opening date
26 April 2023
Deadline dates
19 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
11 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Open for submission
Topic updates
Mar 3, 2023 12:37:23 PM
The Director-General responsible for the call HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage, has decided to postpone the opening of this topic from 30 March 2023 to 26 April 2023.
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination 3 “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
· A diverse and comprehensive EU landscape of multi-country adaptive platform trials (i.e. able to study multiple interventions in a disease or condition in a perpetual manner, thus allowing modification to the trial after its initiation without undermining its validity and integrity) that assess vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases, and have the capacity to pivot rapidly in the case of epidemic or pandemic health threats.
· Innovative and improved design of clinical studies, suited for pandemic preparedness, is available for the clinical research community, taking into account the high safety standards in the European regulatory environment.
· Trial sites across multiple countries have the capacity to deliver robust clinical evidence in a diverse European population, using harmonised research methods, data collection and analysis.
Scope:
As shown by the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases remain a major threat to health and health security in the EU and globally. Health threats are expected to arise due to among others, climate change, and thus a need for proactive approaches to ensure timely availability of medical countermeasures during disease outbreaks is anticipated. The conduct of perpetual adaptive platform trials, with the in-built agility to pivot when an epidemic strikes, is key to be prepared for infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
This topic aims to provide funding to adaptive clinical platform trials that may be implemented routinely outside of an epidemic or pandemic context, but that are designed to be ready for the timely assessment of novel diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines in the face of an epidemic or pandemic.
Proposals should develop the wide range of elements needed to sustain multi-country adaptive platform trials, including the trial implementation capacity, laboratory analysis capacity, and a harmonised approach to the collection, storage, sharing and analysis of FAIR[1] data.
Proposals should ensure timely engagement with regulatory authorities and bodies. Proposals should consider the European regulatory environment and take full use of the European capacity to deliver quality trials, including the possibility for registration of new medical products. Proposals should strengthen the leading role of the EU in clinical research preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.
The proposals should address the following areas:
· Development of robust clinical evidence that contributes to the knowledge base for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Sex, gender, age, ethnicity and socio-economic factors should be taken into account.
· Known hurdles related to ethical, administrative, regulatory, legal and logistical aspects should be anticipated and addressed to the extent possible, in order to avoid such barriers when the trial needs to pivot in response to an epidemic or pandemic.
· Engagement with clinical researchers and biostatisticians, to increase capacity for the design and implementation of adaptive platform trials across Europe.
Collaboration and coordination with existing adaptive platform trials in the EU is expected, where relevant, as well as with the coordination mechanisms established under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-DISEASE- 3.05 and with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Collaboration and coordination with other organisations and other regional and global initiatives, such as Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking[2], the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R)[3], the European Pandemic Preparedness Partnership and the European Health Preparedness and Emergency Response Authority (HERA) should be envisaged. International cooperation is encouraged.
This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Applicants invited to the second stage and envisaging to include clinical studies should provide details of their clinical studies in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. See definition of clinical studies in the introduction to this work programme part.
[1]See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this work programme part.
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/health-research-and-innovation/edctp_en
Destination
Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden (2023/24)
Calls for proposals under this destination are directed towards the Key Strategic Orientation KSO-D ‘Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society’ of Horizon Europe’s Strategic Plan 2021-2024. Research and innovation supported under this destination should contribute to the impact area ‘Good health and high-quality accessible healthcare’ and in particular to the following expected impact, set out in the Strategic Plan for the health cluster: ‘health care providers are able to better tackle and manage diseases (infectious diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases, non-communicable and rare diseases) and reduce the disease burden on patients effectively thanks to better understanding and treatment of diseases, more effective and innovative health technologies, better ability and preparedness to manage epidemic outbreaks and improved patient safety’. In addition, research and innovation supported under this destination could also contribute to the following impact areas: ‘A resilient EU prepared for emerging threats’, ‘Climate change mitigation and adaptation’, and ‘High quality digital services for all’.
Communicable and non-communicable diseases cause the greatest amounts of premature death and disability in the EU and worldwide. They pose a major health, societal and economic threat and burden. Many people are still suffering from these diseases and too often dying prematurely. Non-communicable diseases, including mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases, are responsible for up to 80% of EU health care costs[[ Currently, around 50 million people in the EU are estimated to suffer from two or more chronic conditions, and most of these people are over 65. Every day, 22 500 people die in Europe from those diseases, counting of 87% of all deaths. They account for 550 000 premature deaths of people of working age with an estimated €115 billion economic loss per year (0.8% of GDP).]]. These costs are spent on the treatment of such diseases that to a large extent are preventable. Furthermore, only around 3% of the health care budgets are currently spent on preventive measures although there is a huge potential for prevention. Infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases and infections resistant to antimicrobials, remain a major threat to public health in the EU but also to global health security. Deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could exceed 10 million per year worldwide according to some predictions[[ AMR is estimated to be responsible for 25 000 deaths per year in the EU alone and 700 000 deaths per year globally. It has been estimated that AMR might cause more deaths than cancer by 2050.]].
To further advance, there is an urgent need for research and innovation to develop new preparedness and prevention measures, public health interventions, diagnostics, vaccines, therapies, alternatives to antimicrobials, as well as to improve existing preparedness and prevention strategies to create tangible impacts, taking into account sex/gender-related issues. This will require international cooperation to pool the best expertise and know-how available worldwide, to access world-class research infrastructures and to leverage critical scales of investments on priority needs through a better alignment with other funders of international cooperation in health research and innovation. The continuation of international partnerships and cooperation with international organisations is particularly needed to combat infectious diseases, to address antimicrobial resistances, to respond to major unmet medical needs for global health security, including the global burden of non-communicable diseases, and to strengthen patient safety.
In this work programme, destination 3 will focus on major societal challenges linked to the Commission’s political priorities such as the fight against cancer and other non-communicable diseases, better diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, preparedness and response to and surveillance of health threats and epidemics, reduction of the number of antimicrobial-resistant infections, improving vaccination rates, demographic change, mental health and digital empowerment in health literacy. In particular, the topics under this destination will support activities aiming at: i) better understanding of diseases, their drivers and consequences, including pain and the causative links between health determinants and diseases, and better evidence-base for policymaking; ii) better methodologies and diagnostics that allow timely and accurate diagnosis, identification of personalised treatment options and assessment of health outcomes, including for patients with a rare disease; iii) development and validation of effective intervention for better surveillance, prevention, detection, treatment and crisis management of infectious disease threats; iv) innovative health technologies developed and tested in clinical practice, including personalised medicine approaches and use of digital tools to optimise clinical workflows; v) new and advanced therapies for non-communicable diseases, including rare diseases developed in particular for those without approved options, supported by strategies to make them affordable for the public payer; and vi) scientific evidence for improved/tailored policies and legal frameworks and to inform major policy initiatives at global level (e.g. WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; UNEA Pollution Implementation Plan).
In view of increasing the impact of EU investments under Horizon Europe, the European Commission welcomes and supports cooperation between EU-funded projects to enable cross-fertilisation and other synergies. This could range from networking to joint activities such as the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Opportunities for potential synergies exist between projects funded under the same topic but also between other projects funded under another topic, cluster or pillar of Horizon Europe (but also with ongoing projects funded under Horizon 2020). In particular, this could involve projects related to European health research infrastructures (under pillar I of Horizon Europe), the EIC strategic challenges on health and EIT-KIC Health (under pillar III of Horizon Europe), or in areas cutting across the health and other clusters (under pillar II of Horizon Europe). For instance, with cluster 3 “Civil security for society” such as on health security/emergencies (preparedness and response, medical countermeasures, epidemic outbreaks/pandemics, natural disasters and technological incidents, bioterrorism); with cluster 4 “Digital, Industry and Space” such as on decision-support systems or on geo-observation and monitoring (e.g. of disease vectors, epidemics); or with cluster 6 “Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment” such as on health security and AMR (one-health: human/animal/plant/soil/water health). In addition, while focusing on civilian applications, there may be there may be synergies with actions conducted under the European Defence Fund, notably in the field of defence medical countermeasures.
Based on needs that emerged during the management of COVID-19, some research and innovation actions under Destination 3 should support the mission of the European Health Emergency and Response Authority (HERA) to strengthen Europe’s ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to cross-border health emergencies by ensuring the availability and access to key medical countermeasures. Other actions should deliver relevant complementary inputs to the “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan”[[ https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12154-Europe-s-Beating-Cancer-Plan]] in order to cover the entire cancer care pathway, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, cancer data monitoring, as well as quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. Furthermore, synergies and complementarities will be sought between Destination 3 and the implementation of the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027)[[ https://ec.europa.eu/health/funding/eu4health_en]]. These synergies and complementarities could be achieved, notably through mechanisms based on feedback loops, enabling on the one hand to identify policy needs that should be prioritised in research and innovation actions and facilitating on the other hand the implementation of research results into policy actions and clinical practice, thereby providing an integrated response across sectors and policy fields.
Expected impacts:
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to tackling diseases and reducing disease burden, and more specifically to several of the following impacts:
· Health burden of diseases in the EU and worldwide is reduced through effective disease management, including through the development and integration of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, personalised medicine approaches, digital and other people-centred solutions for health care. In particular, patients are diagnosed early and accurately and receive effective, cost-efficient and affordable treatment, including patients with a rare disease, due to effective translation of research results into new diagnostic tools and therapies.
