Funding programme

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. Read more about the Horizon Europe programme here.

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Call overview

This call aims to test and demonstrate solutions locally needed to build climate resilience.

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Expected outcome

Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• regions, local authorities and communities have been involved in development and testing of a whole range of transformative solutions that will help to mitigate the effect of climate change on health and human wellbeing, including making the public health sector more climate resilient and better prepared to mitigate the climate change related health challenges.
• climate resilience solutions that protect human health have been developed, tested and are made largely available

Scope

This topic relates to the Mission’s objectives to mobilise at least 150 regions in testing the solutions most locally needed to build climate resilience and to deliver at least 75 deep demonstrations of systemic transformations to climate resilience.

The proposals should test and demonstrate solutions that address both the two aspects below, including in the scope at least some of the individual points related to improve prevention and policy-making and at least some points related to improve preparedness of the health system.

1. Improve prevention and policy-making, by:

• Improved insights into short- and long-term health effects of climate-related stressors, including planetary health considerations (interactions between global climate change, ecosystem, animal and human health as described in the One Health concept). Taking into consideration differences between infectious and non-communicable diseases, and the particularities of each. With regard to the infectious diseases, emphasis should be given on the surveillance and prevention of zoonotic diseases. These improved insights should made available and be integrated by the regional and local authorities in their planning. The European Climate and Health Observatory can contribute to these efforts and, reversely, learnings from the projects supported under this topic would contribute to the Observatory knowledge basis.
• Strengthening comprehensive and user friendly epidemiological surveillance and modelling and forecasting tools, including socio-economic trajectories and adaptation scenarios of exposure and vulnerability to climate determinants. These tools should be suitable for assessing and predicting impact of moderate, extreme and record-breaking events and disasters associated with climate change, including impacts on mental health. Environmental stressors should also be considered when relevant for the prevention of major non-communicable such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases e.g. combination of heat waves and air pollution or increase in pollens. Surveillance, modelling and forecasting tools should be piloted in the partner regions and communities. Reflecting the One Health concept, the link between animal health impacts due to climate change and subsequent human health impacts should also be considered, when relevant.
• Development of better forecast, early-warning and early response systems and decision-making models for health impacts of climate change which are able to monitor both the impact and the effectiveness of solutions.
• Development and health impact assessment of adaptation measures and monitoring of effectiveness of solutions to improve resilience of countries, regions and cities, including effective nature-based solutions (NBS).

2. Improve preparedness of health systems by:

• Development of innovative solutions (technological solutions, NBS, etc) to reduce impact of climate change on human health and wellbeing. Heat and cold waves and floods should be among the stressors considered, but proposals should not limit their work to only these two stressors and might consider the association with environmental conditions such as the association of heat waves and air quality or exposure to pollens. Solutions should be designed with a win-win objective so to not have a negative effect on climate mitigation efforts, after sufficient consideration of positive and negative interactions.
• Preparing training curricula on health and climate change for medical and other healthcare professionals across Europe. The proposed curricula should be trailed in the partner regions, local authorities and communities, training pilot group of professionals.
• Development of innovative, fit-for-purpose, end-user driven early warning and response systems or improving existing ones, including a demonstration of their predictive/response capacity, to ensure a rapid response from health services and civil protection authorities and testing/pilot such systems in the partner regions/local authorities/communities.
• Providing feedback and sharing best practice from pilots to the new Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. Such tests should be accompanied by public awareness campaigns in relation to climate forecasts and health early warning systems, identifying the warning communication chain, role, tasks and responsibilities of science advisors and decision-makers.

Under the Mission approach, collaborations to develop and test effective solutions between regions/local authorities/ communities facing similar challenges are highly encouraged. To this purpose, the proposals must include at least 4 different regions/local authorities/ communities, which should collaborate in addressing the common challenge identified and conducting demonstration activities of the most suitable solutions. These (at least) 4 demonstrations must be located in at least 3 different EU Member States and/or Horizon Europe associated countries, for which the proposed solution is relevant. Involvement in the proposal of regions eligible for Cohesion funds^[1] to conduct at least one of the proposed demonstrations shall be regarded as a positive element.

The proposals should clearly identify the biogeographical area, for which the proposed solution is relevant and should explore possible reapplication to other regions, starting from those located in the same biogeographical areas. To support a large impact, the proposed solutions should be widely re-applicable. To this purpose, identification and inclusion of at least three “replicating” regions/local authorities/communities, interested in reapplying the lessons learnt (totally, partially or with the required adjustments) in their territories is strongly encouraged; this could take the form of inclusion in the consortium of one or more partners providing support for the technical exchanges and the knowledge uptake in the “replicating” regions.

In addition to the local/regional authorities owning the climate challenge, the consortium may include other type of partners, such as private or public research organisations, enterprises and NGOs, to ensure that all needed capabilities are available to develop and implement real life actions.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:

• the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
• the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
• countries associated to Horizon Europe;
• low- and middle-income countries

See the full list in the General Annexes.

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Consortium composition

Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions, only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:

• at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
• at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

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Budget

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 18.00 million.

The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of between EUR 4.50 and 6.00 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately.