Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society (Horizon Europe)

Destination 1 will focus on major societal challenges that are part of the European Commission’s political priorities, notably diet and health (obesity), ageing and demographic change, mental health, digital empowerment in health literacy, and personalised prevention.

Citizens remain healthy in a rapidly changing society. This is achieved by:

• healthier lifestyles and behaviours,
• a healthy living environment,
• improved evidence-based health policies
• more effective approaches to health promotion and disease prevention.

Research and innovation supported under this destination will provide new evidence, methodologies, and tools for a better understanding of specific health and care needs throughout the life course, considering age- and gender-specific needs. Chronic diseases as well as physical and mental disabilities and age-related impairments will be addressed. This will allow designing more effective strategies and personalised tools for preventing diseases and promoting health, including social innovation approaches.

Specific measures will also be developed to educate and empower citizens of all ages and throughout their life, to play an active role in the self-management of their own health and self-care, to the benefit of an active and healthy ageing. Research and innovation can further help develop innovative services, policies, guidelines and digital solutions for people and communities.

In 2022, it will also call for proposals for improving the availability and use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to predict the risk for onset and progression of chronic diseases. Key to achieving the expected impacts is the availability and accessibility of health data from multiple sources, including real-world health data, which will require appropriate support by research and data infrastructures, AI-based solutions, and robust and transparent methodologies for analysis and reporting.

Call topics for 2022

• Boosting mental health in Europe in times of change
• Trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) tools to predict the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases and/or their progression
• Prevention of obesity throughout the life course
• Personalised blueprint of chronic inflammation in health-to-disease transition

Working programme: Health