· Premature mortality from non-communicable diseases is reduced by one third (by 2030), mental health and well-being is promoted, and the voluntary targets of the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 are attained (by 2025), with an immediate impact on the related disease burden (DALYs)[[ WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 (resolution WHA66.10), https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506236]],[[Including for instance the following voluntary targets (against the 2010 baseline): A 25% relative reduction in the overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases; Halt the rise in diabetes and obesity; An 80% availability of the affordable basic technologies and essential medicines, including generics, required to treat major non-communicable diseases in both public and private facilities.]], [[Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a quantitative indicator of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.]].
· Health care systems benefit from strengthened research and innovation expertise, human capacities and know-how for combatting communicable and non-communicable diseases, including through international cooperation. In particular, they are better prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to health emergencies and are able to prevent and manage communicable diseases transmissions epidemics, including within healthcare settings.
· Citizens benefit from reduced (cross-border) health threat of epidemics and AMR pathogens, in the EU and worldwide[[ WHO global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, 2015]], [[EU One Health Action Plan against AMR, 2017]].
· Patients and citizens are knowledgeable of disease threats, involved and empowered to make and shape decisions for their health, and better adhere to knowledge-based disease management strategies and policies (especially for controlling outbreaks and emergencies).
The EU benefits from high visibility, leadership and standing in international fora on global health and global health security.
General information
Programme
Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call
Disaster-Resilient Society 2023 (HORIZON-CL3-2023-DRS-01)
Type of action
HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model
single-stage
Opening date
29 June 2023
Deadline date
23 November 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
Open for submission
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
· Identification of different factors in inequality and ways to communicate with vulnerable groups, of individual, organisational, and systemic resilience factors and pathways to support these, and of ways to address vulnerabilities in acute crisis as well as during prevention, in order to elaborate an interconnectedness of resilience and vulnerability;
· Improvement of populations health literacy and basic understanding of how medicine and vaccines work and how they are developed and produced;
· Improved crisis communication through increased awareness and risk perception regarding bio security, identification of challenges for and limits of communication strategies and interventions regarding different vulnerable groups and approaches to address these, elaborating of ways for resolving barriers for crisis communication: interlinguality, interculturality, intersemiotics;
· Putting the citizen at the centre of the crisis management process (involving where relevant citizen volunteers in demonstrations related to research developments), increasing their capacity to access, read and interpret scientifically sourced information, analysing gender behaviours regarding unpopular measures (e.g., quarantine) and vaccination attitudes and identification and relieving of barriers for vaccination readiness: Trust, risk appraisal, barriers for registration for vaccination, information, collective responsibility;
· Incorporation of information technology and bias-free data into crisis management through improved information processing in transformative governance, illustrating possibilities, challenges, and limits of digitalisation and enabling usage of data for political decision making;
· Incorporation of machine learning and artificial intelligence in governance and political decision making based on interdisciplinary discussions on definitions on problems in compliance with EU law; areas of application; and definition of responsibilities and competences in data governance;
· Validation of novel, smartphone sized or wearable technologies with laboratory-level diagnostics capability (e.g., wearables with integrated digital dosimeters, handheld PCR test devices);
· Strengthening of the One Health approach including not only human physical health but also mental health as well as environmental and animal health, and understanding of the biological risks posed by environmental changes such as climate change and preparedness for impacts on human health;
· Projects should comply with privacy safeguards to ensure that disaster response systems protect EU fundamental rights such as privacy and protection of personal data.
Scope:
The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the specific challenges of health emergencies and the necessity to be prepared not only on a material and physical level but also from a social and societal perspective. Challenges during the pandemic included difficulties of working with protective gear such as insecurities and usage mistakes; additional disadvantages for vulnerable groups among others due to communication issues; and lack of local cooperation and prevention regarding equipment, stocks, and coordination. These challenges were largely due to deficiencies in the inclusion of social sciences in disaster research. The COVID-19 pandemic poses an opportunity to analyse successes and difficulties during a global health crisis and thereby preparing for future health crises.
Currently, different groups are not reached equally by public communication efforts. Risk communication especially fails to contact vulnerable groups. Social inequalities are present in different forms and on different levels. For communication strategies and interventions, it should be considered how they are affected by different groups, localities, and cultural factors. In different crises, different vulnerability factors can be more pronounced and different groups can be more vulnerable. On the other hand, resilience can protect against negative effects of crises. Resilience can be supported on an individual, organisational, or systemic level. All should be considered in preparation for crisis as well as in acute situations.
Information technology and digital data processing are becoming increasingly important in public health issues. Processing large datasets and automated analyses can open new possibilities in understanding health and illness on a population level and for deriving prevention strategies. However, the implementation of information technology poses several challenges and research on how to effectively use the results in political decision-making. Data security is another challenge when large amounts of personalized (health) data are processed automatically. Concerns about data security and general scepticism about digital information processing in the population need to be taken seriously and addressed, and the solutions need to comply with EU law, including on data protection and cybersecurity.
Health encompasses several aspects and levels. Human health incorporates both physical and psychological health which are interconnected and mutually dependent. At the same time, humans are embedded in their environment so human and environmental health cannot be approached in isolation from each other. According to the One Health approach, health of humans, animals, and environment are intertwined. This is illustrated by the current health crisis of COVID-19 which is attributed to SARS-CoV-2 jumping over from wild animals to humans. Another illustration of the interconnectedness are health impacts of climate change. These interdependencies make an interdisciplinary approach to health necessary that incorporates all aspects of health and their interconnectedness.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH as well as gender experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH and gender expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. The involvement of citizens, including citizen volunteers in demonstrations of tools and technologies, civil society and other societal stakeholders in co-design and co-creation should be promoted. In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged.
Destination
Disaster-Resilient Society for Europe (2023/24)
Proposals involving earth observation are encouraged to primarily make use of Copernicus data, services and technologies.
Proposals are encouraged also to coordinate with ESA relevant activities, especially those undertaken under the Science for Society element of the FutureEO programme (https://eo4society.esa.int). Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024:
“Losses from natural, accidental and human-made disasters are reduced through enhanced disaster risk reduction based on preventive actions, better societal preparedness and resilience and improved disaster risk management in a systemic way.”
More specifically, proposals should contribute to the achievement of one or more of the following impacts:
· Enhanced exploitation of the latest scientific results (e.g., from research programmes and institutions) and integrated technologies (e.g. Earth observation, in situ data collection, advanced modelling, AI) into enhanced understanding of high-impact hazards and complex compound and cascade events and improved prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery tools;
· Enhanced understanding and improved knowledge and situational awareness of disaster-related risks by citizens, empowered to act and consider innovative solutions, thus raising the resilience of European society;
· More efficient cross-sectoral, cross-disciplines (including SSH), cross-border coordination of the disaster risk management cycle and governance (from scientific research to prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery, including knowledge transfer and awareness of innovative solutions) from international to local levels;
· Enhanced collaboration, interactions and cross-discipline dialogue and networking between the scientific community, research institutions and programmes (e.g., HE, ESA scientific activities, national science programmes, FutureEarth RIS-KAN) and first and second responders through dedicated networking and collaboration actions fostering a faster transfer of results from science into practice;
· Support of harmonised and/or standardised and interoperability of guidelines / protocols / tools / technologies in the area of crisis management, natural disasters and CBRN-E;
· Strengthened capacities of first responders in all operational phases related to any kind of natural and human-made disasters so that they can better prepare their operations, have access to enhanced situational awareness, have means to respond to events in a faster, safer and more efficient way, and may more effectively proceed with victim identification, triage and care;
· Improved impact forecasting capability and scenario building for enhanced stress testing of critical entities and adaption of protection and resilience-enhancing activity accordingly;
· Improved ability to rescue and manage the first phases of emergencies that take into account extreme climatic events and/or geological hazards that may threaten urban areas (e.g. interface fires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption etc.).
All proposals of projects under this Destination should be complementary and not overlap with relevant actions funded by other EU instruments, including the European Defence Fund and its precursors (the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the Preparatory Action on Defence research (PADR)), while maintaining a focus on civilian applications only.
Where possible and relevant, synergy-building and clustering initiatives with successful proposals in the same area should be considered, including the organisation of international conferences in close coordination with the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS) activities and/or other international events.
Call
Research and Innovation actions supporting the global health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2023-02-two-stage)
Type of action
HORIZON-JU-RIA HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model
two-stage
Opening date
27 June 2023
Deadline dates
28 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
03 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Open for submission
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that contribute to one or several of the expected impacts for this call. To that end, proposals submitted under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards, and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:
· Public health authorities and health care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have access to novel logistical and clinical solutions for vaccine delivery and have a better understanding of the behavioural barriers driving vaccine hesitancy, resulting in improved rates of vaccine deployment and uptake, particularly in poor and vulnerable communities.
· People in SSA have improved access, coverage, and trust in vaccines against all preventable infectious diseases within the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3[1]. Better tools as well as data on immunisation levels and the individual and public health benefit of immunization will drive vaccination even in hard-to-reach regions, thus helping to contribute towards the WHO Immunization Agenda 2030[2].
Health professionals and especially clinicians as well as policy makers have access to comprehensive phase IV/implementation research results, making use of them to ensure widespread translation and adoption of research findings into national and international policy guidelines for better delivery, deployment, and uptake of vaccines in clinical practice in SSA.
