Towards risk-based screening strategies for non-communicable diseases

Prevention and early detection continue to represent areas where effective strategies have the potential to generate major impacts. Effective screening may result in earlier disease detection which provides possibilities for more effective treatments, better disease control and care. It can diminish the disease burden and the costs of healthcare systems. Personalised medicine and health digitalisation provide new opportunities to improve targeted screening interventions through the identification of subpopulations at high risk of developing a disease.

Scope

Proposals should develop new or refined, targeted population-based screening interventions aiming at identifying populations or groups at high risk of developing disease. Stratification by health risk factors and determinants, such as (epi)genetic, exposomic, socio-economic, sex and gender, geographic, immunological, environmental, behavioural, occupational, cultural, and lifestyle habits should be addressed. Strategies may include the use of markers and digital applications.

The risk-adapted screening interventions should demonstrate a high level of accuracy, clinical value, cost-effectiveness, acceptability and the potential to be taken up by healthcare systems. Health inequities and ethics should be considered. Proposals should aim at providing sufficient evidence for health care systems implementation.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact

• Established risk-based screening strategies, which have demonstrated to be effective, affordable, acceptable to the population, cost-effective and suitable for implementation.
• Demonstrated potential to improve health outcomes and equity across Europe.

Cross-cutting Priorities

• Open Science
• Socio-economic science and humanities
• Gender