Towards an ERA-NET for building sustainable and resilient health system models

Deadline: Apr 13, 2016  
CALL EXPIRED

Topic Description

Currently, public health-related research, whether population health or health services research, is fragmented, not coordinated and not aligned across the European Union. There is a need to render investments in public health research more efficient, learn from each other and better capitalise on the on-going so called 'natural experiments' in Europe. While some public health problems are specific to countries, and health care systems are different. Member States still face many similar challenges. There are many public health problems common to most countries, such as the burden posed by chronic diseases, multi-morbidity or obesity, and mental health issues. Many countries are considering innovative solutions in order to achieve a better design of services and interventions throughout the entire chain of care, including public health and prevention. It implies, among others, strategies for strengthening community care and primary care in relation to social care and prevention, redesigning hospital care and de-institutionalising long term care with more care provided closer to home. This implies placing more emphasis on self-management of patients and new ways of linking health and social care. There are many opportunities to learn from one another on what works best under what conditions, agreeing on what issues could be best researched jointly, and where the problems are more localized. This is an opportunity of capitalizing on existing know-how and to draw on comparative advantages in European research, thus enhancing innovation.

To pave the way to an ERA-NET co-fund action for building sustainable and resilient health systems models, this coordination and support action (CSA) will develop a structured system of exchange of information between public health research funders and other relevant bodies, as well as academia, in order to establish synergies and avoid duplication. It will further facilitate the development of a strategic research agenda taking into account the diversity which exists within Europe. This agenda will identify at least a number of measurable, performance enhancing, scientific-technological or socio-economic objectives, supported by an appropriate analysis.

This action implies the preparation and organisation of meetings as well as support to information exchange with relevant stakeholders groups and with the public at large.

The proposed action should ensure a broad geographical representation of European countries.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

• Build on the communalities of existing knowledge gathering in past EU and national level studies, thus ensure a better use of limited resources.
• Identification of common research priorities and research needs, also taking into account developments at the international level where relevant.
• Development and alignment of national and regional plans.
• Sharing of data, metadata, knowledge and best practice.