1.2. Rationale and Union added value

Disease and disability are not stopped by national borders. An appropriate European level research, development and innovation effort, in cooperation with third countries and with the involvement of all stakeholders, including patients and end-users, can and should make a crucial contribution to addressing these global challenges, thereby working to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, deliver better health and well-being for all, and position Europe as a leader in the rapidly expanding global markets for health and well-being innovations. The response depends on excellence in research to improve our fundamental understanding of the determinants of health, disease, disability, healthy employment conditions, development and ageing (including of life expectancy), and on the seamless and widespread translation of the resulting and existing knowledge into innovative, scalable, effective, accessible and safe products, strategies, interventions and services. Furthermore, the pertinence of these challenges across Europe and in many cases, globally, demands a response characterised by long-term and coordinated support for co-operation between excellent, multidisciplinary and multi-sector teams. It is also necessary to address the challenge from the perspective of the social and economic sciences and humanities. Similarly, the complexity of the challenge and the interdependency of its components demand a European level response. Many approaches, tools and technologies have applicability across many of the research and innovation areas of this challenge and are best supported at Union level. These include understanding the molecular basis of disease, the identification of innovative therapeutic strategies and novel model systems, the multidisciplinary application of knowledge in physics, chemistry and systems biology, the development of long-term cohorts and the conduct of clinical trials (including focus on the development and effects of medicines in all age groups), the clinical use of "-omics", systems biomedicine and the development of ICT and their applications in healthcare practice, notably e-health. The requirements of specific populations are also best addressed in an integrated manner, for example in the development of stratified and/or personalised medicine, in the treatment of rare diseases, and in providing assisted and independent living solutions. To maximise the impact of Union level actions, support will be provided to the full spectrum of research, development and innovation activities from basic research through translation of knowledge on disease to new therapeutics, to large trials, piloting and demonstration actions, by mobilising private investment; to public and pre-commercial procurement for new products, services and scalable solutions, which are, when necessary, interoperable and supported by defined standards and/or common guidelines. This coordinated, European effort will increase the scientific capabilities in health research and contribute to the ongoing development of the ERA. It will also interface, as and when appropriate, with activities developed in the context of the Health for Growth Programme, the Joint Programming Initiatives, including "Neurodegenerative Disease Research", "A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life", "Antimicrobial resistance" and "More Years, Better Lives", and the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. The Scientific Panel for Health will be a science-led stakeholder platform which elaborates scientific input concerning this societal challenge. It will provide a coherent scientific focused analysis of research and innovation bottlenecks and opportunities related to this societal challenge, contribute to the definition of its research and innovation priorities and encourage Union-wide scientific participation in it. Through active cooperation with stakeholders, it will help to build capabilities and to foster knowledge sharing and stronger collaboration across the Union in this field.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-03 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.