Partnerships in Health (2026/2)

Topics under this destination are directed towards the Key Strategic Orientation 3 “A more resilient, competitive, inclusive, and democratic Europe” of Horizon Europe’s strategic plan 2025-2027^[1].

Research and Innovation supported under this destination should contribute to the following expected impact, set out in the strategic plan impact summary for the Health Cluster: “healthcare providers improve their ability to tackle and manage diseases (infectious diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases, non-communicable and rare diseases) thereby reducing the disease burden on patients and enabling healthcare systems to perform more effectively. It can be achieved through better understanding, prevention, diagnostics, treatment, management, and cure of diseases and their co- and multi-morbidities, more effective and innovative health technologies and medical countermeasures, better ability and preparedness to manage pandemic and/or epidemic outbreaks, and improved patient safety”.

Communicable and non-communicable diseases pose a significant health, societal, and economic threat worldwide, causing premature deaths and disabilities. Despite being largely preventable, only 6% of healthcare budgets are spent on prevention^[2]. To address this, there is an urgent need to develop new public health interventions, preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches, alternatives to antimicrobials, as well as to improve existing preparedness and response strategies to create tangible impacts, considering sex/gender-related issues. To address these challenges, Research and Innovation will require international cooperation to leverage global expertise, access world-class research infrastructures and invest in priority needs, aligning 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 and respond to public health needs, including rare diseases and the global burden of non-communicable diseases.

In this Work Programme part, Destination “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden” will focus on major societal challenges linked to the Commission's Political Guidelines for 2024-2029^[3], such as the fight against non-communicable and communicable diseases, mental health, preparedness and response to and surveillance of health threats and epidemics, reduction and treatment, of Antimicrobial-Resistant (AMR) infections, coherent also with wider EU initiatives such as the European Medical Countermeasures Strategy^[4] and the forthcoming Critical Medicines Act^[5]. In particular, the topics under this destination will support activities aiming at: i) new treatment and disease management options to reduce burden on non-communicable diseases and long-term conditions after post-bacterial and post-viral infections; ii) improve and protect mental health of children and young adults; iii) new prevention and treatment options for infectious diseases with epidemic potential; iv) innovative therapies for AMR critical pathogens; and v) support to second phases of the co-funded European Partnership on Rare Diseases^[6] and the co-funded European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness^[7].

To increase the impact of EU investments under Horizon Europe, the Commission encourages cooperation between EU-funded projects to enable cross-fertilisation and other synergies. This could range from networking to joint activities, such as participating in joint workshops, exchanging knowledge, developing and adopting best practices, or undertaking joint communication activities. Opportunities for potential synergies exist between projects funded under the same topic, as well as between projects funded under different topics, Clusters, or Pillars of Horizon Europe. For example, synergies could be sought with projects funded under the European health research infrastructures (Pillar I of Horizon Europe), the EIC^[8] strategic challenges on health (Pillar III of Horizon Europe), or with projects on themes that cut across the Clusters under Pillar II of Horizon Europe, such as health security/emergencies under Cluster “Civil Security for Society”, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools and technologies under Cluster “Digital, Industry and Space”, or antimicrobial resistance under Cluster “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment”.

The Commission aims to foster synergies between Horizon Europe and other EU programmes. To this end, applicants are encouraged to explore the funding opportunities available through the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027)^[9], the EU's public health programme, as a means of capitalising on potential collaborations and maximising impact.

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:

• Disease burden in the EU and worldwide is reduced through effective disease management, including through the development and integration of innovative preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, digital and other people-centred solutions for healthcare.
• Premature mortality from non-communicable diseases is reduced by one third (by 2030), mental health and wellbeing are promoted, and the targets of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of non-communicable diseases^[10],[11] are attained, with an immediate impact on the related disease burden (Disability-Adjusted Life Years - DALYs)^[12].
• Healthcare systems benefit from strengthened Research and Innovation expertise, human capacities and know-how for combatting communicable and non-communicable diseases, including through international cooperation.
• Citizens benefit from reduced (cross-border) health threat of epidemics and AMR pathogens, in the EU and worldwide^{[13],[14],[15]}.
• 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).