[1]Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking: ec_rtd_edctp3-sria-2022.pdf (europa.eu)
[2]Immunization Agenda 2030: A Global Strategy To Leave No One Behind (who.int)
Scope:
Despite offering strong protection against infectious diseases, global vaccination rates have been declining for a few years resulting in the re-emergence of preventable infectious diseases that were thought to be on the verge of elimination. This trend further worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic because of severe interruptions in public health services, restrictions of non-urgent medical care and diversion of limited health care resources, resulting in cancellation or delays of routine vaccinations. Underserved communities in SSA have been most affected, leaving them less protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. Under immunised individuals and zero-dose-children (not having received any vaccine) are also found in other communities. Furthermore, there has been a significant erosion of trust in governments and public health institutions that coordinate and conduct such immunisation efforts. Novel logistical and clinical solutions for vaccine delivery and a better understanding of the behavioural barriers driving vaccine hesitancy in SSA as well as better data to document beneficial vaccine effects on individual and public health are therefore of critical importance. Furthermore, there remain open questions on the use of vaccines, also in view of changing environments.
Accordingly, the proposed research is expected to deliver on the following:
· Carry out phase IV/implementation research studies on the deployment and uptake of registered vaccines[1] in SSA, examining operational aspects, access, coverage, vaccine acceptability/hesitancy, community engagement, real-life impact on overall health and cost-effectiveness;
· Develop and test novel logistical solutions for vaccination;
· As relevant, develop and test novel clinical solutions for vaccine delivery, including new delivery modes;
· Gain a better understanding of different health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa as regards the factors driving structural inequalities in vaccine deliveries;
· Identify the social, economic, political, religious, cultural, and personal factors driving vaccine hesitancy in SSA and develop targeted solutions, as appropriate. Vaccine hesitancy should be considered in the context of the specificities of different types of vaccines and their perceived risks and benefits. It is further essential to investigate the factors that are undermining coverage in different countries, regions, or communities both in terms of vaccine types and doses received. In many cases, this means targeted collaborations with local leaders who can effectively address their communities’ concerns and with caregivers who bring children to vaccination services. Applicants are also encouraged to develop evidence-based tools that can guide people towards informed vaccination decisions, delivering tailored information based on each user’s concerns;
Applicants need to concisely describe any prior research findings and explain how the proposal builds on these results. Building on relevant results from projects supported under previous EDCTP programmes is encouraged.
The implementation research to be conducted must involve vulnerable groups, including participants from poorer, underserved, or hard-to-reach communities in SSA. The full range of relevant determining characteristics (sex, gender, age, socio-economic status, etc.) needs to be considered. Applicants are also encouraged to provide methodologies for translating research findings into public health practice and policy guidelines. They are welcome to draw on any relevant lessons from the COVID-19 vaccination strategies.
Proposals are expected to come from research consortia with a strong representation of institutions and researchers from African countries, including involvement of franco/lusophone countries where possible and relevant.
The proposals should involve all stakeholders, most notably policy makers, public health authorities, health care professionals and end-users. The applicants must ensure strong community engagement. International cooperation is encouraged, and the proposed research is expected to be multidisciplinary through the involvement of medical sciences, psychological sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to participate in networking and joint activities, as appropriate. These networking and joint activities could, for example, involve the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Therefore, proposals are expected to include a budget for the attendance to regular joint meetings and may consider covering the costs of any other potential joint activities without the prerequisite to detail concrete joint activities at this stage. The details of these joint activities will be defined during the grant agreement preparation phase. In this regard, the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking may take on the role of facilitator for networking and exchanges, including with relevant stakeholders, if appropriate.
[1]It is recognized that the vaccines may not have a marketing authorization in the country or all the countries where the study is being carried out. Registered vaccines need to meet WHO-recommended standards of quality, safety and immunogenicity: Health products policy and standards (who.int)
Expected Impact:
Expected impacts of the calls under the 2023 work programme of the Global Health EDCTP3 JU
Activities funded under the 2023 calls for proposals should contribute to:
· Achieve SDG3 ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’ in sub-Saharan African countries;
· Enable the implementation of the short and medium term actions foreseen by the AU EU Innovation Agenda[1] (expected to be adopted in June 2023) in the area of Public Health
· Provide evidence for informed health policies and guidelines within public health systems in sub-Saharan Africa and at international level;
· Strengthen clinical research capability in sub-Saharan Africa to rapidly respond to emerging epidemics;
· Enable a regulatory environment that can ensure effective development, delivery, and uptake of new or improved safe health technologies guaranteeing that trials in sub-Saharan African countries meet international standards;
· Increase cost effectiveness of public investment through collaboration of funders of clinical trials in the area of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa;
· Strengthen health systems to ensure uptake of effective health technologies and innovations;
· Enhance sustainable global scientific collaboration in health research and international cooperation across sub-Saharan Africa.
· Improve opportunities for training of researchers and healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa.
[1]Working document of the AU EU Innovation Agenda available online at: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-02/final_au-eu_ia_14_february.pdf
Call
Research and Innovation actions supporting the global health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2023-02-two-stage)
Type of action
HORIZON-JU-RIA HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model
two-stage
Opening date
27 June 2023
Deadline dates
28 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
03 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Open for submission
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
Proposal under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed, tailored towards, and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
· Health care providers and professionals have access to novel or improved point-of-care diagnostic (POC) devices that are suited to rapidly detect infectious diseases of relevance in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and within the scope of the Global Health EDCTP3 Scientific Research and Innovation Agenda.
· A diverse and robust pipeline of in vitro diagnostics is available, increasing options for clinical deployment, also in case of an infectious diseases outbreak with epidemic or pandemic potential, that can reach the most vulnerable populations.
· Health authorities and health care systems have access to health data and evidence to better develop and implement informed health policies and improved clinical surveillance of infectious diseases in SSA.
Scope:
POC diagnostic tests that are easy to use, affordable and can rapidly diagnose diseases will lead to more timely treatment and thereby reduce mortality, morbidity, and transmission of diseases. POC diagnostic tests should improve the quality of healthcare for resource-poor communities in developing countries, where the burden of disease is the highest. A diagnostics gap for many diseases affecting SSA still exists and needs to be closed urgently to contribute the global and national disease elimination targets.
Hence, proposals submitted under this topic should implement clinical studies that lead to market authorisation of the relevant POC diagnostic test. The POC diagnostic test device should be aimed at detection of diseases that currently lack POC diagnosis tests or where POC diagnostics are inadequate. Tests that can in the same specimen simultaneously and rapidly detect and thereby distinguish a wide range of diseases for improved clinical decision-making are encouraged (e.g., distinction between bacterial versus viral pathogens). The POC diagnostic tools are expected to be affordable and suitable for use in SSA countries. POC diagnostics for all diseases in scope of the current Global Health EDCTP3 programme[1], for example antimicrobial resistance and emerging diseases, are included in this call (exception is Ebola Virus disease, covered under topic HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2023-01-04).
Proposals should address all of the following areas:
· Clinical performance studies in several sites across SSA of POC diagnostics that are of high technology readiness level to achieve regulatory approval and market launch (i.e., CE mark); post-market surveillance studies are excluded from this call and are covered by other initiatives such as the African Health Diagnostics Platform[2];
· Studies need to provide evidence-based practice for the POC diagnostic test especially in terms of the ability to decide on treatment options after diagnosis and improving disease outcome; the possibility of the POC diagnostic to be deployed in the field, its usability by primary care and community health care workers in resource-limited patient communities should be especially considered;
· Inclusion of a clear regulatory path to market to ensure future compliance with the legal requirements; early engagement with regulatory authorities is expected;
· Product development plans for translation from prototype to industrial design, to implementation and sustainability of the innovation should be provided, also including a plan for the process of “sample to result to the use of result & treatment option” and how to report data & results (e.g., via mobile health/portable technology);
· Where available and relevant, World Health Organization target product profiles for diagnostics need to be addressed[3];
· Involvement of industry, notably of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially African SMEs, is expected. Involvement of African SMEs is highly encouraged to contribute to developing the African industry and access to health products.[4]
Proposals submitted under this topic are encouraged to consider innovative diagnostics sampling methods or samples bringing a significant improvement, such as less invasive sampling methods and self-testing at home. The POC diagnostic should allow for easy storage, such as at room temperature. Consideration of environmental friendliness of diagnostic tests would be advantageous. Transmission and economic modelling to examine the impact of the POC diagnostic assay on performance of long-term health outcomes and cost-effectiveness could be envisioned. Relevant partnerships with local and international organisation to create solutions for improved deployment of diagnostics for vulnerable populations in low-resource settings could be sought.
In addition, where relevant, the link between the diagnostic devices to relevant infectious disease surveillance strategies to inform public health authorities and advise public health policies should be made. This can include monitoring the impact of relevant POCs on the use of antibiotics.
For all proposed research activities, attention should be paid to critical social factors such as sex, gender, age, socio-economic factors, ethnicity/migration, and disability. Populations for POC diagnostic test development and evaluation of the POC diagnostic test performance and appropriateness should also include vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, people with co-infections and co-morbidities, older people, and people living in hard-to-reach communities. Rapid feedback from end-users through community engagement on the performance and acceptance of the technologies and their most effective use in endemic settings is expected.
Applicants need to concisely describe any prior research findings and explain how the proposal builds on these results. Building on relevant results from projects supported under previous EDCTP programmes is encouraged.
