The Health theme
Framework Programme for Research
FP7
Kevin McCarthy
Head of Sector Public Health
Directorate Health
DG Research – European Commission
1
Outline today…
The 7th Framework programme (FP7)
 Rationale and approach
 Basic principles
 Structure
 Pillar 3
 Outcome of first calls
 Present call for proposals
 Some projects
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EU Research Policy Competitiveness, Quality of Life
and Support to EU policies
The key objective of EU Research research policy (Art. 163 & 178 of
the Treaty): “the strengthening of the scientific and technological
bases of Community industry“ and “promoting all research activities
deemed necessary for other policies”.
The core objectives for Health research in FP7 are “improving the
health of the European citizens and increasing the competitiveness of
the European health related industries and businesses…” with
emphasis on “translational research”.
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N.B.:
The European Commission currently manages about 5%
of total public spending in R&D in the European Union.
The EU currently invests about 1.9% of GDP in research
FP7 budget (2007-2013):
€55 billion
= ~6% of public R&D
investment in Europe
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Cooperation programme:
thematic areas (€32.4 billion)
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Collaborative research in FP7:
The Cooperation programme
Thematic Priorities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
6
Health
Food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology
Information and communication technologies
Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials
and new production technologies
Energy
Environment (including climate change)
Transport (including aeronautics)
Socio-economic sciences and the humanities
Security & 10. Space
Total for collaborative research
6.1
1.9
9.1
3.5
2.3
1.9
4.2
0.6
2.8
€32.4 billion
Collaborative research
in the Health theme
Main policy drivers:
 Improving health of European citizens
 Increasing competitiveness of European healthrelated industries and businesses
 Addressing global health issues,
including emerging epidemics
Budget:
 €6.1 billion over 7 years (2007-2013)
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Collaborative research
across borders and other barriers
• between countries:
– multinational consortia, with at least 3 partners from 27 EU
Member States (MS) + Associated Countries (AC)
eg: Albania, Croatia, FYROM, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein,
Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey.
– researchers from any country in the world can participate,
from industrialised countries and from developing countries.
eg: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea,
New-Zealand, Russia, South-Africa, USA, … … …
• between different types of organizations
Public & private sector: universities, research centres, large
companies, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), etc.
• between disciplines: multidisciplinary, translational research
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Scientific excellence
at European level
From policy to funding the best research projects:
• The policy for Health research is described in the FP7 specific
programme (available on CORDIS)
• Each year, a work programme is prepared by the EC, with the
Advisory Group and in consultation with the Programme Committee
• Through calls for proposals the EC invites researchers from all Europe
and beyond to submit their proposals
• The very best projects are selected on the basis of evaluation by
independent experts (peer review)
• After negotiation of a grant agreement, a project is funded for 2-5 y.
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Submission & evaluation
Basic principles:
 annual calls – single-stage or two-stage
 eligibility check (partners, limits, scope, deadline)
 evaluation by panels of independent experts
overseen by Independent Observers
 3 criteria:
 Science & Technology excellence
 Implementation & Management
 Potential Impact
Thresholds:
3/5
3/5
3/5
overall
10/15
 feedback: Evaluation Summary Reports (ESRs)
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Evaluation procedure
Proposal
submission
Eligibility check
IER/IAR
1. Individual evaluation
2. Consensus Group meeting
Consensus Report
If above
threshold
3. Panel Evaluation
Priority list
Ethical review
(if necessary)
Commission
decision
Commission: final ranking list and decision
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Rejection
Reserve list
Negotiation
Funding schemes
in the Health theme (3rd call)
Funding schemes
upper limits min. partners
Large-scale integrating project (CP-IP)*
€12m
≥3
Network of Excellence (NoE)
€12m
≥3
€3m or €6m
≥3
Coordination action (CA)**
€1.5m
≥3
Support action (SA)**
€0.5m
≥1
Small- or medium-scale focussed
research project (CP-FP)
* for CP-IPs there is also a lower limit to the requested EC grant: €6m.
