Identifying and addressing low-value care in health and care systems

The funding opportunity known as HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-03 focuses on identifying and addressing low-value care in health and care systems. This initiative is part of the Horizon Europe program specifically under Cluster 1: Health. It aims to support innovative research and actions that enhance healthcare efficiency and sustainability, targeting a substantial budget of €38 million, with four expected grants of around €10 million each.

Eligible applicants are entities from EU member states or associated countries, which can include universities, research institutions, hospitals, SMEs, and non-profit organizations. Each application must involve at least three independent organizations from different member states, promoting cross-border collaboration.

The call operates on a single-stage submission process, with applications opening on February 10, 2026, and due by April 16, 2026. The nature of support provided will be financial, in the form of grants to facilitate research and innovation activities.

Proposals should focus on developing evidence-based methodologies to measure and reduce low-value care, which encompasses overuse, misuse, and underuse of healthcare services. Activities may include clinical studies, the use of digital or AI-based analyses, and collaborative initiatives across registries and regions to identify best practices.

The expected outcomes are not only to improve clinical efficiency and quality of care but also to enhance patient safety and support healthcare systems financially and environmentally by reallocating resources made available through reductions in low-value care practices.

Successful proposals must meet rigorous evaluation criteria, achieving a cumulative score of at least 12 points across the categories of Excellence, Impact, and Implementation, each requiring a minimum score of 4. Given the competitive nature of Horizon Europe funding, the anticipated success rate is between 10% to 15%.

Overall, the initiative emphasizes multidisciplinary partnerships and a patient-centered approach, considering factors like gender norms and social inequalities in healthcare access. It aims to transform healthcare systems across Europe by promoting evidence-based practices and reducing inefficiencies.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under Cluster 1 Health, specifically addressing the topic of Identifying and addressing low-value care in health and care systems, with topic ID HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-03. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 10 February 2026, and the deadline for submission is 16 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated to this topic is 38,000,000 EUR, and the expected contribution per project is around 10,000,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 4 grants to be awarded.

The goal of this topic is to support activities that contribute to ensuring equal access to innovative, sustainable, and high-quality healthcare. Proposals should aim to achieve the following outcomes:

Healthcare providers and policymakers should utilize evidence-based indicators and methodologies to identify low-value care practices and monitor improvements.
Healthcare professionals should be equipped with the knowledge and tools to implement guidelines for reducing low-value care activities while maintaining effective and patient-centered practices.
Patients and citizens should benefit from more effective healthcare by understanding and endorsing measures that reduce low-value care.
Health and care systems should benefit from a reduction in low-value care practices, leading to enhanced patient safety, quality of care, efficiency, and fiscal and environmental sustainability.
Healthcare organizations should be able to reallocate resources to other areas of need by identifying low-value care practices.

The scope of the topic includes research activities that adopt a patient-centered approach, promote socially acceptable solutions, consider ethical, social, and legal aspects, and foster collaboration between various stakeholders. Proposals should engage citizens and civil society organizations to ensure the acceptability of solutions. Implementation research and multidisciplinary approaches are encouraged.

Proposed activities may include clinical studies to provide evidence on the value of interventions, data models, digital and AI-based analysis, and examination of healthcare payment systems. Collaboration among registries across regions or countries is also encouraged, as well as activities that facilitate learning and best practice transfers. International comparisons of low-value care practices and strategies are also within the scope.

Research actions should address the following objectives:

Develop a deeper understanding of how low-value care can be identified and measured, including testing related indicators and producing evidence-based methodologies.
Identify instances of overuse, misuse, underuse, and unwarranted variation in specific healthcare contexts.
Develop and/or pilot innovative strategies for effective reduction of low-value care in specific settings, demonstrating scalability and transferability.

Proposals should consider how gender norms and roles influence utilization patterns and address potential gender and social inequalities. They should also consider the work and output of EU-level initiatives and other international initiatives in this area. Applicants including clinical studies should provide details in a dedicated annex.

