Changing habits early – how Horizon Europe backs behavioural prevention for youth NCDs in HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-02
5th November 2025 at 11:38 am
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes are largely preventable, yet they remain leading causes of illness and death across Europe. Since many risk factors begin in adolescence, the Research and Innovation Action (RIA) HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-02 focuses on behavioural interventions for youth aged 12 to 25. Under this call topic, two projects with € 9.00 to € 10.00 million are expected to be funded. The European Commission (EC) seeks projects that empower young people to make sustainable lifestyle changes using education, technology and community support. With the 16 April 2026 deadline only six months away, now is the time to start shaping a strong Horizon Europe proposal that turns behavioural science into lasting health impact for Europe’s youth.
1. Grounding your proposal in behavioural science
The EC wants evidence-based interventions that go beyond awareness campaigns. Applicants should build on established behavioural models and apply robust, theory-driven approaches to encourage long-term change.
Tips for applicants:
- Base your intervention on proven frameworks such as social learning theory, nudging, or self-determination theory.
- Integrate behavioural psychology with digital health and education expertise.
- Address multiple determinants such as nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and sleep to reflect the complexity of real life.
- Plan evaluation methods (e.g., randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs) from the start.
2. Empowering youth through digital tools and self-management
Technology is central to this call. Projects should use wearables, apps and other self-monitoring tools that enable young people to track and improve their own health behaviours. These tools must be user-friendly, inclusive and interoperable.
Tips for applicants:
- Combine gamification with personalised feedback to keep engagement high.
- Ensure interoperability following international standards to prevent lock-in effects.
- Incorporate AI or Real-World Data (RWD) analytics to tailor advice to individual users.
- Demonstrate GDPR compliance and data protection by design.
- Design digital tools with and for young users. Co-creation workshops with students or youth groups strengthen usability and user ownership, two critical factors for sustained behavioural change.
3. Integrating diversity and inclusivity
The call emphasises gender-, intersectional-sensitive and socially inclusive approaches. Behavioural interventions must reflect Europe’s cultural, socioeconomic and gender diversity. Inclusivity is not an optional add-on and proposals should explicitly show how diversity is integrated into recruitment, communication and analysis to strengthen both excellence and impact.
Tips for applicants:
- Identify gender-specific barriers such as access to sports facilities, social norms or digital literacy gaps.
- Adapt interventions to different socioeconomic and cultural contexts.
- Include youth with disabilities or limited digital access to avoid widening health inequalities.
- Involve social scientists and humanities experts to analyse context and ensure cultural relevance.
4. Creating multi-level and collaborative interventions
The EC expects consortia to design multi-level interventions supported by strong collaboration between healthcare professionals, educators, families and policymakers.
Tips for applicants:
- Combine school-based education with family participation and community activities.
- Include training for teachers, youth workers or healthcare professionals to deliver consistent messages.
- Engage local authorities to embed interventions in supportive environments such as healthy school meals or safe spaces for exercise.
- Describe how collaboration will continue after the project ends to ensure sustainability.
- Map clear links between behavioural interventions and potential policy measures (e.g. digital literacy campaigns, urban planning for active mobility). This demonstrates long-term impact beyond the project’s duration.
5. Measuring outcomes and ensuring long-term impact
Evaluation is central to the success of Horizon Health projects. The EC expects robust methodological frameworks that measure both behavioural and physiological outcomes, as well as psychosocial well-being.
Tips for applicants:
- Define indicators of success such as changes in BMI, sleep quality, stress levels or self-efficacy.
- Use RWD to assess scalability and real-life impact.
- Include both short-term (e.g. engagement metrics) and long-term (e.g. health cost savings) indicators.
- Plan for post-intervention monitoring to assess sustained behaviour change.
6. Building the right consortium
Effective behavioural interventions rely on collaboration across disciplines. The EC expects consortia to integrate medical, educational, digital, and social science expertise.
Tips for applicants:
- Partner with universities, schools, public health bodies and youth organisations.
- Include SMEs or start-ups developing digital health tools to strengthen innovation.
- Engage policymakers or municipal authorities early to support future uptake.
- Assign clear leadership for behavioural design, technology development and evaluation.
- Early co-design with end users to make your intervention credible, relevant and easier to scale across different European settings.
Looking for proposal writing support from experts with biomedical experience?
Since our foundation, we have been collaborating with more than 1,000 organisations in Europe and beyond. Our track record includes Horizon Health RIAs such as EXPOSIM, EU PAL-COPD, GLIOMATCH, GENEGUT, COVend and MyPath. Additionally, our support extends to many more health-focused ITNs, including MITGEST and MobiliTraIN, as well as Pathfinder-Open projects related to health, such as POLINA and BoneOscopy.
From strategic planning to full proposal development and project implementation, we work closely with researchers, companies and institutions to navigate the EU funding landscape. Whether you’re aiming for success in a Cluster 1 Health call or enhancing your project’s communication, dissemination and impact strategy, our team is ready to support you. Let’s connect and explore how we can help you!