** for CAs and SAs there are some exceptions to the upper limit.
Warning: the limits for minimum and maximum requested EC grant
and for the minimum number of partners are eligibility criteria !
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Collaborative Project (CP)
– small or medium scale
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•
Designed to generate knowledge to improve European
competitiveness and to meet the needs of society or Community
policies
•
To support research, development & demonstration activities of a
more limited scope than required by large scale CPs
• well defined, focused research and technological development
• demonstration, where applicable
• project management
Coordination Action
•
Designed to promote & support the networking & coordination of
research & innovation activities at national, regional & European level
over a fixed period
•
Establishing in a coherent way coordinated actions – Programme of
work:
- Coordination activities
- Project management activities
CA do not conduct S&T research!
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Support Action
•
•
Designed to support the implementation of the programme:
To complement the other FP6 instruments
To help to prepare future EU policy activities
To stimulate, encourage & facilitate the participation of e.g.
SMEs or organisations from the ACS
May combine two types of activities:
- Support activities
- Consortium management activities
SA do not conduct S&T research!
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The Health theme
Structure
pillar 1:
pillar 2:
pillar 3:
Biotechnology,
generic tools
& technologies
for health
Translating
research for
human health
Optimising
the delivery
of health care
cross-cutting issues: child health, the health of ageing population
gender-related health issues
Activity (pillar) 4: Other actions across the theme
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Collaborative research
in the Health theme
1: Biotechnology, generic tools and technologies
 High-throughput research
 Detection, diagnosis and monitoring
 Predicting suitability, safety and efficacy of therapies
 Innovative therapeutic approaches and interventions
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Collaborative research
in the Health theme
2: Translating research for human health
 Integrating biological data and processes:
large-scale data gathering, systems biology
 Research on the brain and related diseases,
human development and ageing
 Translational research in major infectious diseases
 Translational research in other major diseases
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Collaborative research
in the Health Theme
Pillar 3: Optimising the delivery of health care
to citizens
 Translating clinical research into clinical practice
 Quality, efficiency and solidarity of health care systems
 Enhanced health promotion and disease prevention
 including international cooperation in public health & health
systems
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Collaborative research
in the Health Theme
i) Translating clinical research into clinical
practice:
Better use of medicines, behavioural and
organisational interventions, health technologies;
focus on patient safety:
– to identify the best clinical practice
– to understand decision making in clinical settings
in primary and specialised care
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– to foster evidence-based medicine and patient
empowerment
Collaborative research
in the Health Theme
ii) Quality, solidarity and sustainability of
health systems
Basis for countries to adapt their health systems
taking into account national contexts and
population characteristics
– Organizational, financial and regulatory aspects
– Implementation – best practice
– Outcomes - effectiveness, efficiency and equity
– Special attention on investment issues and human
resources
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Collaborative research
in the Health Theme
iii) Enhanced Health Promotion & Disease
Prevention:
Evidence for best public health measures in
terms of life style interventions; focus on the
wider determinants of health and how they
interact at the individual and community level
− Diet, stress, tobacco, physical activity, nutrition,
inequalities
− Mental health to be addressed in life-course
perspective
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Collaborative research
in the Health Theme
The Third Pillar:
 a completely new activity – health policy driven
 aims at developing new research methods
• to generate a sound scientific basis
• to underpin informed policy decisions on health systems
• to achieve more effective and efficient evidence-based strategies
of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis and therapy
 in a context set by the overarching values of universality, access
to good health care, equity and solidarity aiming to make
provision that is patient-centred and responsive to individual
need
Users: EC, MS, WHO, OECD, clinicians, patients, other stakeholders
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Identifying priority areas for
research is influenced by a
range of factors including …
 EU Health Strategy & 2nd Programme of Community
Action in the field of Health (2008-13)
 DG SANCO policy initiatives – patient mobility, crossborder care, health services, health strategy, centres of
reference, patient safety, mental health, organ
transplantation, urban health, indicators …
 European stakeholders – Health Forum, EHFG-Gastein,
platforms, councils, …
 Member States and the High Level Group on Health
Services and Medical Care and various sub groups
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… influencing factors …
 Other operational DGs concerned – DG COMP, DG EMPL,
DG EAC, DG DEV, DG AIDCO, DG REGIO, DG ENV, DG
TRADE, DG ENTR, EUROSTAT, …
 International dimension - WHO (Regional Office & HQ)
 Wider context of economic reform and growth – importance
of health care as a driver of growth and employment locally
Not forgetting of course  FP7 mechanisms (Advisory Group, Programme Committee,
NCPs …)
 Project development, feedback as well as project results
scientific communities, conferences, workshops,
consultations …
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Scientific excellence
at European level
Topics selection:
• FP6 and FP7 actions are taken into consideration
• Workshops and conferences with scientific communitiy and
others
• Early input from MS & AC (strategic priorities)
• Topics are drafted by the Commission services, to implement
FP7.
