The European Mental Health Week continues. This year, the week runs from 22-28 May and its theme focuses on mentally healthy communities.
The European Commission has long been dedicated to improving the mental health of European citizens. Under EU health and research programmes, the Commission has been investing in projects promoting mental health and aiming to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
BOOST
The aim of the Horizon 2020 project BOOST is to develop an innovative approach to strengthen social and emotional skills of children and young people in schools, to promote their mental health. The project has developed and tested a new Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programme in primary schools of 3 countries, namely Norway, Poland and Spain. The SEL programme has involved all school staff and has been integrated to the schools’ curricula to target more children.
FAITH
The FAITH project, funded under Horizon 2020, aims to use AI to improve the mental wellbeing of people that have undergone cancer treatment. It has developed the app AI Angel that remotely identifies depression markers to predict negative trends in patients’ mental health. It is useful for patients as well as health professionals as it allows timely intervention, and increases awareness of cancer patients’ mental health situation.
Joint Action ImpleMENTAL
The Joint Action, funded under the Third health programme, focuses on implementing two best practices in the area of mental health, namely a reform of the Belgian health care system and the Austrian suicide prevention programme.
The joint action aims to create a network for knowledge-sharing and peer learning, bring real and effective changes in the current healthcare systems, implement an integrated care model, support cooperation between authorities at international, national and regional levels.
Under EU4Health, the Commission is also funding projects to support the mental health of people displaced by the war in Ukraine. [hyperlink to the other article]
BACKGROUND
Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases.
Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020.
Since 2003, the First, Second and Third health programmes have implemented EU health policy. Their successor, EU4Health, is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe.
HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and tenders from 2021 to 2027.
Source: European Commission | European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) (https://rb.gy/6s86k)