The Horizon Europe “Earlier and More Precise Palliative Care” call supports collaborative research developing innovative models that introduce palliative care earlier in the cancer pathway and adapt care to patients’ individual needs, preferences, and circumstances.
Projects should combine person-centred care with digital tools, artificial intelligence, home-based options, improved communication, and better referral and workforce models. Proposed approaches should be tested in real-world settings through implementation research and, where appropriate, clinical trials.
Eligibility Criteria:
- This is an institutional and consortium-based funding opportunity rather than an individual investigator award.
- Universities, research institutions, hospitals, healthcare organisations, nonprofit organisations, companies, SMEs, public authorities, and other organisations with the necessary operational and financial capacity may participate.
- For most Horizon Europe calls, applications must include at least three independent partner organisations from three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe-associated countries.
- Additional organisations from other eligible or non-associated countries may participate under the applicable Horizon Europe funding and participation rules.
- Applicants should assemble expertise relevant to oncology, palliative medicine, healthcare delivery, digital health, artificial intelligence, clinical research, implementation science, workforce planning, and patient-centred care.
- Participation is subject to the topic’s restrictions concerning the protection of European communication networks.
Funding Details:
- Expected EU contribution: approximately EUR 5 million per project.
- Total indicative budget: EUR 15 million.
- Approximately three projects are expected to receive funding.
- Applicants may request a different amount when justified by the proposed research.
Deadline:
- Call opening: February 2026.
- Full proposal deadline: September 15, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels local time.
- Application process: Single-stage.
Further Information:
- Projects should develop earlier, personalised, integrated, and equitable palliative-care models, including options for remote and home-based care.
- Proposed models should be tested and validated in real-world settings through implementation research and clinical trials, with appropriate consideration of age, sex, and gender.
- Artificial intelligence and digital tools may be used to predict care needs, identify patient preferences, support real-time communication, and improve the allocation of resources.
- Successful projects must collaborate with relevant EU4Health initiatives and join the EU Cancer Mission’s Quality of Life project cluster.
- Official program information and application details: Visit the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page for application documents, eligibility conditions, submission templates, partner-search tools, and current call updates.