In March 2023, the THCS Partnership, co-funded by the European Commission (EC), launched its first Joint Transnational Call (JTC) for Research and Innovation (R&I) proposals under the theme "Healthcare of the Future". This ambitious initiative saw 36 Funding Organisations from 24 Countries united to support the highest ranking collaborative transnational research projects.
177 full proposals were submitted, requesting a total budget of €192 million. Ultimately, 28 proposals were selected for funding, involving 29 out of 36 Funding Organisations. The total national call budget expenditure amounted to €31.1 million, supplemented by an additional €6.6 million in EC top-up funds. This selection process underscored the Partnership's commitment to addressing transformative challenges in health and care systems, with the flexibility of funding agencies and EC top-up funds playing crucial roles in bridging financial gaps.
The majority of proposals submitted came from research teams from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, The Netherlands, France, Portugal, and Norway. The top-performing teams were primarily based in The Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, France, and Switzerland. Most proposals focused on Health Policy and Systems Research, with significant emphasis on Health Technology among selected projects. The research types included Applied Research, Implementation Research, and Demonstrator Projects, with a notable emphasis on Implementation and Applied Research among funded projects.
The call achieved a balanced distribution of outcomes, with a primary focus on health and care providers, followed by citizens and patients, health and care authorities, and primary care and community-based health. This balance reflects the THCS Partnership's goal of fostering innovation, integration, and continuity of care.
This first JTC 2023 successfully attracted a significant interest from the scientific community, demonstrating flexibility in funding and maintaining a balanced approach in addressing the transformative challenges of health and care systems. The selected projects are expected to make substantial contributions to the future landscape of health and care services.
For more detailed information, please refer to the recently published deliverable on the THCS website: https://www.thcspartnership.eu/deliverables/deliverables.kl