Improving equitable health outcomes and added value for and with cancer patients through health-economics research, health systems research and outcom...

HORIZON-MISS is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) using a lump-sum Model Grant Agreement to fund health-economics, health systems and outcomes research that improves equitable cancer control across EU Member States and Associated Countries. The call opens 10 February 2027 and the submission deadline is 21 September 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, single-stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The topic has an indicative budget of €10 million, expects to fund around three projects with an EU contribution of €5–€7 millionper project, and requires proposals to develop/validate methods, analyse cancer-related healthcare expenditures and demonstrate value-driven, equity-focused cancer control with patient and caregiver participation. Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries forming multidisciplinary consortia following standard Horizon Europe rules.

Improving equitable health outcomes and added value for and with cancer patients

Call summary

HORIZON-MISS-2027-02-CANCER-04 (Horizon Europe)

What it funds: Research and innovation projects to develop, validate or refine health-economics, health systems, epidemiological and outcomes research methods and models that enable comparative cost-effectiveness and epidemiological analyses. Projects must address socio-economic inequalities, involve patients and caregivers using participatory approaches, calculate cancer-control related healthcare expenditures, and demonstrate how evidence-based, cost-effective cancer-control programmes improve equitable outcomes across local, regional or national settings. Successful projects are expected to build on resources from the Knowledge Centre on Cancer and join the EU Cancer Mission 'Understanding' project cluster Knowledge Centre on Cancer. ¹

Action type and funding mechanism:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). Grants use the Horizon lump-sum model. Projects must include budget for networking and cluster activities.

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (see General Annex B for full eligibility and participation rules); consortia are expected to bring relevant multidisciplinary partners including researchers, healthcare providers, policy stakeholders and patient representatives.
2. 2Project scope highlights: methodological development for cost-effectiveness and outcomes research; participatory research with patients/caregivers; calculation and analysis of cancer-related healthcare expenditures; demonstration of organisation and access improvements for value-driven cancer care.
3. 3Evaluation and model: standard Horizon Europe evaluation (Excellence, Impact, Implementation) with lump-sum budget justification; thresholds per criterion apply as per Work Programme.

Practical notes: submissions are single-stage using the Funding & Tenders Portal application form and the detailed budget table for lump-sum proposals. Proposals should plan to participate in Mission cluster activities and to use KCC outputs to ensure EU alignment.

Footnotes

1. 1Knowledge Centre on Cancer (hosted by the European Commission JRC): resources and data platforms to support alignment and evidence (European Cancer Information System, Cancer Inequalities Registry) available at knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu.

Improving equitable health outcomes and added value for and with cancer patients through health-economics research, health systems research and outcomes research (HORIZON-MISS-2027-02-CANCER-04)

Programme: Horizon Europe — Supporting the implementation of the Cancer Mission (HORIZON-MISS-2027-02). Type of action: HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions). Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. Deadline model: single-stage. Planned opening date: 10 February 2027. Deadline: 21 September 2027, 17:00:00 Brussels time. Topic status: forthcoming. Official topic page: EU Funding & Tenders Portal: HORIZON-MISS-2027-02-CANCER-04.

Opportunity scope and objectives

This Research and Innovation Action funds multidisciplinary projects that use health-economics, health systems and outcomes research to improve equitable health outcomes and deliver added value in cancer control across the EU and Associated Countries. Proposals must address all elements listed below and align with the Cancer Mission’s objectives, leveraging EU resources and participating in Mission coordination mechanisms.

Expected outcomes

• People at risk of cancer, cancer patients and their caregivers/families benefit from access to more effective and cost-effective national or regional cancer control programmes across EU Member States and Associated Countries.
• Researchers, physicians, innovators, SMEs and other professionals can access national, regional or local data on healthcare spending and cancer-related datasets for research and commercial purposes. This may include: expenditures, resource allocations, organisation and types of healthcare interventions and indications, infrastructure, medical prescriptions, drug pricing and sales, reimbursement data from health insurers, population-based cancer registries and other cancer-centred registries, and longitudinal epidemiology data.
• Healthcare systems, providers, policymakers and authorities have evidence to improve equitable outcomes by addressing direct and indirect costs, delivering value-driven cancer care, and tackling organisational challenges in a dynamic cancer control landscape.

