One Health

Topic 1: Health consequences of human activity-induced changes to nature and biodiversity 

Human activities, such as changes in land use, buildings, pollution (noise, light, chemicals, particles), and climate alterations, have wide-reaching impacts on the living conditions of humans and other species, directly or indirectly affecting health. There is a need for more knowledge on how and to what extent different human activities impact health through their consequences on nature and biodiversity, to what extent different species can adapt without health consequences, and how we can mitigate negative health effects through compensatory actions targeted towards species and their ecosystems. 

Topic 2: Pollution and cross-species disease dynamics

Humans, animals, and plants share ecosystems and are affected by the same environmental stressors, which can influence disease susceptibility and transmission. Pollutants, including antibiotics, impact entire ecosystems, including water, crops grown for human consumption, feed for livestock, and livestock health itself. Investigating environmental drivers of disease mechanisms across species is essential since they can alter how diseases emerge, spread, and affect different species. We seek projects that can increase our understanding of how pollutants affect cross-species diseases in a holistic/global perspective.

Healthy Life Spans

Topic 1: Enabling lifelong physical activity through life transitions

Although the benefits of physical activity are well established, most people remain insufficiently active throughout life. Sustaining physical activity requires understanding how habits are formed and maintained, particularly during life transitions such as puberty/adolescence, entering the workforce, having children, establishing families, menopause, or retirement. A systems-based and interdisciplinary approach is crucial to uncovering the multi-level social, environmental, biological, and personal drivers that influence long-term physical activity behavior. We seek projects to identify and understand key drivers that enable sustainable physical activity across critical life transitions, focusing on the development of interventions and policies that support active living across the lifespan.

Topic 2: Supporting women’s health and work participation

Women, especially middle-aged, have higher rates of sick leave and disability than men, seemingly related to both workplace and gender. Health problems among women are also characterized by a high rate of non-specific symptoms and conditions, including bodily pains, sleep disturbances, and poor mental health that reduce quality of life and complicate work participation. For many of these health problems, there is a limited understanding of the underlying biological causes, the influence of life-situations and social determinants, and of how different interventions can effectively support women with differing symptom profiles. In this call for proposals, we seek projects that can provide more knowledge about how various illnesses and symptoms (excluding pregnancy- and birth-related conditions) affect women in different situations and stages of life, as well as the women’s participation in the workforce. We also request measures to reduce health complaints and increase work participation among women.

Value-based Health Services

Topic 1: A sustainable health workforce 

The healthcare workforce is foundational to equitable health systems. Yet, a majority of the workforce in many countries reports conditions that are insufficient to sustain safe and resilient services, which is a system-level problem for securing a sustainable healthcare system. A good working environment is essential for recruiting and retaining healthcare personnel; however, we lack knowledge about the mechanisms that drive these effects, and which measures are truly effective over time and across health systems. We invite proposals that investigate how to attain sustainable coverage and system resilience through a focus on the individual worker, technology use, and/or organizational models. The proposals should have a strong focus on implementation and impact and should contain clear plans for upscaling and policy translation.

Topic 2: Digital technology for equitable healthcare

Digital technology in healthcare offers powerful tools to support healthcare personnel and improve the quality of care. Technologies such as remote monitoring, asynchronous communication, electronic health records, AI-assisted diagnostics, and personalized health apps can enhance clinical decision-making, streamline workflows, and enable more proactive and patient-centered care, including hybrid care. However, to ensure that these innovations lead to equitable health outcomes, we need knowledge on how such technologies can be embedded in care models and care pathways across different health systems, how technology can influence the co-creation of services, and how technologies affect different population groups and healthcare workers. We invite project proposals that explore how digital technology can be embedded in health care models to achieve more patient-centered, equitable and sustainable healthcare.

Topic 3: The role of trust in sustainable healthcare services

A sustainable healthcare system needs to prioritize resources to optimize the patient experience and the efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of the healthcare service, while ensuring healthcare workers’ well-being. To achieve this, trust is a key factor. Trust can strengthen the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, promote adherence to treatment, and help reduce overuse of healthcare services. In the workplace, trust contributes to well-being, lower absenteeism, and better collaboration - key factors for recruiting and retaining healthcare personnel. To develop a more equitable healthcare system, we need more knowledge about how organizational structures, leadership, digitization, and social inequality affect trust - both among and between healthcare personnel and patients. Research is also needed on how trust can be built and maintained within and across different parts of the healthcare system, and how this contributes to better health outcomes and equitable access to care.