Proposals are expected to come from research consortia with a strong representation of institutions and researchers from African countries, including involvement of franco/lusophone countries where possible and relevant.
All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to participate in networking and joint activities, as appropriate. These networking and joint activities could, for example, involve the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Therefore, proposals are expected to include a budget for the attendance to regular joint meetings and may consider covering the costs of any other potential joint activities without the prerequisite to detail concrete joint activities at this stage. The details of these joint activities will be defined during the grant agreement preparation phase. In this regard, the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking may take on the role of facilitator for networking and exchanges, including with relevant stakeholders, if appropriate.
[1]https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2022-01/ec_rtd_edctp3-sria-2022.pdf
[2]AHDP - AFRICAN HEALTH DIAGNOSTICS PLATFORM (eib.org)
[3]The list of target product profiles that have been developed by the World Health Organization can be accessed at: https://www.who.int/observatories/global-observatory-on-health-research-and-development/analyses-and-syntheses/target-product-profile/links-to-who-tpps-and-ppcs; please note that this list includes target product profiles for different types of healthcare interventions.
[4]The Team Europe initiative (TEI) on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies (MAV+) https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/tei-jp-tracker/tei/manufacturing-and-access-vaccines-medicines-and-health-technology-products-africa
Expected Impact:
Expected impacts of the calls under the 2023 work programme of the Global Health EDCTP3 JU
Activities funded under the 2023 calls for proposals should contribute to:
· Achieve SDG3 ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’ in sub-Saharan African countries;
· Enable the implementation of the short and medium term actions foreseen by the AU EU Innovation Agenda[1] (expected to be adopted in June 2023) in the area of Public Health
· Provide evidence for informed health policies and guidelines within public health systems in sub-Saharan Africa and at international level;
· Strengthen clinical research capability in sub-Saharan Africa to rapidly respond to emerging epidemics;
· Enable a regulatory environment that can ensure effective development, delivery, and uptake of new or improved safe health technologies guaranteeing that trials in sub-Saharan African countries meet international standards;
· Increase cost effectiveness of public investment through collaboration of funders of clinical trials in the area of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa;
· Strengthen health systems to ensure uptake of effective health technologies and innovations;
· Enhance sustainable global scientific collaboration in health research and international cooperation across sub-Saharan Africa.
· Improve opportunities for training of researchers and healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa.
[1]Working document of the AU EU Innovation Agenda available online at: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-02/final_au-eu_ia_14_february.pdf
Call
Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities (HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-01)
Type of action
HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]
Deadline model
single-stage
Planned opening date
17 October 2023
Deadline date
22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Forthcoming
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
Proposals should contribute to the sustainable and inclusive development of Arctic coastal, local and indigenous communities, supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal and the EU policy for a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Arctic, incorporating a better understanding of the environmental, socio-economic, cultural and demographic drivers of change in the Arctic region.
Activities are expected to empower Arctic coastal, local and indigenous people to act for change through capacity building and education actions, leading to positive long-term prospects for all, including women, young people and vulnerable groups.
The research should explore and document traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) of Arctic coastal, local and indigenous peoples, contributing thus to safeguarding and valuing the cultural identity of the Arctic; explore interactions between local and indigenous knowledge holders and scientists and develop innovative ways to mobilise this knowledge for climate change adaptation, ecosystem restoration and socio-economic goals.
Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:
· Better understanding of how different types of knowledge, including traditional environmental knowledge (TEK)[1], are being mobilised; how scientists and local and indigenous knowledge holders cooperate and dialogue in this context;
· Empowerment of Arctic coastal, local and indigenous people and sectors to innovate[2] for the ecological transition and feel part of it, through participatory methodologies (i.e. a multi-actor approach); to engage in decision-making about their environment and livelihoods;
· Explore, with different actors, and recommend ways to bring traditional, local, and scientific knowledge into the collective effort of solving matters of concern, including (choose at least 2 from the items below):
-Adaptation and mitigation to climate change, ecosystem restoration and environment protection;
-Socio-economic changes in the Arctic, ranging from local level (subsistence economies, local livelihoods) to circular economy, fishing, international trade, shipping routes, tourism, and the socio-economic impact of climate change;
-Health and well-being, taking a One Health approach[3];
-Gender aspects, in the context of current economic and social development and future challenges, inter alia relating to climate and environmental issues.
Scope:
Addressing ongoing Arctic environmental and societal changes requires that all relevant knowledge, indigenous/traditional and scientific knowledge alike, is mobilised to respond and govern the challenges posed by those changes, and communities empowered to take part in environmental decision-making.
Proposals are expected to contribute to sustainable and inclusive development, incorporating a better understanding of the environmental, socio-economic, cultural and demographic drivers of change. They will investigate the participation of indigenous and local communities in the governance of their livelihoods and environmental decision-making. Proposals should explore how different ways of knowing, worldviews and perspectives can be brought in dialogue, to enhance understanding and to better respond to the impacts of climate, environmental and related socio-economic changes on Arctic people’s livelihoods and the environment. Furthermore, how coastal, local, and indigenous communities could be empowered via participatory research processes, to get involved in environmental decision-making. Proposals should identify opportunities for partnerships and co-production of knowledge based on indigenous and scientific ways of knowing.
Proposals should explore how different ways of knowing, worldviews and perspectives can be brought in dialogue, to enhance understanding and to better respond to the impacts of climate, environmental and related socio-economic changes on Arctic people’s livelihoods and the environment. Furthermore, how coastal, local, and indigenous communities could be empowered via participatory research processes, to get involved in environmental decision-making. Proposals should identify opportunities for partnerships and co-production of knowledge based on indigenous and scientific ways of knowing.
Several potential coastal sectors can be addressed, however the proposal will ensure inclusion of marine protection, food security, climate adaptation and resilience strategies, but also other activities such as leisure activities and eco-socio-compatible tourism development in coastal areas.
Projects should include representation from multiple disciplines of research, including environmental, marine, social, cultural, health, design.
Attention should be given to different capacity building and social learning arrangements as well as to innovative governance mechanisms at various levels, and their potential implications for social innovation.
This topic is expected to involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines. The proposals should adopt a responsible and solidary approach where Arctic local and indigenous communities are seen as research partners, using participatory methods and bottom-up co-creation. Participation of Arctic indigenous partners in the project is encouraged, to be involved from the outset in the co-development of the research proposal. Engaging with local authorities during the project would help increase implementation of the project outcomes and support further uptake.
Projects should build on existing knowledge and integrate results from multiple origins, including other EU, international or national projects. Some cooperation activities with projects financed under Destination ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services’ and topics of the European Green Deal Call could be included, as well as with relevant projects from other EU programmes, for example the Horizon Europe Missions Ocean, seas and waters and Adaptation to Climate Change.
International cooperation is encouraged, with a strong linkage with the ongoing activities under the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance and encouraging participation from countries that take part in the Arctic Science Ministerial meetings.
[1] A definition is proposed in the JRC Report, Arctic Knowledge: Echoes from the North, European Commission, 2021: Traditional/indigenous/local knowledge refers to the knowledge owned by indigenous and local people and communities. It is a living and dynamic knowledge focused on interconnections in the ecosystem. The knowledge is based on a holistic approach and is systematically resilient. Its practice is closely related to land and sea and the lived experience in an environment. It has its own validation methods which are constantly evolving over generations, within communities and families. It is embedded in cultural upbringings and framed within particular worldviews which shape interactions with the environment, all living beings and the management of resources.
[2] More on social innovation can be found here: www.siceurope.eu
[3] The term “One Health” describes a multidisciplinary approach to health risks in humans, animals, plants, and the environment.
Destination
Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities (2023/24)
Places and people matter when it comes achieving of a more sustainable Europe. The Sustainable Development Goals and the ecological and digital transitions brought forward by the European Green Deal with its farm to fork and biodiversity strategies, zero pollution action plan, common fisheries policy (CFP)[[ Common Fishery Policy https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/policy/common-fisheries-policy-cfp_en.]], along with the recent pandemic, bring challenges and opportunities that vary for different places and people. Rural (including mountains and sparsely populated areas) and coastal areas, play a key role in protecting, managing, and using natural resources. The provision of both private and public goods from these areas depends on the resilience and attractiveness of communities there and the capacity of people living and working there to enjoy an adequate level of well-being, which should be guaranteed by, e.g. the access to good quality services. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted deficiencies in digital infrastructures and economic opportunities that hamper resilience. It also highlighted the importance of high-quality and biodiverse green and blue spaces for the health and well-being of local communities, in primis, but also for that of visitors of these areas.
Innovation is a key enabler of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas (LTVRA)[[ Long Term Vision for Rural Areas, https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-european-democracy/long-term-vision-rural-areas_en.]] that aims to overcome the challenges outlined above and make rural areas stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous by 2040. Urban communities generally offer better access to many services but are also more vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, they have a key role to play in fostering sustainable production and consumption as major demand drivers. The New European Bauhaus initiative[[ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_4627.]] offers possibilities to redesign living spaces to improve sustainability, inclusiveness, and aesthetics, setting out a path to a more resilient, inclusive, healthy and green (built) environment. In all communities, social, cultural and behavioural drivers play an important role in either enabling or slowing down transitions. Knowledge and innovative solutions need to be developed to strengthen every community’s resilience and capacity to contribute to and benefit from the upcoming transitions in an economy that works for all territories and ensures a fair and just transition leaving no one behind.