Mandatory scope elements to be covered by proposals

• Establish, validate or further refine health-economics, health systems, epidemiological or outcomes research methods and models to perform comparative cost-effectiveness and epidemiological analyses that support equitable outcomes and added value for people at risk of cancer and patients living with and beyond cancer.
• Account for socio-economic inequalities, socio-demographic factors, organisational and innovation trends, cultural/behavioural change (e.g., primary prevention, precision medicine) by involving people at risk of cancer, cancer patients and caregivers/families. Use participative research and social innovation approaches to ensure end-user engagement.
• Calculate cancer-control related healthcare expenditures and their relation to value-driven healthcare and patient outcomes, reflecting target population needs and local/regional/national healthcare specificities and cultural diversity and resource availability across EU Member States and Associated Countries. Guidance background: Eurostat Healthcare expenditure statistics – overview.
• Demonstrate how to improve access to, and organisation of, evidence-based, cost-effective cancer control programmes across care settings (dedicated cancer centres, medical centres, hospitals, at home, community) considering socio-cultural context, harms and benefits, overall survival, and quality-of-life parameters.

Projects are expected to build on resources from the Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC), hosted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, including European Guidelines and Quality Assurance Schemes for Breast, Colorectal and Cervical Cancer Screening and Diagnosis, the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), and the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR). Reference: Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC).

Successful projects will be asked to join the Cancer Mission’s Understanding project cluster and should budget for networking, attendance at meetings and joint activities such as joint workshops, best practice establishment, joint communication and citizen engagement, and cross-programme collaboration. The European Commission will facilitate coordination among funded projects.

Budget and funding specifics

• Indicative total topic budget (2027): €10,000,000.
• Expected EU contribution per project: €5,000,000 to €7,000,000.
• Indicative number of grants: 3.
• Funding rate: for RIA under Horizon Europe, typically up to 100% of eligible costs; this topic uses a lump sum Model Grant Agreement.
• Lump sum modality: Eligible costs are pre-estimated and agreed as work package lump sum shares; payments depend on completion of work packages as per Annex 1. See guidance: Decision authorising the use of lump sums in Horizon Europe and Lump sum funding: what do I need to know?.

Participation, eligibility and compliance

• Eligible countries: As described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Some non-associated third countries may participate with their own funding provisions as per the Programme Guide.
• Consortium composition: Standard Horizon Europe RIA collaborative rules apply (at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country; check Annex B for any updates or exceptions).
• Admissibility: Proposal page limits and layout per Annex A and Annex E; details in Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System.
• Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Annex C.
• IPR and security: The granting authority may, up to four years after the end of the action, object to transfers of ownership or exclusive licensing of results, per specific provision in Annex 5 of the MGA.
• Clinical studies: If the proposal includes clinical studies, applicants should use the Information on Clinical Studies template and upload it as a separate annex to Part B where applicable. Template: Information on clinical studies template (HE).

Submission, evaluation and timeline

• Submission: Online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; single-stage call. Start submission from the topic page when the system opens.
• Evaluation criteria and thresholds: Excellence, Impact, Implementation; thresholds per criterion: 4/5 for each; cumulative threshold: 12. See Annex D and Annex F for process details.
• Indicative timeline: As per Annex F of the General Annexes for evaluation and grant agreement preparation.
• Application forms and templates: Use the application form available in the Submission System. Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) will be used with necessary adaptations. Reference documents and MGA are available on the portal.
• Lump sum specific annex: Detailed budget table (HE LS) must be completed and uploaded with Part B.

