Health for Growth Programme

It focuses on four specific objectives with a strong potential for economic growth through better health:

1. to develop common tools and mechanisms at EU level to address shortages of resources, both human and financial and to facilitate up-take of innovation in healthcare in order to contribute to innovative and sustainable health systems;
2. to increase access to medical expertise and information for specific conditions also beyond national borders and to develop shared solutions and guidelines to improve healthcare quality and patient safety in order to increase access to better and safer healthcare for EU citizens;
3. to identify, disseminate and promote the up-take of validated best practices for cost effective prevention measures by addressing the key risk factors, namely smoking, abuse of alcohol and obesity, as well as HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the cross border dimension, in order to prevent diseases and promote good health; and
4. to develop common approaches and demonstrate their value for better preparedness and coordination in health emergencies in order to protect citizens from cross-border health threats.

2014-2020

Supported activities

(1) Contributing to innovative and sustainable health systems:

• 1.1. Develop EU cooperation on Health Technology Assessment on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare;
• 1.2. Promote the uptake of health innovation and e-Health by increasing the interoperability of e-Health applications;
• 1.3. Support the sustainability of EU health workforce by promoting effective forecasting and planning and efficient recruitment and retention strategies;
• 1.4. Provide expertise to assist Member States undertaking health systems reforms;
• 1.5 Support to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing;
• 1.6 Actions required by the objectives of medical devices as well as e-Health and Health Technology Assessment provisions;
• 1.7 Foster a health knowledge system, including Scientific Committees, to contribute to evidence-based decision making.

(2) Increasing access to better and safer healthcare for citizens:

• 2.1. Set up accreditation and support European Reference Networks;
• 2.2. Support action on rare diseases including creation of European Reference Networks;
• 2.3. Strengthen collaboration on patient safety and quality of healthcare, by increasing the availability of information to patients, exchange of best practices and development of guidelines;
• 2.4. Develop guidelines to improve the prudent use of antimicrobials in human medicine and reduce the practices that increase antimicrobial resistance;
• 2.5. Actions required by the objectives of tissues and cells, blood, organs, patients' rights in cross-border healthcare and medicinal products;
• 2.6. Foster a health knowledge system, to contribute to evidence-based decision making.

(3) Promoting good health and preventing diseases:

• 3.1 Exchange best practices on key health issues such as smoking prevention, abuse of alcohol and obesity;
• 3.2. Supporting the prevention of chronic diseases including cancer, by sharing knowledge and best practice and developing joint activities;
• 3.3. Actions required by or contributing to the objectives of EU legislation in the fields of tobacco products and advertisement;
• 3.4. Foster a health knowledge system, to contribute to evidence-based decision making.

(4) Protecting citizens from cross border health threats:

• 4.1. Strengthen preparedness and response for serious cross border health threats;
• 4.2. Improve risk assessment capacity by providing additional capacities for scientific expertise and map existing assessments;
• 4.3. Support capacity building against health threats in Member States;
• 4.4. Actions required by or contributing to the objectives of communicable diseases and other health threats;
• 4.5. Foster a health knowledge system to contribute to evidence-based decision making.

More detailed description is included in the Annex I of the regulation.

Implementation

Financial contributions by the Union may take the form of either grants or public procurement or any other interventions necessary for achieving the objectives of the Programme.

The level of Union co-financing for grants for actions, actions co-financed by the competent authorities of the Member States or third countries, or by non-governmental bodies mandated by these authorities and operating grants will be harmonised at 60% of eligible costs and up to 80% in cases of exceptional utility.

The Executive Agency for Health and Consumers will be the implementing authority.

The largest proportion of the budget - 48% - will be dedicated to helping Member States achieve innovative and sustainable health systems (objective 1). This is important to support the reforms needed to improve the cost-efficiency and long-term sustainability of health systems. Such reforms are key to enabling health systems to address the growing demand for healthcare generated by the ageing population and to continue providing healthcare to their citizens for generations to come.

Similar shares of the budget will be allocated to increase access to better and safer healthcare (objective 2) and to promote good health and prevent diseases (objective 3) – respectively 22% and 21%. Finally, 9% of the budget will be dedicated to protect people from cross-border health threats (objective 4).

It will be funded through:

• Grants for action co-financed by the competent authorities responsible for public health in the Member States (so called "joint actions") and with international health organisations.

• Grants to support NGOs working in the area of public health who play an effective role in civil dialogue processes at EU level and contribute to at least one of the specific objectives of the programme.

• Procurement contracts.

In most cases, the grants will contribute 60% of the costs of the action/project. This figure rises to 80% in exceptional cases, such as for Member States with a low Gross National Income participating in joint actions.

Legal basis: Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL On establishing a Health for Growth Programme, the third multi-annual programme of EU action in the field of health
Link: Proposal (pdf), Presentation (Nov 2013), http://ec.europa.eu/health/programme/policy/2014-2020/state_of_play_en.htm

EUR 449,4 million in current prices

€ 449.394 million

Potential candidates for funding are national health authorities, as well as public and private bodies, international organisations and NGOs with a general interest in health at EU level and which support the programme's specific objectives.

The Programme is open to all EU Member States, EFTA/EEA countries, countries acceding to the EU, candidate countries and potential candidates, as well as countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, as long as membership of the programme remains in accordance with the conditions of their bilateral or multilateral agreements

Country eligibility

To receive EU financial support for a project, i.e. to be a coordinator or other beneficiary, the organisation needs to be legally established in:

Type of organisation

Grants can be awarded to legally established legally established public, non-governmental or private bodies including public authorities, public sector bodies, in particular research and health institutions, universities and higher education establishments. They can submit a project proposal as the coordinator or participate as other beneficiary.

Geographical coverage:

There is no minimum number of partners for a proposal to be eligible. However, please note that a new award criterion is included on the geographical coverage of the proposals: proposed activities must be carried out in at least 3 countries eligible under the 3rd Health Programme and these activities must be carried out in areas which are particularly affected by the high influx of refugees.

• The European Union (any of the 28 Member States), or
• An EFTA country, party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway).

• Organizations from other countries can only participate as subcontractors or collaborating stakeholders.