Under this destination, transdisciplinary R&I with a strong social, behavioural and humanities sciences dimension (SSH), which pay and attention to gender aspects, will enable a sustainable, balanced, equitable and inclusive development and management of rural, coastal and urban areas in three different ways.
Firstly, it will aim to increase our understanding of the different ways of climate, environmental, socio-economic and demographic changes affect rural, coastal and urban areas in order to identify ways to turn these changes into equal, and, when needed equitable, opportunities for people wherever they live. This would strengthen territorial cohesion and enable a just transition. Secondly, it will explore innovative ways to tailor policy responses to the place-based challenges and needs identified at various levels of governance. Thirdly, it will support bottom-up community-led innovation to empower communities to develop, test and upscale solutions that answer global challenges in locally adapted ways. Achieving policy goals require providing people with more equitable access to the knowledge and skills needed to make informed choices and ensure they are actively engaged in the conservation. It also requires natural resources to be managed in a sustainable and circular manner, from production or service provision to consumption, in the spirit of the EU competence framework for sustainability. Rural, coastal and urban communities need improved labour conditions, quality of life and long-term socio-economic prospects in the context of major transitions and rising threats to climate, resources and health. This is particularly the case for women, young people older people, people with disabilities, people in vulnerable situations (e.g. income falling below the poverty line, or at risk of poverty), migrants, ethnic minorities and indigenous people and those hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their capacity to drive community-led innovations and their resilience must be increased across the diverse European territories including remote and peripheral places such as mountains, forests, archipelagos, sparsely populated areas, as well as the Arctic. The necessary changes will be facilitated and resilient, smart, and climate friendly production and lifestyles will be supported through mobilising the forces of i) digital transformation, ii) upgraded innovation ecosystems, iii) cultural and natural heritage, iv) nature-based solutions, more sustainable and regenerative tourism as well as social and policy innovation will facilitate necessary changes and support resilient, smart, and climate friendly production and lifestyles.
This destination will in particular:
· Address the spatial and socio-economic or behavioural drivers of the European Green Deal (including farm to fork, biodiversity and sustainable and smart mobility strategies), especially its just transition component.
· It will make a key contribution to the flagship initiative ‘R&I for rural communities’ and to the four areas of work under the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas: making areas stronger, connected, resilient, prosperous. It will in particular help achieve to climate targets by putting the focus on the climate-neutrality of rural communities that have specific needs and are often neglected by climate action.
· It will complement the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative that connects the European Green Deal to our living and public spaces; The NEB aims to achieve deep transformation of these spaces, closely involving the public, and integrating the core NEB values of sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics. It will make a key contribution to improving social inclusion in Europe in line with the principles of the European pillar for social rights, the EU social economy action plan and contributing to the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities for 2021-2030.
· It will contribute to the: i) implementation of the new joint communication on the Arctic (adopted on 13 October 2021), ii) the fourth Arctic Science Ministerial Joint Statement[[ The Commission has signed the Joint statement of the third Arctic science ministerial and committed to further support Arctic science, including integrating traditional and indigenous knowledge.]] and iii) to the All- Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance.
· It will contribute to the: i) implementation of the competence framework for sustainability prepared by the Commission[[ https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/greencomp. ]] and the Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability for learners of all ages and at all levels of education (part of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030)[[https://education.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2022-01/proposal-council-recommendation-learning-environmental-sustainability_0.pdf.]].
· It will help implement the EU agenda for tourism (expected in late 2022).
· It will contribute and link to the just, green and digital transitions called for by the European Green Deal, the European industrial strategy, the circular economy action plan and the updated bioeconomy strategy, by exploiting the potential of digital technologies (e.g., using local digital twins for participatory urban planning and evidence-based policy-making).
The following outcomes are expected.
· Policy makers and the public will have a better citizens understanding of social inclusion challenges, the circumstances of people in vulnerable situations in rural and coastal areas and how to strengthen social resilience, including in relation to ecosystem services, biodiversity and natural heritage for coastal areas.
· Policy makers will have a better understanding of the behavioural and structural drivers of people’s lifestyle choices and people’s perceptions of rural life in the aftermath of COVID-19 and of the long-term trends and opportunities for rural areas.
· A sustainable post-COVID recovery will be enabled in urban, rural and coastal communities through biodiversity-friendly actions, and valorisation of natural and cultural heritage for sustainable recovery, professional, collective and personal attitudes.
· There will be an improvement connections, strategies and governance arrangements that enable synergistic development of rural, coastal and urban areas and more integrated territorial policies and interventions in a growing number of localities and across several sectors.
· Rural, urban and coastal actors will be engaged in a just and green transition. They will be equipped with strategies and innovations to contribute to the EU’s climate-neutrality by 2050 and benefit from a climate-neutral economy.
· Prosperity will increase thanks to the deployment of business models that are fit for the future and greater job opportunities will be provided for rural and coastal people, particularly in relation to territorial and marine economies and critical resources (soil, water, biodiversity). This is in line with the objectives of the EU Missions ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’, and ‘Adaptation to climate change’.
· More innovative and integrated policy framework will be upgraded and developed, capitalising on international knowledge exchange, including indigenous, traditional and local knowledge[[ Reference for using this expression is UNESCO work: https://en.unesco.org/links.]] and cultural heritage in a bottom-up approach.
· Knowledge on the costs and benefits of urban farming and improved policy frameworks will be strengthened to maximise its benefits for European society at large across all dimensions of sustainability.
· More diverse and systemic approaches and innovative solutions (digital, nature-based, social and community-led) will be developed with and for local communities and there is an increase in the number of local actors with improved capacity to sustain these innovative processes and take up these solutions.
· Connections between food provision and multi-functional nature-based solutions for the benefit and well-being of people will be increased. Resilience (climate adaptation mechanisms) will also increase through the combination of the vision of the New European Bauhaus initiative to ‘call on all Europeans to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls’ with a sustainable food systems approach and make use of Novel sources of inspiration will be put to best use.
· Understanding, support and engagement will increase among young people, professionals, authorities, decision makers and the public for all dimensions of sustainability.
· Local, coastal and policy communities will use coastal and nature-based heritage, culture and ecosystem services as a basis for potentially year-round diversified sustainable eco-tourism activities.
· A framework will be developed to measure communities’ well-being beyond economic indicators (e.g. social, environmental) and use both to create collaborative community management models, including for sustainable and/or regenerative tourism.
Expected impact
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to achieving resilient, inclusive, just, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities and more specifically one or several of the following expected impacts:
· Rural, coastal and urban areas are developed in a sustainable, balanced, equitable and inclusive manner thanks to a better understanding of the i) environmental, socio-economic, behavioural, cultural, architectural and demographic structures, ii) needs and drivers of change and their interconnections, and iii) how digital, nature-based, social and community-led innovations are deployed.
· Rural, coastal and urban communities are empowered to i) act for change, ii) be better prepared to achieve climate-neutrality and adapt to climate change, and iii) use the digital and green transitions to increase resilience and provide positive long-term prospects.
· Rural communities are equipped with upgraded innovation ecosystems and innovative and smarter circular solutions that i) increase access to services and job opportunities, including for women, young people in vulnerable situations, ii) increase their attractiveness and iii) reduce the feeling of being left behind, even in remote locations like mountains and outermost regions.
· Sustainable development of coastal areas, including coastal protection and resilience, is enhanced, reaping the benefits of social, digital and community-led innovations, to deliver nature-based and scientifically validated solutions to current coastal socio-economic and environmental threats.
· Urban and peri-urban communities – including people in vulnerable situations – can access, afford and choose healthy, nutritious and environmental-friendly food.
Communities in natural and coastal areas can offer sustainable, quality, environmentally and socially friendly tourism, recreational and leisure activities.
Proposals are invited against the following topic(s):
Call
Fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-01)
Type of action
HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model
single-stage
Planned opening date
17 October 2023
Deadline date
22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Forthcoming
Topic description
Expected Outcome:
The successful proposal should be in line with the European Green Deal priorities, the farm to fork strategy and Food 2030 priorities[1] for a fair healthy and environmentally friendly food system, as well as with the EU's climate ambition for 2030 and 2050. It will support innovation to foster advances related to microorganisms for safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly food industry. This is in addition to contributing to the transformation of food systems to deliver co-benefits for climate (mitigation and adaptation), biodiversity, environmental sustainability and circularity, dietary shift, sustainable healthy nutrition and safe food, food poverty reduction and empowerment of communities, and thriving businesses.
Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
· Applicable business solutions in new precision fermentation/ post-fermentation techniques;
· Develop bioinformatics prediction of smell, texture, colour and taste of microbes to create new nuances and flavours in cooperation with chefs/restaurants;
· New, improved and demonstrated microbial fermentations to yield dairy, fish or meat flavours and textures to plant-based foods and ingredients as well as to exploit flavour and texture enhancing properties of fermented vegetables;
· Clearly explain how the proposal will deliver co-benefits to each of the Food 2030 priorities: nutrition for sustainable healthy diets, climate, biodiversity and environment, circularity and resource efficiency, innovation and empowering communities.
Scope:
The need for a holistic approach to realize the full potential of microbiome innovation has to develop bioinformatics prediction of smell and taste of microbes to create new nuances and flavours.
Proposals are expected to address the following:
· Develop and pilot innovations to provide new precision fermentation/ post-fermentation techniques to foster dietary shift by enhancing organoleptic properties (smell, texture, colour, taste).