What projects should deliver and how

• Methods and models: Comparative cost-effectiveness analyses, epidemiological modelling, health-technology assessment-aligned frameworks, and outcomes research that can inform value-based cancer care across prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care.
• Data integration: Use and integration of multi-source datasets, including healthcare expenditure accounts, reimbursement datasets, cancer registries (population-based and disease-specific), clinical pathways, pricing and utilisation data, and longitudinal cohort/epidemiology data. Address data governance, privacy, FAIR principles, and cross-border data access where relevant.
• Equity lens: Explicit analysis of socio-economic, demographic and geographic inequalities; culturally sensitive approaches; participation of patient communities and caregivers; assessment of barriers to access and adherence; design and testing of targeted interventions.
• Implementation and demonstration: Real-world demonstrations showing improved access, organisation and delivery of evidence-based, cost-effective cancer control in clinical, community and home settings. Include outcome measures such as overall survival, progression-free survival when applicable, patient-reported outcomes, health-related quality of life, and caregiver burden.
• Economic evaluation: Full and partial economic evaluations (e.g., cost-utility, cost-benefit, budget impact), micro-costing where needed, and analysis of direct and indirect costs from healthcare system, payer, societal and patient perspectives.
• Policy and systems relevance: Actionable recommendations for healthcare providers and payers; organisational redesign for value-driven care models; alignment with national/regional cancer plans; scalability and transferability across diverse resource contexts.
• Mission integration: Systematic use of KCC resources; active participation in the Understanding cluster; provision for joint events, best-practice exchange, and coordinated dissemination.

Key references and support

• Knowledge Centre on Cancer resources (ECIS, ECIR, EU screening guidelines): KCC.
• General guidance and manuals: Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.
• General Annexes and Work Programme: HE Main Work Programme 2026–2027 – Part 12. Missions.
• Support services: National Contact Points for Horizon Europe; Enterprise Europe Network; European IPR Helpdesk; CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks.

Categorisation and structured extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Universities and higher education institutions; research institutes; hospitals and healthcare providers; comprehensive cancer centres and medical centres; SMEs and startups active in health economics, health IT, data analytics and related services; large enterprises in healthcare, pharma, medtech and data services; public authorities and healthcare payers; nonprofit organisations and NGOs in cancer and public health; public-private partnerships; patient organisations; policy and health technology assessment bodies. Eligibility follows Horizon Europe rules in Annex B; third-country participation is possible under Horizon Europe conditions.

Funding Type:Grant under Horizon Europe RIA, implemented as a Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (payments upon completion of work packages).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium. Standard Horizon Europe RIA minimum: at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country. Multidisciplinary and multi-actor participation including patient and caregiver involvement is strongly encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries are eligible for funding per Annex B. Certain non-associated third countries may participate, with funding subject to specific provisions as described in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:Health; cancer; health economics and health systems; outcomes research; public health and epidemiology; data and registries; value-based healthcare; policy innovation; healthcare management and organisation; digital health/data analytics supporting economic and outcomes evaluation.

Mentioned Countries:No individual countries are explicitly listed by name in the topic text. The geographic references are EU Member States and Associated Countries.

Project Stage:Research, development, validation and demonstration. Projects are expected to develop and refine methods, generate and analyse real-world data, and demonstrate improvements in access and organisation of cancer control programmes with measurable outcomes.

Funding Amount:Expected EU contribution per project: €5,000,000 to €7,000,000. Indicative total topic budget: €10,000,000. Indicative number of grants: 3.

Application Type:Open call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; single-stage submission and evaluation.

Nature of Support:Monetary grant support. Additional non-financial facilitation is expected through Commission-coordinated clustering, networking, and joint activities among funded projects.

Application Stages:1 stage (single-stage submission and evaluation).

Success Rates:Not specified in the topic conditions. No historical success rate data provided.

Co-funding Requirement:For RIA under Horizon Europe, the reimbursement rate is typically up to 100% of eligible costs. Under the lump sum scheme, the agreed lump sum approximates eligible costs and is paid upon completion of work packages. No explicit co-funding requirement is stated; beneficiaries may need to cover any costs beyond the agreed lump sum.

