EU health programme - 2012 call for proposals : Abstracts of the actions selected for EU co-funding

Important factors in public health range from the food we eat, the life-styles we lead, the efficiency – and availability – of health services to the levels of expertise in diagnosing and tackling diseases and caring for patients. This brochure offers an overview on some of the projects that the European Commission is currently backing to help improve the health of its citizens in these areas. The projects are funded under the Programme of Community Action in the Field of Public Health better known as the EU Health Programme. With a budget of 321.5 million euro for 2008– 2013, the programme touches on a wide variety of actions: from discouraging the use of tobacco or the abuse of alcohol to refining the care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, from deploying TeleHealth services to strengthening Europe’s defences against epidemics. The programme aims to overcome inequalities across Europe by, for instance, promoting healthy eating and physical activity in local communities or by providing facilities for children with major organ disease. It promotes research and treatment on rare diseases and on widespread health challenges such as cardiovascular disease or cancer. It assists in finding responses to specific health issues such as HIV among men who have sex with men, or easing the lives of people with multiple sclerosis, or strengthening the capacities of occupational health professionals to improve the health of the ageing workforce. It also supports awareness of the rights of patients The projects presented in this brochure have all been funded in the second phase of the Health Programme. Approximately 13 million euro were provided under the 2012 call for proposals. Conferences and operating grants to health-related organisations are included. All projects aim to improve citizens’ health security, promote health, reduce health inequalities, or generate and disseminate health information and knowledge, and all of them have a European level, bringing together partners from European countries. A high level of human health protection is one of the European Union’s objectives and its role in supporting Member States in this task was reinforced by the Treaty of Lisbon. The projects highlighted in this brochure are an important part of how the EU is carrying out its duties