· Development of new microbial biomasses that can be a source of micro and macro nutrients for humans.
· Demonstrate the safety of the developed approach, in accordance with relevant EU regulatory frameworks, related to its placing on the market.
· Produce food with higher nutritional quality, and potential for positive effects on the human microbiome.
· Assess the economic and social impact of the products.
· Proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' and ensure adequate involvement of academia, research-technology organizations, small-medium enterprises (including start-ups), restaurants, food businesses and other relevant actors of the value chain.
· In order to achieve expected outcomes international cooperation is strongly encouraged, in particular in the framework of the International Bioeconomy Forum.
· Proposals should include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and other relevant topics. They should participate in joint activities, workshops, focus groups or social labs, as well as organise common communication and dissemination activities and show potential for upscaling. Applicants should plan the necessary budget to cover these activities.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/food-2030-pathways-action-research-and-innovation-policy-driver-sustainable-healthy-and-inclusive-food-systems-all_en
Destination
Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (2023/24)
National, EU and global food systems are facing sustainability challenges, from primary production to consumption that could jeopardise food and nutrition security. The farm to fork strategy, and its follow-up initiatives, aim to address these challenges and supports transition to more resilient and environmentally, socially and economically sustainable food systems on land and at sea that provide healthy diets for all and respect planetary boundaries. It is key to ensuring that the fit for 55 package[[ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0550&from=EN]] and the European Green Deal[[ EUR-Lex - 52019DC0640 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)]] are successful and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)[[ THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)]] are achieved. Research and innovation (R&I) under this destination will steer and accelerate the transition to sustainable, safe, healthy and inclusive food systems from farm to fork, ensuring food and nutrition security for all and delivering co-benefits for the environment, health, society and economy.
Sustainable, climate neutral and biodiversity friendly farming systems provide economic, social (including health), environmental and climate benefits, and are the main prerequisite for food and nutrition security. For farmers, who are the backbone of food systems and principal managers of natural resources, the new common agricultural policy (CAP) and the European Green Deal set ambitious targets and objectives concerning the sustainability and safety of feed, food and non-food production. These targets and objectives are included in the core European Green Deal policy priorities, in particular the farm to fork strategy, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, zero pollution ambitions and climate action, and their follow-up initiatives. R&I in line with the strategic approach to EU agricultural research and innovation[[https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/news/final-paper-strategic-approach-eu-agricultural research-and-innovation]] will be key enablers for achieving these ambitious targets and objectives.
The partnership on ‘Accelerating farming systems transition: agroecology living labs and research infrastructures’ will unlock the potential of agroecology to make agri-food systems environmentally friendly and regenerative, climate-neutral, inclusive, competitive and resilient. It will enable farmers and value chain actors to successfully apply agroecology principles thanks to: i) a stronger R&I system integrating science and practice; ii) increased knowledge on the benefits, challenges and potential of agroecology for farming, food and society; iii) improved sharing of and access to knowledge, place-based tailored solutions and innovations; and iv) improved and transformative governance and policies.
Besides the partnership, R&I under the destination will help farmers in monitor and manage natural resources (e.g. soil, water, nutrients, biodiversity, etc.) in innovative, sustainable ways by, among other things, boosting organic food and farming in line with the action plan for the development of organic production[[ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:13dc912c-a1a5-11eb-b85c-01aa75ed71a1.0003.02/DOC_1&format=PDF]]. New knowledge and innovative solutions will also promote plant health, reduce farmer’s dependency on pesticides and reverse biodiversity loss.
Through the partnership on ‘Animal health and welfare’, farmers and other actors will be better equipped to protect animals against infectious diseases, including zoonoses, and to improve animal welfare, while reducing the dependency on antimicrobials, maintaining productivity, improving food safety and quality, and protecting the environment and public health. In addition to the partnership, sustainable livestock production will be enhanced by improved knowledge on nutritional requirements and innovative on-farm practices and technologies for optimised production and use of local feedstuffs. A common EU approach to optimise the management of the co-existence of outdoor livestock systems and wildlife will be implemented by integrating science, local knowledge and practice on the preservation, protection and valorisation of wildlife and agro-pastoral systems.
Synergies will be created with other destinations and instruments. Under the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, 100 living labs and lighthouses will be established to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030[[https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/soil-health-and-food_en]]. Thanks to R&I, farming systems will also maximise the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services from more sustainably managed EU agro‑ecosystems and landscapes and help reverse the loss of biodiversity while ensuring resilient primary production (Destination ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services’). R&I under the Destination ‘Land, ocean and water for climate action’ will better equip farmers to make a significant contribution to climate-neutrality and become more resilient to climate change. Farmers will be empowered and interconnected by means of advanced digital and data technologies (e.g. AI, IoT, and robotics) that support sustainable farming approaches (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’). New sustainable business models and strengthened EU quality schemes will improve the position of farmers in value chains and enable them to seize opportunities provided by the green transition (Destination ‘Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities’). Effective agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) will speed up innovation and the uptake of R&I results from farm to fork (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’).
Better evidence-based knowledge and analytical capacity will help policymakers develop and implement effective policies, in particular the CAP post 2027, the contingency plan and sustainable food systems framework law, enabling farmers to transition to sustainable and resilient farming and food systems (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’). Furthermore, knowledge and innovative solutions generated under Horizon Europe will be circulated and tested in local innovation projects and networks that are financed by rural development programmes, and which are managed by the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI).
Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture contribute directly to environmentally friendly, resilient, inclusive, safe and healthy food production by providing highly nutritional proteins, lipids and micronutrients for a healthy diet. Sustainable aquatic production can and should account for a much bigger proportion of our overall food consumption. Following the farm to fork strategy, production methods should make the best use of nature-based, technological, digital and space-based solutions, optimising the use of inputs (e.g., nutrients and antimicrobials), therefore increasing climate-neutrality and resilience and safeguard aquatic biodiversity. R&I in fisheries and aquaculture will contribute to the relevant Food 2030 pathway for action ‘food from oceans and freshwater resources’[[ https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/86e31158-2563-11eb-9d7e-01aa75ed71a1]]. It will support the ‘strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030’, that propose specific actions on, e.g. i) access to space and water, ii) human and animal health, iii) environmental performance, iv) climate change, v) animal welfare, vi) the regulatory and administrative framework, and vii) communication on EU aquaculture. In addition, the new EU algae initiative - to unlock the full potential of sustainable algae-based food and alternative feed sources - can support the transition to sustainable food systems. R&I will also contribute to the success of the common fisheries policy and deliver compliant, inclusive, diversified ecosystem-based fisheries approaches to allow fisheries management to adapt to different realities, including in the international context. The destination will also support the new policy initiative on the sustainable blue economy and its offshoot initiatives, including the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.
R&I will help fisheries and aquaculture become more precise, technologically advanced, and fully embedded in the natural and socio-ecological context including by reducing the footprint on aquatic biodiversity. It will better equip fisheries and aquaculture to become more resilient to the adverse consequences of climate change and to make a significant contribution to climate neutrality. It will enable the European aquaculture industry to achieve its full potential to ensure global food security in terms of volume, methods, variety of species, aquatic species welfare, safety and quality of products and services.
R&I will help to provide a better understanding of the impacts of climate change in terms of habitat change and ecological functioning and the consequent repercussions on stock shifts, species composition, health, and altered growth and reproduction rates. This will help in the adaptation of fishing vessels, fishing gear and catch methods to reduce their carbon footprint as well as help in their adaptation to the changing climate regime. It will also enable aquaculture to: i) become more sustainable – by using resources in a highly efficient manner - and climate-neutral; and ii) adapt to a changing climate and its consequences, such as temperature rise, acidification, altered water quality and availability, extreme weather events, and other emerging risks, notably in geographical areas particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as the EU's outermost regions (defined in article 349 TFEU).
Sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems rely on systemic, cross-sectoral and participatory, multi-actor approaches and on integration between policy areas at all levels of governance. Food systems are to be understood as covering, 'from farm to fork', all the sectors, actors and disciplines relevant to and connecting i) environment protection requirements, ii) natural resources, iii) primary production on land and at sea, iv) food processing and packaging, v) food distribution and retail, vi) food services, vii) food consumption, viii) food safety, ix) nutrition and public health, and x) food waste streams. An important driver for transforming food systems should be the integration of sectors, actors and policies[[ Scientific Advice Mechanism, Towards a sustainable food system - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu)]]. This should occur in order to better understand the multiple interactions between the actors and components of current food systems, the lock-ins and potential leverage points for synergistic changes and of the interdependencies of outcomes (linkages between nutritional climate and sustainability outcomes). Such implementation/approaches can provide solutions that maximise co-benefits with respect to the four priorities of the Commission’s Food 2030 R&I initiative:
· nutrition and health, including food safety;
· climate and environmental sustainability;
· circularity and resource efficiency;
· innovation and empowering communities.
