For Europe to remain relevant and competitive, it must make health and the life sciences sector a central pillar of the next Multi Annual Financial Framework (MFF), according to the EU Health Coalition. 

The Coalition emphasises that with a strategic focus on health in the MFF, Europe can bolster its capacity to respond to future (health) threats and ensure the long-term health security of its citizens.  

It says investments in the health sector deliver the greatest financial value to Europe’s productivity and competitiveness, compared with investments in any other sector. For example, the evaluation of Horizon 2020 demonstrated that every euro invested in the EU RD&I programme yielded significant benefits, contributing to GDP growth and societal gains.  

The EU Health Coalition’s membership spans all 27 EU Member States and all areas of the health and life sciences sector.  

The group is proposing nine recommendations to help Europe strengthen the health of its populations, workforce and economies; improve its fiscal sustainability; and regain its competitiveness in a strategic and high-value sector. 

The nine recommendations
  1. Secure a Ring-Fenced Budget for RD&I: Protect the research, development and innovation (RD&I) budget within the MFF. 
  2. Earmark Funds for Life Sciences: Channel investments through earmarked funds in the MFF to promote sustainable life sciences ecosystems and clusters at scale. 
  3. Enable Funding Instruments for Impact: Enhance funding instruments to facilitate the translation of scientific ideas into products and services that effectively reach the patient; deploy and scale up innovation in clinical, research and regulatory practice. 
  4. Accelerate Clinical Trials in Europe: Invest in infrastructure – hospitals, networks, data and biobanks – and ensure their integration into Member States’ health systems. Support multi-country clinical trials through the exchange of good practices and convergence of approvals and ethical reviews. Facilitate cross-border access to trials.  
  5. Resource Regulators and Enablers of RD&I: Strengthen the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national regulators with the resources required to keep pace with scientific advancements and new types of products, ensuring a modern regulatory framework. 
  6. Facilitate Collaboration and Digital Transformation in Health Innovation: Encourage the integration of digital health solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into research and care processes. 
  7. Incentivise Health Systems Transformation: Dedicate resources, including in any continuation of the Cohesion and European Regional Development Funds, to enhance the capacity of health systems to respond to the increased demand for care, effectively prepare for future epidemics, pandemics and crises, and increase its uptake of lifesaving and life-prolonging innovation. 
  8. Invest in Public and Patient Engagement: Ensure a sustainable, accessible, predictable, and transparent funding scheme, such as Operating Grants under the EU4Health programme, for more equitable and patient-centred healthcare systems. 
  9. Prepare the Future European Health Workforce: Invest in training, education and retention programmes to build a resilient and skilled health workforce capable of addressing future health challenges.

Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, DDW