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in the Annex B of the General Annexes of this Work Programme.

The protection of European communication networks has been identified as an important security interest of the Union and its Member States. Entities that are assessed as high-risk suppliers^[16] of mobile network communication equipment (and any entities they own or control) are not eligible to participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners to topics identified as “subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks”. Please refer to the Annex B of the General Annexes of this Work Programme for further details.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/strategic-plan_en

[2] Preventive healthcare expenditure as a share of the current expenditure on healthcare: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Preventive_healthcare_expenditure_as_a_share_of_current_expenditure_on_healthcare,_2021_(%25)_HCE2024.png

[3] https://commission.europa.eu/about/commission-2024-2029_en

[4] https://health.ec.europa.eu/health-emergency-preparedness-and-response-hera/preparedness/medical-countermeasures-strategy_en

[5] https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-critical-medicines-act_en

[6] https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101156595, https://erdera.org

[7] https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101226682, https://beready4pandemics.eu

[8] https://eic.ec.europa.eu

[9] https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/eu4health_en

[10] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506236

[11] https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/implementation-roadmap-2023-2030-for-the-who-global-action-plan-for-the-prevention-and-control-of-ncds-2023-2030

[12] 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.

[13] WHO global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, 2015

[14] EU One Health Action Plan against AMR, 2017

[15] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/one-health-joint-framework-action-published-five-eu-agencies

[16] Entities assessed as “high-risk suppliers”, are currently set out in the second report on Member States’ progress in implementing the EU toolbox on 5G cybersecurity of 2023 (NIS Cooperation Group, Second report on Member States’ progress in implementing the EU Toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity, June 2023) and the related Communication on the implementation of the 5G cybersecurity toolbox of 2023 (Communication from the Commission: Implementation of the 5G cybersecurity Toolbox, Brussels, 15.6.2023 C(2023) 4049 final).

Expected Outcome:

This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. Proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:

• The EU offers a valued operational network of clinical research sites (both interventional and observational) that have the capacity to implement well-coordinated large-scale multi-country quality clinical studies in different target populations, which are able to smoothly transition to interventions relevant for cross-border health threats in readiness for or response to a public health emergency.
• Key stakeholders, including relevant EU and national entities, the scientific communities, policymakers and funders enhance their collaboration and coordination to strengthen research on pandemic preparedness and response, forming a strong, structured and comprehensive ecosystem with shared evidence, tools and methodologies cutting across sectors.
• Research funders, policymakers, relevant EU and national entities, and the research community recognise and rapidly close relevant research and related infrastructure gaps and break existing silos on pandemic preparedness research and response, adopting a One Health approach.
• Healthcare authorities, regulatory authorities, policymakers and other stakeholders utilise research results to develop evidence-based strategies and policies for pandemic preparedness and response, and deploy good practices to European countries and regions, and beyond whenever relevant.
• The research community benefits from and uses an improved comprehensive knowledge framework integrating the EU, national/regional data and information infrastructures to improve transnational research in the area of pandemic preparedness and response.
• The EU is strengthened as an internationally recognised actor for pandemic preparedness research and response, as such substantially contributing to global cooperation and coordination.

Scope:

This topic targets an action under Article 24(2) HE Regulation aiming to add additional activities to existing grant agreements, together with additional partners (if relevant) that would deliver on those activities. The award of a grant to continue the partnership in accordance with this call should be based on a proposal submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-12-01: “European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness” and the additional activities (which may include additional partners) to be funded by the grant, such as the close coordination with the Clinical Trial Coordination Mechanism (CT-CM)^[1], should be subject to an evaluation. The partnership should be firmly anchored within the framework of the European Health Union package^[2] and ensure synergies with the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and other relevant Commission services. The partnership’s activities are expected to be key enablers of the EU Global Health Strategy^[3]. Taking into account that the present action is a continuation of the topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-12-01: “European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness” and foresees an amendment to an existing grant agreement, the proposal should present the additional activities (including additional partners) to be covered by the award primarily in terms of grant agreement revisions. The existing action, the “Be Ready Now - European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness” (BE READY NOW) can only reasonably be enhanced and enlarged on the basis of the existing consortium^[4], as the co-funded framework established cannot simply be replaced without significant disruption, given the top-quality, long-term expertise and wide coverage of the beneficiaries comprising this consortium.

