GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

This Cluster aims to contribute to the promotion of social cohesion, inclusiveness, the health and the well-being of people. Also, it aims to help develop “an economy that works for people” by supporting research (and coordination) in order to make innovative, high-quality health technologies and health care both available and affordable for citizens. Lastly, it aims to make health care systems more accessible and sustainable, through, inter alia, the digital transformation of health and care.

The work programme 2021-2022 of cluster 1 ‘Health’ includes six destinations:

1. Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society

It focuses on major societal challenges that are part of the European Commission’s political priorities, notably diet and health (obesity), ageing and demographic change, mental health, digital empowerment in health literacy, and personalised prevention.

2. Living and working in a health-promoting environment

It focuses on indoor and outdoor air pollution, chemicals, non-ionising radiation (electromagnetic fields), urbanisation, climate and other environmental changes, socio-economic inequalities, and changing working environments.

3. Tackling diseases & reducing disease burden

It focuses 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.

4. Ensuring access to innovative, sustainable & high-quality Healthcare

It aims at supporting health care systems in their transformation to ensure fair access to sustainable health care services of high quality for all citizens.

5.Unlocking the full potential of new tools, technologies and digital solutions for a healthy society

It aims at the promotion of the development of tools, technologies and digital solutions for treatments, medicines, medical devices and improved health outcomes, taking into consideration safety, effectiveness, appropriateness, accessibility, comparative value-added and fiscal sustainability as well as issues of ethical, legal and regulatory nature.

6. Maintaining an innovative, sustainable & globally competitive health industry

It focuses on research and innovation activities aiming to develop pharmaceutical products meeting unmet medical needs and for them to be compliant with the objectives of the European Green Deal. Additionally, it focuses on methodologies, guidelines and standards, assessment studies, and structuring activities adapted to digital solutions and interventions for GDPR compliant translation into health care practice and technologies including inter-operability, cyber-security, data confidentiality.