• Not all topics / areas can be opened at any one time:
some areas are closed in some call, emphasis placed on others
• Trying to have a structuring effect on European research
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Scientific excellence
at European level
Indicative roadmap :
• Strategic reflections (…- October)
• Hearing with Cabinet (early November)
• Meeting Advisory Group (24 November)
• 1st Draft sent to PC (Programme Committee) (early December)
• Meeting with PC to discuss draft (12 January 2009)
• Updated work programme sent to PC for final comments (February)
• Work programme finalised (March)
• Internal consultations (April)
• Interservice consultation (May)
• PC consultation (June)
• Written procedure (July)
• Publication (end-July) or early September
• Deadline December 2009
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Key figures
outcome of 1st & 2nd calls
2007
2008
(call 2007-A, April 2007)
(call 2007-B, Sept. 2007)
 budget: € 635 million (2007)
€ 567 million (2008)
 proposals received: 914
902
 proposals evaluated: 893 (ineligible 21)
865 (37)
 proposals selected: 152 (+1*)
% of proposals evaluated: 17%
167 (+5*)
19% (20%)
 av. grant per participant: €412,000
€334,000
* from reserve lists
2007-2008: 325 projects funded with > €1.2 billion
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Health theme in FP7
1st call: €641m, 153 proposals
pillar 1:
pillar 2:
pillar 3:
Biotechnology,
generic tools
& technologies
for health
Translating
research for
human health
Optimising
the delivery
of health care
23 proposals:
€143m
110 proposals:
€476m*
closed
Activity (pillar) 4: Other actions across the theme
20 proposals: €20m
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* plus €2m for ERA-Net on Cancer
13.7 € of which
2nd
Health theme in FP7
call: €577m: 172 proposals
pillar 1:
pillar 2:
pillar 3:
Biotechnology,
generic tools
& technologies
for health
Translating
research for
human health
Optimising
the delivery
of health care
26 proposals:
€109m
71 proposals:
€280m
38 proposals:
€88m
Activity (pillar) 4: Other actions across the theme
37 proposals: €100m, incl. €44m &
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€25m
Optimizing the delivery of healthcare
to European citizens 2nd call
Comments across the activity:
• Large number of proposals (177) for the 28 topics of this activity
• Quality of proposals varied considerably
• this new activity was open for the first time
• new funding opportunity in a generally underfinanced technical area
• few established Europe-wide research consortia
• Successful proposals:
• responded specifically to the topic
• had broad European coverage
• Unsuccessful proposals:
• weak description of methodology
• lacked the required multidisciplinarity
• appeared as resubmissions from neighbouring programmes (PHP, ICT)
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3.1 Translating the results
of clinical research into practice
2nd call
Topics in second call:
• Implementation of research into healthcare practice (FP)
• Self-medication and patient safety (FP)
• Patient Safety Research Network (CA)
• Improving clinical decision making (FP)
• Better use of medicines (FP)
• Continuity of clinical care (FP)
• Patient self-management of chronic disease (FP)
Outcome of evaluation
• 80 proposals evaluated, 21 (26%) above threshold
• Two topics not covered.
