Several European programmes are implementing EU’s political priorities in the health area. With the new EU multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 and COVID-19 pandemic, the budget and programmes focusing on Health have evolved significantly. The four main opportunities in the area of Health are found under Horizon Europe, Innovative Health Initiative, the new post-COVID EU4Health programme and Digital Europe. Find here a summary of the main funding opportunities and upcoming calls for research organisations and companies developing innovations and solutions for the health sector.
Horizon Europe tackles the key challenges in healthcare
The aim of the ongoing Horizon Europe (HEU) framework programme (2021-2027) is to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of EU citizens of all ages. This is achieved by generating new knowledge and developing innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases, and to support and enable patients' participation and self-management.
All European legal entities are eligible to apply for research and innovation Action (RIA), innovation action (IA) and coordination and support actions (CSAs). Minimum of three partners from member states of the EU should be present in the consortium. The funding rates are beneficial for participants, ranging from 70% to 100% depending on the maturity of the innovation and on the type of the participant.
Health cluster calls of Horizon Europe for 2023 are opening in September
Digitalisation is expected to bring major benefits in health care, both as effective health care solutions and in cost savings. Artificial intelligence has proven most feasible for clarifying matters at the early stage of the treatment, which is where the biggest monetary savings can be achieved.
Over the years, the Spinverse team has accumulated valuable learnings in the health care sector by working with research organisation such as hospitals, universities as well companies as project coordinators. Having supported several innovative organisations providing novel solutions for the health care sector, Spinverse is also familiar with the whole value chain in the industry.
“There will be very interesting calls that will offer opportunities for actors developing solutions and services for the health care sector. At Spinverse, we have strong expertise in various domains within health care. We have been working on several large project proposals and helped our clients in the coordination of projects that have successfully secured funding,” says Rohit Sood, Senior Manager and Team Leader for Spinverse's Health team.
Here are the indicative 2023-2024 destinations under which the specific funding call topics will be grouped:
- Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society
- Living and working in a health-promoting environment
- Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden
- Ensuring access to innovative, sustainable and high-quality health care.
The Health cluster calls for 2023 are expected to open in September 2022 with deadlines in spring 2023. This means it is time to start planning your project and identify possible partners. For more information, do not hesitate to contact our experts!
Other interesting programmes that fund health-related projects
Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)
The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Union and five European industry associations representing a wide area of companies.
What will be funded in 2022 by IHI?
IHI encourages the development of tools, data, platforms, technologies, and processes that will in turn facilitate the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases, especially in areas where there is an unmet public health need.
The first single-stage calls opened at the end of June 2022. They have the following focus areas:
- Innovative clinical decision support for improved care for neurodegenerative diseases (15 M€)
- Next-generation imaging guided precision medicine (40 M€)
- Personalized approach in oncology (40 M€)
- Integration of heterogeneous health data for improved healthcare services (40 M€).
The two-stage IHI call topics focus on the following:
- Improved cardiovascular disease management in the EU (10 M€)
- Set-up a harmonized methodology for early feasibility studies across the EU (10.7 M€).
The total budget for IHI during 2021-2027 is 2.4 B€. 50% of the funding is provided by the European Union (1.2 B€ via Horizon Europe Health cluster) and the remaining funding comes from IHI industrial partners and other life science industries or associations.
The deadline for proposals for both calls is 20 September 2022.
EU4Health programme supports the health policy goals of the EU
EU4Health provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe. Representing one of the EU's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, EU4Health is the largest EU health programme with a total budget of 5.3 B€ over the next seven years.
The specific objectives of EU4Health are:
- To improve and foster health in the EU
- To tackle cross-border health threats
- To improve medicinal products, medical devices, and crisis-relevant products
- To strengthen health systems, their resilience and resource efficiency.
Funding model for EU4Health
The EU4Health programme co-funds the eligible costs of the selected actions at the level of 60% (normal co-funding rate) or 80% in case of exceptional utility. The criteria for exceptional utility are fulfilled if a) at least 30 % of the budget of the proposed action is allocated to Member States whose Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the Union average; and b) bodies from at least 14 participating Member States participate in the action, of which at least four are Member States whose GNI per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the Union average.
Regarding the in-kind contributions, the applicants are expected to provide their own funding, pertaining the contribution of staff employed by the beneficiaries included in the budget.
Digital Europe to accelerate the recovery and drive the digital transformation in Europe
Several of the applications of the five crucial areas listed below will be in healthcare sector. Digital Europe Programme aims to provide funding to all organisations, however in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises.
What will the Digital Europe Programme fund?
Worth 7.6 B€, this programme provides funding for projects in five crucial areas:
- Supercomputing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cybersecurity
- Advanced digital skills
- Ensuring the wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society.
Are the Health cluster calls under Horizon Europe or other health-oriented programmes something that could boost your future projects in healthcare and related technologies? Start planning now – our funding experts are here for you to help you increase your chances for a winning funding application. Contact us today!