This destination will deploy solutions to the 10 Food 2030 pathways for action[[ https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/86e31158-2563-11eb-9d7e-01aa75ed71a1]] and will help build innovation ecosystems to bring together relevant public and private sector actors, researchers and society. R&I will provide food-related businesses, including those involved in food processing and packaging, retail, distribution, and food services, with opportunities and incentives to stimulate environmentally friendly, healthy, circular and diversified practices, products and processes that are biodiversity-friendly, climate-neutral and less reliant on fossil fuels. It will also help devise tools and approaches that enable the shift to healthy, sustainable diets and responsible consumption for everyone, boosted also by social innovation, technology, behavioural change and marketing standards, and by inclusively engaging with different consumers, citizens and communities. R&I will accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems by:
· eradicating micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable population groups;
· developing new high quality, healthy, minimally processed and sustainable food products and processes;
· assessing innovative and novel foods based on sustainable alternatives sources of proteins;
· preventing and reducing food loss and waste to tackle environmental and climate challenges, including through improved marketing standards;
· unlocking and maximising the potential of the microbiome to improve food safety, fight food waste and develop alternative sources of proteins;
· networking and exchanging knowledge on food fraud and food safety and exploring the influence of climate change on food safety;
· developing new strategies and detection methods on products derived from new genomic techniques, and strengthening the resilience of European food systems;
· promoting citizen science and creating smart tools to improve diets.
R&I will also:
· reduce the environmental impacts of and pollution from food value chains (see Destination ‘Clean environment and zero pollution’);
· help transform urban food systems, including via the use of nature-based solutions in the context of the New European Bauhaus initiative (see Destination ‘Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities’); and
· improve the governance of food systems and further develop digital and data-driven innovation ecosystems for sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems (see Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’).
In addition, R&I under the partnership on ‘Sustainable food systems for people, planet and climate’ will accelerate the transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems in Europe and beyond via EU-wide targeted research and innovation. It will help to close knowledge gaps, increase health and food literacy, and deliver innovative solutions, e.g. social innovation, which provide co-benefits for nutrition, the environment, climate, circularity and communities. It will also leverage investments and align multiple actors towards common goals and targets and help further build up the European Research Area in order to support the transformation of sustainable food systems at various scales from local to global.
The EU also aims to promote a global transition to sustainable food systems. It’s relationship with Africa is a key priority. Targeted R&I activities, in particular under the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and global initiatives involving international research consortia, will help achieve this ambition and contribute to the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation.
In line with the farm to fork strategy, and its promotion of global transitions on sustainable food systems, a comprehensive and integrated response to current and future challenges benefiting people, nature and economic growth in Europe and in Africa will be provided. Advances will be made particularly in the following key areas: agroecology, including agroforestry, food safety and fair trade.
In encouraging multi-actor approaches and to be more effective in achieving impact, the proposals in this destination shall, where relevant, be complementary or build on synergies with the activities of the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, such as EIT Food.
Where appropriate, proposals are encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security[[ https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/global-food-nutrition-security_en]] and the Africa Knowledge Platform[[ https://africa-knowledge-platform.ec.europa.eu/]], also for the purpose of dissemination and exploitation of results.
Expected impact
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to fair, healthy, safe, climate- and environment‑friendly, sustainable and resilient food systems from primary production to consumption, ensuring food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries in Europe and across the world.
More specifically, proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following impacts:
· enable sustainable farming systems that i) provide consumers with affordable, safe, healthy and sustainable food, ii) increase the provision of ecosystem services, iii) restore and strengthen biodiversity, iv) minimise pollution and pressure on ecosystems and greenhouse gas emissions, v) foster plant, animal and public health, vi) improve animal welfare, and vii) generate fair economic returns for farmers;
· enable sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, in marine and inland waters, increasing aquatic multi-trophic biomass production in a way compatible with the protection of aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, and the diversification of fisheries and aquaculture products, for fair, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with a lower impact on aquatic ecosystems and improved animal welfare;
accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, delivering co-benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental sustainability and circularity, sustainable healthy diets and nutrition, food poverty reduction, empowered citizens and communities, and flourishing food businesses, while ensuring food safety and the economic sustainability of EU food systems during the transition.
Call
Partnerships in Health (2024) (HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-09)
Type of action
HORIZON-COFUND HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions
Type of MGA
HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model
single-stage
Planned opening date
25 April 2024
Deadline date
25 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Forthcoming
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination 3 “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
· The EU’s response to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is improved and the EU is reinforced as an internationally recognised driver of research and innovation on AMR thereby substantially contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to AMR;
· EU and national agencies, the scientific communities, policymakers and funders enhance their collaboration and coordination for a strengthened ‘One Health (OH) approach to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR)’ forming a strong and structured ecosystem with shared evidence, tools and methodologies cutting across sectors;
· Research funders, policymakers, relevant agencies and authorities, and the research community are in a position to close the current gaps and break existing silos on AMR in accordance with the European One Health Action Plan against AMR[1];
· Research funders align, adopt and implement their research policies and activities allowing for the optimal generation of novel solutions to prevent and treat infectious diseases affected by AMR, improved surveillance and diagnosis and control of the spread of resistant microorganisms, testing and validation of such solutions and facilitating their uptake or implementation responding to the needs to reduce the burden of AMR;
· The EU is strengthened as an internationally recognised actor for OH AMR substantially contributing to global cooperation and coordination by expanding beyond Europe;
· The research community at large benefit from and use an improved comprehensive knowledge framework integrating the EU, national/regional data and information infrastructures to improve transnational research.
Scope:
The partnership should contribute to the priorities set in the European One Health Action plan to fight AMR that provides a European framework with actions focused on areas with the highest added value for Member States, including boosting research development and innovation.
In this, the European partnership on One Health AMR should allow coordinating, aligning of activities and funding among countries in the EU and beyond, as well as facilitating national coherence between different services/ministries with responsibility for the various aspects of AMR and sectors involved (e.g. human and animal health, agriculture, environment, innovation).
This partnership should also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe[2], in terms of fulfilling unmet medical needs on AMR and ensuring that the benefits of innovation reach patients in the EU, and support the objectives of the new EU4Health Programme[3], as well as supporting the objectives of the Farm to Fork Strategy[4].
Thanks to its capacity to bring together different stakeholders (e.g. research funders, health authorities, citizens, healthcare institutions, innovators, policymakers), the Partnership will create a critical mass of resources and implement a long-term Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
The co-funded European Partnership on One Health antimicrobial resistance should be implemented through a joint programme of activities ranging from coordinating transnational research efforts to other activities such as coordination and networking activities, capacity building programmes, brokerage and mobility programmes, work on research infrastructures and resources, including training and dissemination activities.
The implementation of the future European Partnership for OH AMR should contribute to build a European Research and Innovation Area (ERA) to rapidly and jointly support research and innovation in the fight against AMR.
It should be structured along the following 3 main objectives:
1. Collaboration and alignment of Research and Innovation agendas on OH AMR
The Partnership should mobilise and link key AMR stakeholders, encompassing the human, veterinary, agricultural and environmental disciplines and including a broad spectrum of pathogens, bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, through a cross-cutting, interdisciplinary one health approach. It should provide a framework to close the current knowledge gaps and break existing silos in the AMR research landscape, facilitating the integration of national and international scientific and policy communities with industry and the civil society.
For this, the partnership could support, although no limited to, the following activities:
· Joint strategic programming and global coordination of research and innovation through an agreed One Health AMR SRIA (covering the scientific areas Therapeutics, Surveillance, Diagnostics, Transmission, Prevention and Intervention, environment and social behavioural science).
· Target research and innovation efforts to actual needs (challenge-driven) of policymakers and stakeholders.
· Create a transnational system that supports collaboration between EU, MS and international initiatives.
2. Boost Research and Innovation
The Partnership should strengthen the European Research Area by supporting excellence in innovative research, capacity building, programmes for development of talent, widening the engagement of countries and sectors not yet involved.
For this, the partnership could support, although no limited to, the following activities:
· Support excellent OH AMR research and development of new prevention methods, interventions, treatments and diagnostics through annual joint transnational research calls and research network calls.
· Develop new tools and instruments to support research and innovation.
· Support networking, training and mobility of researchers.
· Facilitate sharing and use of data and research infrastructure.
3. Develop solutions
· Facilitate translation of scientific knowledge into innovative solutions.
· Connect, merge and align dissemination of outputs with other initiatives to support evidence-based policy in whole One Health domain.
· Societal engagement by bridging science to society creating awareness of AMR challenges, value creation, support the wellbeing of citizens and sustainability of the environment.
The partnership should also:
Strengthen the OH AMR ecosystem with integrating activities engaging key actors for AMR encompassing the field of human, veterinary and environmental disciplines and the broad spectrum of pathogens, including fungi and viruses.
Implement collaborative activities with International Organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Animal Health Organisation (WOAH), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the G7 and G20 fora, and the global AMR R&D Hub, with the aim to avoid duplication of efforts. International cooperation is encouraged also with low- and middle-income countries where AMR is highly prevalent and prone to spread to Europe.
Establish robust communication and effective information exchange between diverse scientific disciplines and among multiple sectors of the society (as patients, clinicians, veterinarians, pharmacists, food producers, pharmaceutical industry, policymakers and researchers (including those working in the social sciences and humanities).
The Partnership’s governance structure should engage upfront the relevant actors to coordinate, steer and frame the research and innovation activities, facilitate the use and uptake of the results and contribute to a science-based communication of the risk of spread of AMR. The Partnership’s governance and operational structures should also foster a dialogue on sustainability, beyond funding from EU research and innovation framework programmes.
The governance should involve key stakeholders, including but not limited to the research and innovation community, patients and citizens, health and care professionals, and innovation owners.
