The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) is calling for proposals on innovations to support crisis preparedness for future health emergencies, in line with the 2025 EU4Health Work Programme.
The programme is one of four EU-wide health programmes, designed to improve the resilience of European healthcare systems, and offers funding via grants and public procurement opportunities to national authorities and health organisations. HaDEA “manages the vast majority” of this budget, and is also responsible for overseeing calls for proposals and tenders to 2027.
Proposals are sought for three subtopics on the development of innovative medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, covering medicinal products, PPE, and detection and diagnosis. “For detection and diagnostics, a special focus is on tests that can rapidly detect individual or broad range of chemical and biological agents, including biotoxins,” the call shares. Outcomes will help bridge the gap between research, innovation, and market access, through activities such as supporting research into market readiness and facilitating tech skills development.
The call also looks for proposals supporting the development of innovative diagnostic technologies for vector-borne diseases, with the EU reportedly seeking to improve health surveillance, enhance disease protection, and ensure better health outcomes for its citizens. The focus here is on rapid tests, increasing the accuracy and specificity of existing diagnostic assays, and innovations which can advance the early detection of vector-borne diseases to enable timely treatment and control.
The deadline for submissions across both categories is 4 December, with more information around eligibility and conditions available here.
Wider trend: European collaboration on health tech
The European Commission has published an EU action plan developed to guide hospitals and healthcare providers in increasing their cyber security. Referring to the plan as “an important step in shielding the healthcare sector from cyber threats”, the commission focuses on enhancing threat detection, preparedness and response capabilities of hospitals and health providers.
The EuroHeartPath project has been launched, with a €27 million budget spanning five years for 18 pioneering pathfinder studies focusing on AI and machine learning, digital health integration, point-of-care diagnostics, and advanced robotic technologies. Setting out to transform cardiovascular care by looking to map and optimise care pathways in 15 EU countries, the project reportedly brings together 35 partners from academia, industry and health, to advance cross-border learning and collaboration.
The European Council has announced its adoption of a new law aimed at improving individual’s control over their data and making cross-border health data sharing easier, requiring all EHR systems to be “interoperable at EU level”. Member states will also be required to set up a digital health authority in order to “implement the new provisions”. The regulation, which is introduced following the European Commission’s 2022 proposal for a regulation creating a European Health Data Space (EHDS), is set to be formally signed by the Council and the European Parliament, and will enter into force “20 days after publication in the EU’s Official Journal”.