The general conditions for this call include:

Admissibility conditions as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout as described in Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
Eligibility of legal entities from the United States of America to receive Union funding.
Mandatory use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects using satellite-based earth observation data.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes, with thresholds of 4 for Excellence, Impact, and Implementation, and a cumulative threshold of 12.
Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the end of the action.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions as described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms include:

Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) available in the Submission System.
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) to be used with necessary adaptations.

Guidance documents include:

HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreement (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Information on clinical studies (HE)

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 4. Health
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

This funding opportunity seeks to improve healthcare systems by identifying and reducing low-value care. It encourages research and innovation actions that promote patient-centered approaches, ethical considerations, and collaboration among stakeholders. The goal is to equip healthcare providers and policymakers with the tools and knowledge needed to eliminate wasteful practices, improve patient outcomes, and enhance the sustainability of healthcare systems across Europe. The call encourages the use of data models, AI, and clinical studies to achieve these objectives, while also emphasizing the importance of addressing gender and social inequalities in healthcare access.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to various legal entities including, but not limited to, research organizations, healthcare providers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, citizens, and civil society organizations. The inclusion of clinical studies suggests that universities, research institutions, hospitals, and potentially SMEs involved in healthcare research and innovation are also eligible. The mention of engaging citizens and civil society organizations indicates that non-profits and NGOs can also apply. The eligibility of legal entities established in the United States of America is explicitly mentioned.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) grant. Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (HORIZON-PPI) and Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) are also mentioned.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the nature of the research, the need for multidisciplinary approaches, and the encouragement of collaboration across regions and countries strongly suggest that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required. Partner search tools are mentioned, further implying that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. In recognition of the opening of the US National Institutes of Health’s programmes to European researchers, any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is health, specifically focusing on improving healthcare systems, reducing low-value care, and enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of healthcare practices. This includes the application of data models, digital and artificial intelligence-based analysis, and the evaluation of healthcare payment systems.

Mentioned Countries: United States of America, OECD countries (indirectly, through the mention of the OECD report). The primary geographic focus is Europe, as indicated by the emphasis on transferability across diverse health and care systems in Europe.

Project Stage: The project stage spans from research and development to piloting and implementation. The call aims to develop a deeper understanding of low-value care, identify instances of it, and develop/pilot innovative strategies for its effective reduction. This suggests projects should be at the development, validation, and demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific HORIZON action type. For HORIZON-RIA, the contributions range from around €3,000,000 to around €11,000,000. For HORIZON-CSA, the contributions range from €1,500,000 to around €3,900,000. For HORIZON-PPI, the contributions range from €3,000,000 to €8,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned. However, the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the expected number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under Cluster 1 Health, focuses on "Identifying and addressing low-value care in health and care systems." The call aims to support activities that contribute to ensuring equal access to innovative, sustainable, and high-quality healthcare by reducing wasteful spending and improving the efficiency of healthcare systems. The call is structured around HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and HORIZON Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI).

The expected outcomes include the development and use of evidence-based indicators and methodologies to identify low-value care practices, equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and tools to reduce low-value care, improving patient understanding and endorsement of measures to reduce low-value care, and enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of health and care systems.

The scope of the call encompasses research activities that adopt a patient-centered approach, promote socially acceptable solutions, and foster collaboration between various stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare providers, professionals, and citizens. Proposed activities may include clinical studies, data models, digital and AI-based analysis, and the evaluation of healthcare payment systems.

The call outlines several objectives, including developing a deeper understanding of how low-value care can be identified and measured, identifying instances of overuse, misuse, and underuse of healthcare resources, and developing/piloting innovative strategies for the effective reduction of low-value care.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of legal entities, such as research organizations, healthcare providers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, citizens, civil society organizations, and legal entities established in the United States of America. The call encourages multidisciplinary approaches and collaboration across regions and countries, suggesting that consortia of multiple applicants are preferred.

The funding amounts vary depending on the specific HORIZON action type, with contributions ranging from around €1,500,000 to around €11,000,000. The application process is a single-stage open call, and beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research and innovation activities.

In essence, this call seeks to fund projects that can demonstrate scalable and transferable strategies for reducing low-value care across diverse health and care systems in Europe, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes, enhanced healthcare efficiency, and a more sustainable healthcare sector.