Team at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum provides support with submitting proposals and managing projects
EU4Health (EU4H), an EU program offering funding worth €5.3 billion between 2021 and 2027, is the largest health promotion program ever launched by the European Union. This funding program marks a response by the European Commission to the lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. Its aim is to strengthen EU health systems and crisis care in the future. Experts from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum provide an overview of the funding opportunities offered by the program.
EU4H supports measures that improve disease prevention and health promotion. The focus of the program lies in cancer disorders. Expanding and digitalizing medical information also safeguards access to high-quality health services as well as care with a focus on patient needs in ways that contribute to high health standards among EU citizens in the long term.
Financial support is provided for strategic initiatives that add value on a European level. For this reason, domestic programs are excluded from funding. Unlike Horizon Europe (the core EU funding program for research and innovation), activities funded under EU4Health should be complementary to measures already in place to safeguard human health.
Funding opportunities are offered in the form of grants (calls for proposals) and procurements (calls for tenders) with funding available for 60% of the value of an initiative (and in individual cases, up to 80%). €46 million of funding is available for grants in 2023, with €3 million of funding available for procurements. The funding available for individual projects ranges from €3 to €18 million for grants and €550,000 to €1 million for procurements.
Funding opportunities spanning four areas of intervention
Measures introduced through the EU4H program should make health systems robuster, more resilient, and more accessible with the aim of gearing society to long-term health challenges. The general objectives and supported measures under the four areas of intervention are:
- Foster and improve health in the EU
- Health promotion and disease prevention, in particular cancer
- International health initiatives and cooperation
- Protection from serious cross-border health threats
- Improvements in prevention, preparedness and rapid responses to cross-border health threats
- Extension of national stockpiling of essential crisis-relevant products
- Establishment of a reserve of medical, healthcare, and support staff
- Improved access to medicinal products, medical devices, and crisis-relevant products: establishment of efficient production and supply chains to ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of crisis-related products in the EU at all times
- Expansion and strengthening of health systems
- Reinforcement of health data and the distribution of digital tools and services in order to drive digital transformation of healthcare systems
- Enhanced access to high-quality, patient-centered healthcare
- Development of a European Health Union by implementing EU health legislation and establishing evidence-based decision-making
- Improved collaboration and coordination among the national health systems of member states
Forming a European Health Union will play a central role in making health systems more resilient in the future and being better prepared for health crises. The focus of EU4Health therefore lies in crisis preparedness, health promotion, the prevention of non-communicable disease, cancer control, and expanding access to care and health systems, as well as expansion in the health workforce and digital technology.
Measures aimed at strengthening national health systems and forging networks within EU member states will lay a foundation for cross-border cooperation. Establishing crisis-proof systems, as well as crisis-proof production and supply chains, safeguards the availability, affordability, and improved access to crisis-related products for all EU citizens, thus helping to protect society from future cross-border health threats.
Support from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum – from funding proposals to final reports
Whether it’s applying for funding or implementing projects, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum paves the way for EU funding. Its experts plan, formulate, and manage innovation projects conducted by companies and other kinds of organizations. The Steinbeis specialists also conduct searches for suitable partners in other countries and ensure the effective transfer of ideas to sales markets. These include
- Concept development, project planning, and writing proposals
- Submitting proposals to the European Commission
- Dealing with queries
Steinbeis Europa Zentrum takes on a wide range of project tasks, such as coordination, project management, innovation management, technology sharing, exploitation strategies towards market entry, international communication and dissemination, and the development of strategic partnerships.
Contact
Alena Bubeck (author)
Project Manager
Steinbeis Europa Zentrum
Steinbeis 2i GmbH (Stuttgart)