The partnership should contribute to the actions proposed in the Joint Communication on the European Preparedness Union Strategy (JOIN(2025) 130 final^[5]) which recognises the essential contribution of research and innovation to allow “continuously adapted, optimised and state-of-the-art responses to crisis”. It should also contribute to the “Strategy for European Life Sciences”^[6]. Synergies with EU programmes such as EU4Health Programme (2021-2027)^[7] or the Digital Europe Programme^[8] are encouraged.

The co-funded Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness should enable improved coordination and cooperation on national and European levels (and contributing globally), building on the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)^[9] established in the first phase of the partnership. The partnership’s implementation is grounded in coordinating and jointly funding transnational research, combined with a strong focus on integrative ‘in-house’ activities, ultimately reinforcing the readiness of Europe’s research ecosystem. As a continuation of an existing action, the proposal should present the additional activities (including additional partners) to be covered by the award primarily in terms of grant agreement revisions.

The partnership should cover the full scope of preparedness research, ranging from basic and pre-clinical research, to clinical, public health, social sciences and implementation research. The partnership will consider the interplay between environmental, ecological and climatic factors and the emergence and spread of health threats and will adopt a One Health approach to better understand and mitigate the risks of emerging infectious diseases.

Of particular interest is the consolidation and further development of the ever-warm clinical research network, comprising both observational and interventional studies, ensuring continuous clinical research activity across diverse sites, and with the in-built capacity to rapidly respond to public health emergencies. In this regard, the partnership should ensure that provisions are in place for the close coordination with the CT-CM, which i) should facilitate providing scientific advice on the clinical research needs in preparedness and response to public health emergencies, and ii) promote a coordinated approach to the national and EU funding of identified clinical research needs.

The partnership should strengthen the European Research Area by supporting excellence in innovative research and capacity building, widening the engagement of countries not yet involved. As a demonstration of its added value, the partnership should be able to attract the engagement of a broad range of stakeholders beyond European health authorities and research funders, such as private and philanthropic actors and innovators.

The participation of start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)^[10] is encouraged with the aim of strengthening their scientific and technological foundations, enhancing their innovation potential, and exploring possibilities for commercial exploitation.

The relevant European research infrastructures^[11] in the area of health should be exploited for available services, expertise and digital tools for dataset creation, standardisation, data discovery, secure access, management, visualization, harmonization, analysis and other functions as appropriate.

When defining calls for proposals in the context of jointly funded transnational research, the partnership should consider sex and identity-related differences. If relevant, it also needs to consider 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, to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. The support and involvement of citizens and civil society should be considered.

The partnership will consolidate a suitable health research data ecosystem aligned with the European Health Data Space (EHDS)^[12], and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)^[13] supporting the harmonisation and standardisation as well as the federated access of FAIR^[14] research data in the context of pandemic preparedness and response. The partnership’s work should comply with the appropriate ethical, regulatory and legal frameworks, and should ensure the timely translation of research outcomes into effective clinical and public health policy and innovation.

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[1] https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupId=104872&fromMeetings=true&meetingId=59543

[2] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/european-health-union/health-crisis-preparedness_en

[3] EU Global Health Strategy: Better Health for All in a Changing World - European Commission: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/eu-global-health-strategy-better-health-all-changing-world_en

[4] Consortium which was awarded the grant under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-12-01: “European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness”.

[5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025JC0130

[6] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/jobs-and-economy/towards-strategy-european-life-sciences_en; https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1686

[7] https://health.ec.europa.eu/funding/eu4health-programme-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0522

[8] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/digital-programme

[9] https://beready4pandemics.eu/sria

[10] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32003H0361

[11] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed on the ESFRI website: https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu

[12] https://health.ec.europa.eu/ehealth-digital-health-and-care/european-health-data-space-regulation-ehds_en

[13] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/open-science/european-open-science-cloud-eosc_en

[14] See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this Work Programme part.