Scientific support to the European Commission in the field of (public) health has helped the EU respond to the most pressing health priorities

Over the course of four years, the EUHealthSupport consortium, led by Nivel, has provided scientific support to the European Commission on a broad range of public health related topics. Such support has been instrumental to EU level policy making. It has played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and in other flagship initiatives, such as the European Health Data Space, the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Mission on Cancer. Highlights from these support activities are now showcased in a short report, published by the Dutch research institute Nivel. This is done because such scientific support activities often take place behind the scenes, resulting in the development of Commission policies and preparatory actions in areas such as NCD prevention, mental health, prevention and early detection of cancers.

In 2019, the European Commission issued for the first time a Single Framework Contract to provide scientific and technical support services for managing expert groups in the field of public health. The Framework Contract was led by Nivel. The pillar of scientific support services was provided in collaboration with fellow scientific partners: RIVM (National Institute of Public Health and the Environment of the Netherlands) and RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons – University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ireland). Additional experts where involved for specific topic areas.

Research conducted by the consortium contributed to key public health priority areas

Although the framework contract officially ran from January 2019 to December 2023, its effects were still visible in 2024. These included contributions to EU Council Recommendations and EU Commission Communications, and covered a wide range of topics such as:

• implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU Member States
• disease prevention and health promotion, including major Non-Communicable Disease areas, mental health, best practice exchange, and implementation of research into policy
• cancer policies, including cancer screening, childhood cancer survivorship, alcohol labelling policies and quality of life of cancer survivors
• COVID-19 related studies, including studies on COVID-19 policy responses, post-COVID surveillance, contact tracing, crisis related stockpiling and procurement of medical countermeasures and Long COVID
• pharmaceutical policies
• implementing EU reference laboratories in the area of public health

Scientific support to the EU is essential when responding to public health crises

The report, among other things, showcases the dedication of Commission officers to protecting the health of EU citizens, informed by scientific evidence and in close conjunction with various EU-level expert groups. Their activities were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as all EU Member States found themselves in the heart of a storm, requiring scientific support in a rapidly changing public health landscape. Having an overview of the types of studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic helps to optimize scientific support in response to future public health crises  requiring an efficient use of resources.

About the study

The EUHealthSupport consortium operated under the Single Framework Contract Chafea/2018/03, with Nivel as lead partner. In total, 16 requests for service were made on behalf of DG Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). All contracts were managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) on behalf of the European Commission services.