PLEASE NOTE: THIS CALL HAS BEEN SUSPENDED!
Jan 30, 2024:
Due to changes in the implementation mode of the future Pandemic Preparedness partnership, namely the envisaged change of Type of Action from CO-PROGRAMMED to CO-FUNDED, the Commission considers canceling this action and possibly replacing it with another action better fitting the new Type of Action and the relevant policy objectives. For this reason the submission of proposals for topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-08-12 will be suspended.
- Name of call: Tackling diseases (Single stage – 2024) (HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-08)
- Funding scheme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme
- Budget: Total budget of approx. 50m euro. It is envisaged that 5 grants will be awarded with a contribution of 7-8m euro each.
- Deadline for applications: 11 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
If you are thinking of applying for this call, consider whether the European Pain Federation may be a useful partner in your consortium. Please find more on what we can do here.
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.
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.
Particular interest in topics including
- Prevention
- Suffering from 2 or more chronic conditions (multimorbidity)
- Mental illness/mental health
- The fight against cancer
- ‘High quality digital services for all’. Digital empowerment in health literacy. Use of digital tools to optimise clinical workflows (e.g. decision support systems)
The call opens on 26 September 2023 so be sure to visit the link below for further updates.
If you are thinking of applying for this call, consider whether the European Pain Federation may be a useful partner in your consortium. Please find more on what we can do here.
