Support for a multilateral initiative on climate change and health research

Topics under this destination are directed towards the Key Strategic Orientation 1 “The Green transition” and Key Strategic Orientation 3 “A more resilient, competitive, inclusive, and democratic Europe” of Horizon Europe’s strategic plan 2025-2027^[1].

Research and innovation supported under this destination should contribute to the following expected impact, set out in the strategic plan impact summary for the Health Cluster: “people's living and working environments are health-promoting and sustainable thanks to a better understanding of the environmental, occupational, social, sex and gender-related, and economic determinants of health”.

The environment we live and work in is a major determinant of our health and wellbeing and climate change acts as a risk multiplier, exacerbating the health effects of environmental stressors, increasing the incidence of non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, and infectious diseases, particularly for populations in a vulnerable situation. The climatic crisis is a health crisis with impacts at the global level. Across Europe, the fastest-warming continent, heat and floods have caused devastating human and economic impact in recent years. In 2025, the Commission published a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda on Health and Climate Change^[2], providing a forward-looking overview of the current and emerging research needs and gaps in the field. This agenda informs the focus and objectives of this destination, aligning with the Commission's Political Guidelines for 2024-2029^[3], which emphasise the need to step up work on preventive health, climate resilience, adaptation, preparedness, and the green transition, while promoting circularity.

In this Work Programme part, Destination "Living and working in a health-promoting environment" focuses on understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on human health, increasing climate adaptation and resilience and reducing the health sector's contribution to climate change. The results will support the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate change, the European Climate Adaptation Plan (thematic window on health) and the European Climate Risk Assessment by enhancing understanding of health risks and informing prevention, adaptation, and mitigation actions for populations and healthcare systems. Moreover, this destination aims to identify and amplify the co-benefits of climate action for health outcomes. This integrated approach recognises that climate mitigation measures can simultaneously deliver significant health benefits, creating positive feedback loops between climate protection and public health. Strong collaborations across sectors and with other Horizon Europe Clusters dealing with issues such as agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, food, environment, climate, biodiversity, mobility, security, urban planning, social inclusion and gender will be needed to ensure that maximal societal benefits are reached. In view of increasing the impact of EU investments under Horizon Europe, the Commission welcomes and supports cooperation between EU-funded projects to enable cross-fertilisation and create synergies. This could range from networking to joint activities such as the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. Unless specified otherwise, all topics are open to international collaboration to address global climate and health challenges.

Expected impacts:

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to living and working in a health-promoting environment, and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:

• Policymakers and regulators are aware and well informed about climatic, environmental, socio-economic and occupational risk factors as well as health-promoting factors across society.
• Climatic, environmental, occupational, social, economic, and health policies and practices at the EU, national and regional level are sustainable and based on solid scientific evidence.
• The upstream determinants of health are known, understood and reduced.
• The health threats and burden and patient safety burdens resulting from exposure to climate drivers are lessened, so that the related number of deaths and illnesses is substantially reduced.
• Living and working environments in European cities and regions are healthier, more inclusive, safer, resilient and sustainable.
• The healthcare sector reduces its environmental footprint and transitions towards carbon neutrality.
• The adaptive capacity and resilience of populations and health systems in the EU to climate and environmental change-related to mental and physical health risks are strengthened.
• Citizens’ health and wellbeing are protected and promoted, and premature deaths, diseases and inequalities related to climate related risks are prevented.
• Citizens understand better complex climate, environment and health issues, and effective measures to address them and support related policies and regulations.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in the Annex B of the General Annexes of this Work Programme.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/strategic-plan_en

[2] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/616cce9c-39e5-11f0-8a44-01aa75ed71a1

[3] https://commission.europa.eu/about/commission-2024-2029_en

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