European Partnership Fostering a European Research Area (ERA) for Health Research

Project Acronym ERA4Health
Funding Programme Horizon Europe
Budget € 102.6M
Coordinator Instituto De Salud Carlos III
Project duration 1 November 2022 – 31 May 2034

The ERA4Health project aims to strengthen transnational collaboration in health research by establishing a sustainable mechanism for joint programming in priority areas that address public health needs. Through transnational joint calls for proposals, cross-cutting initiatives, and enhanced interregional and international cooperation, ERA4Health seeks to deliver impactful contributions and provide a lasting funding model that supports pioneering research in the health domain across Europe and beyond. 

Key objectives include: 

  • Supporting medical research across prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. 
  • Improving the utilisation of health technologies in clinical practice. 
  • Building capacity for conducting Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies (IICSs) at the EU level. 
  • Advancing Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) practices across the programme. 

The project is implemented in two phases: 

  • Phase 1 (first 2 years): Launches joint calls on nutrition, lifestyle-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and nanomedicine. 
  • Phase 2: Expands to multinational IICSs and new priority areas pending EC approval. 

ERA4Health Consortium 

The ERA4Health consortium brings together a broad alliance of national, regional, and international funders to strengthen European health research and innovation. It aims to advance health and care systems beyond the current state of the art and foster a strong network for international cooperation among Member States and associated countries. This collaboration will enhance synergies within and across nations, ensuring faster dissemination and uptake of research outcomes while improving collective capacity to respond to future health challenges. ERA4Health has a focus in different research areas: prevention and Public Health strategies, nutrition and lifestyle-related diseases, cardiovascular disease, nano and advanced technologies for prevention, diagnostic an therapy and research areas that can be addressed by multi-country investigator-initiated clinical studies

 

The role of EATRIS in the project 

EATRIS joined the consortium in June 2025, following a successful evaluation of the ERA4Health Partnership 2 – the second phase of the European initiative aimed at strengthening the European Research Area (ERA) for health research. The partnership is part of the Horizon Europe Health Work Programme 2021–2022 and 2025 was approved under Grant Agreement No. 101095426.  

EATRIS plays a key role in ERA4Health through its leadership of Task 19.5 in WP19, which focuses on enhancing the European Research Area and health ecosystems. Under this task, EATRIS coordinates the Innovation Mentoring Programme designed to support full proposal applicants of the ERA4Health Joint Transnational Calls. The mentoring service provides tailored training sessions, access to the EATRIS Innovation Management Toolbox, and guidance from a network of experienced mentoring experts. Through this work, EATRIS fosters innovation capacity, facilitates knowledge transfer, and strengthens the translation of research outcomes into tangible health solutions. Additionally, EATRIS contributes to related activities in WP20 and WP21, further promoting innovation management and maximising the overall impact of ERA4Health.