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3.1 Translating clinical research
into practice 3rd call
Topics proposed topics for 3rd call :
• Patient Safety: Effective implementation of prevention
strategies for healthcare associated infections
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Improve quality and safety of hospital care
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Complementary and alternative Medicine
Funding scheme: Coordination Action, max. € 1.5m. (max. 1 project)
• Improved treatment of chronic diseases in developing
countries
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
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3.2 Healthcare systems
2nd call
Topics in second call:
• Evaluation of disease management programmes (FP)
• Health systems and long term care of the elderly (FP)
• Mobility of health professionals (FP)
• Health care human resource planning in nursing (FP)
• Clinician working time and patient safety (FP)
• Health outcome measures and population ageing (FP)
• Trends of population health (FP)
• European system of Diagnosis-related groups (FP)
Outcome of evaluation
• 54 proposals evaluated, 24 (44%) above threshold
• Two topics not covered
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3.2 Healthcare systems
3rd call
Topics proposed topics for 3rd call :
• Organisation of dementia care
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Health care outcomes and cost-benefits
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Primary care quality linkage to costs
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Impact of cross border collaboration on health services
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 6m. (1 or more projects)
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3.2 Healthcare systems
3rd call
Topics proposed for 3rd call :
• Research access to comparable health care data
Funding scheme: Coordination Action, max. € 1.5m. (max. 1 project)
• Scoping study to address the methodological challenges of
quantifying the socio-economic burden of brain diseases
compared to other major diseases
Funding scheme: Support Action, max. € 0.5m. (max. 1 project)
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3.3 - Health promotion and
disease prevention 2nd call
Topics in second call:
• Promoting healthy behaviour in children and adolescents
• Interventions addressing the gradient of health inequalities
• Public health interventions addressing the abuse of alcohol
• Evaluation of suicide prevention strategies in European countries
• Improve vaccination coverage
Outcome of evaluation
• 40 proposals evaluated, 17 (42%) above threshold
• Two topics not covered
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3.3 - Health promotion and
disease prevention 2nd call
Remarks on the outcomes of 2nd call:
• substantial interest and broad coverage of topic 3.3-1 “Promoting healthy
behaviour in children and adolescents”
• two topics were not covered:
• none of the 2 proposals submitted to 3.3-5 “Improve vaccination
coverage” were successful. Due to the importance of this research topic
the evaluators suggested to republish this topic in a later work
programme
• the only proposal submitted to 3.4-7 “Mental health research
conference” was not successful
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3.3 – Health promotion and
disease prevention 3rd call
Topics proposed for 3rd call :
• Child and adolescent mental health
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Environmental prevention of substance abuse by adolescents
Funding scheme: CP-FP, max. € 3m. (1 or more projects)
• Ageing cohorts
Funding scheme: CP-IP, max. € 12m. (max. 1 project)
• Birth/Mother-Child Cohorts co-ordination
Funding scheme: Coordination Action, max. € 1.5m. (max. 1 project)
• European child health research platform
Funding scheme: Coordination Action, max. € 1.5m. (max. 1 project)
Planned IP on a Health Examination Survey postponed to WP2010
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Optimising the delivery of healthcare
to European citizens 2nd call
3.4 – Horizontal CA & SA
Topics in second call successful proposals:
• Disease networks of centres of reference Scoping study (SA)
