Projects

The co-OPERATOR project develops an innovative and citizen-centered digital solution with an evidence-based virtual observatory to increase vaccine uptake and vaccine literacy within Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The project supports decision-makers, experts, and EU citizens to understand the determinants of vaccine uptake for COVID-19 and healthcare professionals’ barriers and facilitators of promoting vaccine information. The co-OPERATOR’s innovative research approach uses insights from health literacy and behavioural science through social mobilization for vaccination promotion. The co-OPERATOR consortium engages with target populations to co-create innovative approaches to health that are citizen-centered, multi-stakeholder and capable of stimulating new service models. The Department of International Health, leading work package 6, uses this co-creation approach to translate the project’s research findings using policy labs to improve and scale-up vaccination promotion activities for COVID-19.

• Find more information about the project co-OPERATOR

The Resilient and Mentally Healthy Societies (REMESOS) project aims to propose a robust, easy-to-implement positive mental health/mental well-being measurement tool for Europe; implement and evaluate an evidence-based community mental health practice in four countries; provide guidance and an online tool for future implementation; and provide actionable policy advice. REMESOS will provide both a scalable mental health intervention with strong preventive elements and critical policy advice on measuring citizens' mental health at scale. The project contributes to a more comprehensive and coherent approach to mental health by supporting national, regional, and local policymakers and decision makers with evidence-based insights for policymaking and by reinforcing cooperation with practitioners and civil society organizations, particularly around the collection and sharing of information, knowledge, and promising approaches to address mental health.

• Find more information about the project REMESOS

The Jean Monnet Module Regulatory affairs and market access of health products in Europe provides understanding of the European principles and practices to health products’ authorization and market access. The course addresses the landscape in which EU health (product) law navigates internal market priorities, supports the European pharmaceutical, bio- and MedTech industry, the regulation of product risks and access to innovative products for patients and citizens. Next to the EU legal framework, students uncover the opportunities of technological innovations such as new pharmaceutical therapies, AI, digitalization, and data spaces and the challenges regarding high-price medicines, disruption in global production chains and gaps in biotech research & development. This will allow students to understand the global dimension of EU health technology regulation. Outreach activities include webinars, stakeholder speaker’ s seminars, and roundtable dialogues of professional stakeholders in Brussels and Maastricht.

The European Health Data Space has the potential to strengthen how health policies are made at regional and local levels. Yet, many public health authorities still face challenges such as a lack of digital and data skills, limited analytical capacity, and weak use of evidence in policymaking. This project will use a mix of research methods to explore workforce skills, data analytics resources, and decision-making practices in local public health authorities across Central and Eastern Europe. This region offers a unique context, where EU integration meets diverse health systems shaped by rapid transitions, ageing populations, and limited resources. The study’s findings will support the development of more responsive and resilient health systems that can better reduce health inequalities.