What is Europe’s proposal for making healthcare systems more resilient after the pandemic? (II)

The previous post looked at the EU’s ambitious response seeking to make healthcare systems more resilient through the EU4Health program. In this second part, we’ll cover the calls still open, give a brief summary of the actions the program funds and share the connections between EU4Health and other European programs.
 

How to submit a proposal to EU4Health?

For the next few weeks, there are still some nine EU4Health calls still open (through May 24 or 31) and accessible through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Any legally established organization, public or private, from any EU or associated country, may apply.  

The program is looking for proposals on topics ranging from increasing capacity of notified bodies and promoting mental health to training healthcare professionals and implementing research results in public health. 

The program funds three types of actions:

1. Grants for proposals to implement research results in public health or promote public procurement in health, or to implement new approaches to cancer, or to contribute to training healthcare professionals, or to help implement regulations for healthcare technology, etc. 
    
2. Contributions to international organizations like WHO (Europe office) or the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, etc. 
    
3. Actions co-funded by member States, related to HERA, antimicrobial resistance, use of health data, follow-up on cancer control policies, etc. 
    

For common questions and answers about EU4Health, check out the program’s Q&A page and the Government of Catalonia Ministry for Foreign Action and Open Government.

Opportunities for Catalonia

The program responds to the challenges facing healthcare systems and industries and the need for transformation, to implement long-term changes in public health and make healthcare systems more resilient and accessible to all. The EU4Health instruments are extremely interesting for the ecosystem because they will fund projects to:

1. Boost EU preparation to face the main cross-border health threats by stockpiling medical materials for crises and increasing vigilance to identify health threats.
    
2. Strengthen healthcare systems so they can tackle epidemics and long-term challenges, encouraging disease prevention and promoting healthy aging, the digital transformation of healthcare systems and access to healthcare for vulnerable groups.
    
3. Make drugs and medical devices available and affordable, defend prudent and efficient use of antimicrobial drugs, and promote medical and pharmaceutical innovation and more eco-friendly manufacturing.
    

Connection with other programs

Health is transversal , so EU4Health is part of an EU framework program that includes European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which is working to help vulnerable groups access healthcare; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which seeks to improve regional health infrastructures; Horizon Europe (HEU), with specific calls for research and innovation in health; EU Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU), which stockpiles emergency medical supplies; Digital Europe and Connecting Europe Facility to set up the digital infrastructure needed to promote digital health; InvestEU, which aims to accelerate strategic investments to produce medical equipment and drugs; Single Market Program, which seeks to boost the competitiveness of SMEs, including in health; Recovery and Resilience Facility with health as one of its six pillars; Erasmus+, with calls for the life sciences and healthcare sector; and the Emergency Support Instrument, which has helped members States launch a coordinated Europe-wide response to the coronavirus. 

The most synergies are with Horizon Europe, specifically with the cluster (or program) in health, because: 

• Horizon Europe finances research and innovation on issues like lifelong healthy living, environmental and social health determinants, rare and non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases; digital tools, technology and solutions for health; and care and healthcare systems. It will also include a mission on cancer, one of the Commission’s top priorities in public health policy. 
• The EU4Health program will also help ensure the best use of research results and facilitate adoption, extension and roll-out of healthcare innovation in healthcare systems and clinical practice.

Source: EU

If you want to find out about the actions funded through the previous European health program (3rd program) at organizations in Catalonia, check out the page on European Funds on the Government of Catalonia Ministry for Foreign Action and Open Government website. They include actions on antimicrobial resistance, digital health and good practices for chronic diseases, among others, that successfully secured funding through this program.