• Effectiveness of health investments Scoping study (SA)
• Patient mobility and access to information. Scoping study (CA/SA)
• Brokering research into policy Scoping study (SA)
• A road-map for ageing research (CA/SA)
• Health Services Research conference (SA)
No succesful proposals:
• Mental health research conference (SA)
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• Public Health intervention research conference (SA)
Some successful
FP7 proposals
• EIS – European implementation score for measuring
implementation of healthcare practice using vascular
disease as an example, will focus on stroke
• COURAGE – validated measures of health & health
related outcomes for an ageing population
• TEMPEST – investigates how personal & environmental
approaches may complement each other in order to
develop more effective preventive interventions that will
encourage young people to develop a health lifestyle
• GRADIENT – focusing on effective actions to reduce the
gradient in health inequalities, particularly for families &
children
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Not forgetting on-going
FP6 projects …
• EUROVAQ – determining the monetary value of quality life
adjusted year (QALY) across a number of European States
• EPIC – European prospective investigation into cancer, chronic
diseses, nutrition & lifestyle
• EUROCADET - Impact iof key determinants on the current &
future burden of cancer in Europe
• EURO-PREVOB – Tackling the social & economic determinants
of nutrition and physical activity for the preventio of obesity in
Europe
• HOPE – Health promotion through obesity prevention across
Europe
• MHADIE - Aims to demonstrate the utility and feasibility of ICF
model in measuring different types and prevalence of
impairments and limitations
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Key factors for success
in applying for FP7 funding
Competition is tough - only the best projects get funded
 the proposal must be in scope with the topic
and the work programme (not wishful thinking)
 the consortium of partners must be excellent
and appropriate for the task (select the right partners)
 the proposal must address all 3 criteria,
 convince the evaluators (don’t rely on reputation),
 and, of course, respect the basic rules.
(deadlines, n° participants, ceilings, length, ethics, …)
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The Health Directorate
Director (acting) – Dr. Manuel Hallen:
Medical and Public Health Research unit (F2)
Head of unit: Dr. Manuel Hallen (manuel.hallen@ec.europa.eu)
Deputy Head of Unit: Dr. Maria Vidal (maria-jose.vidal-ragout@ec.europa.eu)
Head of sector Public Health: K. McCarthy (kevin.mccarthy@ec.europa.eu)
Infectious Diseases unit (F3)
Head of unit: Dr. Alain Vanvossel (alain.van-vossel@ec.europa.eu)
Deputy Head of unit: Dr. Anna Lönnroth (anna.lonnroth@ec.europa.eu)
Head of IMI sector: Dr. Irene Norstedt (irene.norstedt@ec.europa.eu)
Genomics and Systems Biology unit (F4)
Head of unit: Patrik Kolar (patrik.kolar@ec.europa.eu)
Deputy Head of unit: Dr. B. Mulligan (bernard.mulligan@ec.europa.eu)
Health Biotechnology unit (F5)
Head of unit: Dr. Arnd Hoeveler (arnd.hoeveler@ec.europa.eu)
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Coordination unit (F1)
Head of unit: Stéphane Hogan
(stephane.hogan@ec.europa.eu)
Admin. & Finance unit (F6)
Head of unit: Georgios Zisimatos
(georgios.zisimatos@ec.europa.eu)
Contacts & Information
FP7 Health web site: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/health
NCPs: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/health/support_en.html
Registration as an Expert: https://cordis.europa.eu/emmfp7/
Fact Sheets:
http://ftp.cordis.europa.eu.pub/fp7/docs/healthfacts_en.pdf
FP6 projects database: www.lifecompetence.eu
SME participation: Dr. Ludovica Serafini
Tel. +32 2 295 6759 – Email:ludovica.serafini@ec.europa.eu
www.smesgohealth.org
International Cooperation: Dr. Indridi Benediktsson
Tel. +32 2 299 3137 – Email: indridi.benediktsson@ec.europa.eu
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Thank you !
EU – Member States (n = 27)
Candidate/Accession countries
• Croatia
• Turkey
Countries associated with the FP
• Iceland
• Israel
• Norway
• Switzerland
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