The Partnership is open to all EU Member States, as well as to countries associated to Horizon Europe and will remain open to third countries wishing to join.
The Partnership should build on, be complementary to and go beyond the existing initiative JPIAMR[5].
To ensure coherence and complementarity of activities and leverage knowledge and investment possibilities, the Partnership is expected to establish relevant collaborations with other Horizon Europe partnerships (institutionalised and co-funded, such as the future Animal Health and Welfare partnership[6]) and missions as set out in the working document on ‘Coherence and Synergies of candidate European partnerships under Horizon Europe’[7] as well as to explore collaborations with other relevant activities at EU and international level. The proposals should also consider synergies with EU programmes, including but not limited to EU4Health. The Partnership should align with EU-wide initiatives on open access and FAIR data[8].
Cooperation with international organisations, private sector and non-European institutions and experts may be considered. Participation of third countries is encouraged. Their commitments to the Partnership would not be eligible for the calculation of EU funding. Applicants should describe in their proposal the methodology for their collaboration and the aims they want to achieve with this kind of collaboration.
Proposals should pool the necessary financial resources from the participating national (or regional) research programmes with a view to implementing joint calls for transnational proposals resulting in grants to third parties. Financial support provided by the participants to third parties is one of the activities of this action in order to be able to achieve its objectives.
When defining calls for proposals, this Partnership needs to consider if to require the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
[1]https://ec.europa.eu/health/system/files/2020-01/amr_2017_action-plan_0.pdf
[2]https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0761
[3]https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2021.107.01.0001.01.ENG
[4]https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy_en
[6]Refer to topic HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2
[7]Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, A4 Partnership Sector, October 2020: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/research_and_innovation/funding/documents/ec_rtd_coherence-synergies-of-ep-under-he_annex.pdf
[8]See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this work programme part.
Destination
Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden (2023/24)
Calls for proposals under this destination are directed towards the Key Strategic Orientation KSO-D ‘Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society’ of Horizon Europe’s Strategic Plan 2021-2024. Research and innovation supported under this destination should contribute to the impact area ‘Good health and high-quality accessible healthcare’ and in particular to the following expected impact, set out in the Strategic Plan for the health cluster: ‘health care providers are able to better tackle and manage diseases (infectious diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases, non-communicable and rare diseases) and reduce the disease burden on patients effectively thanks to better understanding and treatment of diseases, more effective and innovative health technologies, better ability and preparedness to manage epidemic outbreaks and improved patient safety’. In addition, research and innovation supported under this destination could also contribute to the following impact areas: ‘A resilient EU prepared for emerging threats’, ‘Climate change mitigation and adaptation’, and ‘High quality digital services for all’.
Communicable and non-communicable diseases cause the greatest amounts of premature death and disability in the EU and worldwide. They pose a major health, societal and economic threat and burden. Many people are still suffering from these diseases and too often dying prematurely. Non-communicable diseases, including mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases, are responsible for up to 80% of EU health care costs[[ Currently, around 50 million people in the EU are estimated to suffer from two or more chronic conditions, and most of these people are over 65. Every day, 22 500 people die in Europe from those diseases, counting of 87% of all deaths. They account for 550 000 premature deaths of people of working age with an estimated €115 billion economic loss per year (0.8% of GDP).]]. These costs are spent on the treatment of such diseases that to a large extent are preventable. Furthermore, only around 3% of the health care budgets are currently spent on preventive measures although there is a huge potential for prevention. Infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases and infections resistant to antimicrobials, remain a major threat to public health in the EU but also to global health security. Deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could exceed 10 million per year worldwide according to some predictions[[ AMR is estimated to be responsible for 25 000 deaths per year in the EU alone and 700 000 deaths per year globally. It has been estimated that AMR might cause more deaths than cancer by 2050.]].
To further advance, there is an urgent need for research and innovation to develop new preparedness and prevention measures, public health interventions, diagnostics, vaccines, therapies, alternatives to antimicrobials, as well as to improve existing preparedness and prevention strategies to create tangible impacts, taking into account sex/gender-related issues. This will require international cooperation to pool the best expertise and know-how available worldwide, to access world-class research infrastructures and to leverage critical scales of investments on priority needs through a better alignment with other funders of international cooperation in health research and innovation. The continuation of international partnerships and cooperation with international organisations is particularly needed to combat infectious diseases, to address antimicrobial resistances, to respond to major unmet medical needs for global health security, including the global burden of non-communicable diseases, and to strengthen patient safety.
In this work programme, destination 3 will focus on major societal challenges linked to the Commission’s political priorities such as the fight against cancer and other non-communicable diseases, better diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, preparedness and response to and surveillance of health threats and epidemics, reduction of the number of antimicrobial-resistant infections, improving vaccination rates, demographic change, mental health and digital empowerment in health literacy. In particular, the topics under this destination will support activities aiming at: i) better understanding of diseases, their drivers and consequences, including pain and the causative links between health determinants and diseases, and better evidence-base for policymaking; ii) better methodologies and diagnostics that allow timely and accurate diagnosis, identification of personalised treatment options and assessment of health outcomes, including for patients with a rare disease; iii) development and validation of effective intervention for better surveillance, prevention, detection, treatment and crisis management of infectious disease threats; iv) innovative health technologies developed and tested in clinical practice, including personalised medicine approaches and use of digital tools to optimise clinical workflows; v) new and advanced therapies for non-communicable diseases, including rare diseases developed in particular for those without approved options, supported by strategies to make them affordable for the public payer; and vi) scientific evidence for improved/tailored policies and legal frameworks and to inform major policy initiatives at global level (e.g. WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; UNEA Pollution Implementation Plan).
In view of increasing the impact of EU investments under Horizon Europe, the European Commission welcomes and supports cooperation between EU-funded projects to enable cross-fertilisation and other synergies. This could range from networking to joint activities such as the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Opportunities for potential synergies exist between projects funded under the same topic but also between other projects funded under another topic, cluster or pillar of Horizon Europe (but also with ongoing projects funded under Horizon 2020). In particular, this could involve projects related to European health research infrastructures (under pillar I of Horizon Europe), the EIC strategic challenges on health and EIT-KIC Health (under pillar III of Horizon Europe), or in areas cutting across the health and other clusters (under pillar II of Horizon Europe). For instance, with cluster 3 “Civil security for society” such as on health security/emergencies (preparedness and response, medical countermeasures, epidemic outbreaks/pandemics, natural disasters and technological incidents, bioterrorism); with cluster 4 “Digital, Industry and Space” such as on decision-support systems or on geo-observation and monitoring (e.g. of disease vectors, epidemics); or with cluster 6 “Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment” such as on health security and AMR (one-health: human/animal/plant/soil/water health). In addition, while focusing on civilian applications, there may be there may be synergies with actions conducted under the European Defence Fund, notably in the field of defence medical countermeasures.
Based on needs that emerged during the management of COVID-19, some research and innovation actions under Destination 3 should support the mission of the European Health Emergency and Response Authority (HERA) to strengthen Europe’s ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to cross-border health emergencies by ensuring the availability and access to key medical countermeasures. Other actions should deliver relevant complementary inputs to the “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan”[[ https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12154-Europe-s-Beating-Cancer-Plan]] in order to cover the entire cancer care pathway, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, cancer data monitoring, as well as quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. Furthermore, synergies and complementarities will be sought between Destination 3 and the implementation of the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027)[[ https://ec.europa.eu/health/funding/eu4health_en]]. These synergies and complementarities could be achieved, notably through mechanisms based on feedback loops, enabling on the one hand to identify policy needs that should be prioritised in research and innovation actions and facilitating on the other hand the implementation of research results into policy actions and clinical practice, thereby providing an integrated response across sectors and policy fields.
Expected impacts:
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to tackling diseases and reducing disease burden, and more specifically to several of the following impacts:
· Health burden of diseases in the EU and worldwide is reduced through effective disease management, including through the development and integration of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, personalised medicine approaches, digital and other people-centred solutions for health care. In particular, patients are diagnosed early and accurately and receive effective, cost-efficient and affordable treatment, including patients with a rare disease, due to effective translation of research results into new diagnostic tools and therapies.
· Premature mortality from non-communicable diseases is reduced by one third (by 2030), mental health and well-being is promoted, and the voluntary targets of the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 are attained (by 2025), with an immediate impact on the related disease burden (DALYs)[[ WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 (resolution WHA66.10), https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506236]],[[Including for instance the following voluntary targets (against the 2010 baseline): A 25% relative reduction in the overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases; Halt the rise in diabetes and obesity; An 80% availability of the affordable basic technologies and essential medicines, including generics, required to treat major non-communicable diseases in both public and private facilities.]], [[Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a quantitative indicator of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.]].
· Health care systems benefit from strengthened research and innovation expertise, human capacities and know-how for combatting communicable and non-communicable diseases, including through international cooperation. In particular, they are better prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to health emergencies and are able to prevent and manage communicable diseases transmissions epidemics, including within healthcare settings.
· Citizens benefit from reduced (cross-border) health threat of epidemics and AMR pathogens, in the EU and worldwide[[ WHO global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, 2015]], [[EU One Health Action Plan against AMR, 2017]].
· Patients and citizens are knowledgeable of disease threats, involved and empowered to make and shape decisions for their health, and better adhere to knowledge-based disease management strategies and policies (especially for controlling outbreaks and emergencies).
The EU benefits from high visibility, leadership and standing in international fora on global health and global health security.