8
1.3. HEALTH in “Horizon 2020”
Reflecting the policy priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy, Horizon 2020 will focus, among other
things, on the following challenge:
“Health, demographic change and wellbeing” (the 1
st
Societal
Challenge - SC1)
.
It is one of the Societal Challenges (SCs) under Horizon 2020 that intend to
address key societal problems through multi-disciplinary applied research and include the Social
Sciences & Humanities.
SC1 is the largest multi-national programme for collaborative research, global consortia, and
public-public & public-private co-operation. It will fund excellence in applied health & ageing
research and innovation, bring together leading players from Europe & across the globe, and tackle
key European & global health challenges (i.e. an ageing population, increased disease burden,
unsustainable and unequal health and care systems). SC1 aims to: translate science to benefit
citizens; improve health outcomes; support a competitive health & care sector; test and
demonstrate new health & care models, approaches and tools; and promote healthy and active
ageing.
The SC1 has a budget of 7,472 Bio euros for the period 2014-2020. SC1 is based on the
experience of the FP7-HEALTH Programme (i.e. programmatic approach, SME focus, prizes, co-
operative research projects) but includes ICT for Health (e-Health & ICT for Healthy Ageing) as
well as more market-driven types of projects. To achieve this, three EU Directorate General (DGs)
have collaborated to develop its strategy: DG Research & Innovation (FP7-HEALTH programme),
DG CONNECT (eHealth) and DG SANCO (Public Health & Consumers).
The SC1 follows an integrated approach for SMEs. In this sense, 20% of the SC1 budget should
go to SMES - 7% through the SMEs instruments & 13% through collaborative projects. The SC1
Work Programmes have a new approach in the sense that they last 2 years, are challenge-driven
(i.e. based on relevant Health challenges such as Personalising Health & Care) and display
broader and less prescriptive topics for proposal submission with a stronger focus on end-users.
Research & Innovation supported by this societal challenge will enable the translation of findings
from the laboratory into the clinic and other health and care settings, by engaging all relevant R&I
performers. For instance,
The
ill continue to support collaborative research
projects and build networks of industrial and academic experts to boost pharmaceutical
innovation in Europe.
Th
ill continue to support market-oriented
research and SMEs, and work in tandem with the
(EIP on AHA) to ensure the wider dissemination of best
practices.
A large number of European countries are participating in th
to fight together the growing health threat of antimicrobial
resistance.
Targeted support will be given to innovative SMEs through health-dedicated SME
instruments.