Templates:Applicants must use the standard Horizon Europe Part A (online forms) and Part B (narrative) application templates available in the Submission System. For lump sum, a Detailed Budget Table (HE LS, Excel) must be completed to estimate costs per beneficiary, per work package, and per cost category; this generates the breakdown of lump sum shares. If the proposal includes clinical studies, attach the Information on Clinical Studies template as a separate annex to Part B. Evaluation will use the standard HE RIA/IA evaluation form. Model Grant Agreement: Lump Sum MGA. Key structure to prepare: 1) Excellence: objectives, relation to the work programme, concept and methodology including SSH integration and gender dimension, research data management and open science compliance, clinical study info if applicable; 2) Impact: pathways to impact, outcomes and impacts aligned with Mission objectives, measures to maximise impact including dissemination, exploitation, communication, citizen and patient engagement, alignment with KCC resources; 3) Implementation: work plan with work packages, deliverables and milestones mapped to lump sum shares; consortium composition and capacity across disciplines and sectors; resources and budget justifications in the lump sum detailed budget table; risk management and mitigation; project management and quality assurance; ethics and security; 4) Mandatory mission-specific provisions: plan and budget for networking, participation in the Understanding cluster and joint activities; 5) Ethics self-assessment and security; 6) Letters of commitment or support from key implementing sites (e.g., cancer centres, payers) where relevant; 7) Optional: data management plan draft and exploitation/business/uptake strategies for value-driven healthcare.

Evaluation and legal-financial details

• Award criteria: Excellence, Impact, Quality and efficiency of the Implementation. Thresholds: 4/5 for each criterion; overall threshold: 12/15.
• Submission and evaluation processes: Annex F and Online Manual; independent expert evaluation with financial know-how for lump sum budgets.
• Legal and financial set-up: Lump sum payments per completed work package; pre-financing, interim and balance payments as per Lump Sum MGA. Up to four years after action end, the granting authority may object to transfers or exclusive licensing of results, per Annex 5.
• Reporting: Technical reporting focuses on completion of activities per work package; no reporting of actual incurred costs; standard periodic and final reports apply.

Comprehensive summary

This Cancer Mission RIA funds multi-actor, multi-disciplinary projects that will generate robust, actionable evidence to improve equity and value in cancer control across Europe. Projects must develop and validate health-economics, health systems and outcomes research methods and models; integrate and analyse diverse datasets on healthcare expenditure, utilisation, pricing, reimbursement and registry-based epidemiology; and demonstrate, in real-world settings, how to organise and deliver cost-effective, evidence-based cancer control spanning prevention to survivorship and palliative care. Proposals must embed an equity lens addressing socio-economic and demographic inequalities and engage patients and caregivers through participatory research and social innovation. Economic analyses should quantify direct and indirect costs, value-for-money, and budget impact from healthcare system, payer, patient and societal perspectives. Outputs should provide decision-grade evidence to providers, payers and policymakers to advance value-driven cancer care, aligned with national/regional plans and scalable across diverse resource contexts. Projects must leverage and contribute to the Knowledge Centre on Cancer assets (e.g., screening guidelines, ECIS, ECIR), participate in the Cancer Mission’s Understanding cluster, and budget for networking and joint activities facilitated by the Commission. The call uses a single-stage submission, RIA lump sum grant model with €5–€7 millionexpected per project, an indicative topic budget of €10 million and three expected grants. Consortia should include academia, healthcare providers, cancer centres, SMEs and industry where relevant, public authorities and patient organisations, spanning EU Member States and Associated Countries, and ensure strong implementation capacity, rigorous methodology, comprehensive data governance and clear pathways to uptake by health systems and policy.

HORIZON-MISS-2027-02-CANCER-04: Improving Equitable Health Outcomes and Added Value for Cancer Patients

This Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under the EU Cancer Mission supports health-economics research, health systems research, and outcomes research to enhance equitable health outcomes and value-driven cancer care across EU Member States and Associated Countries.

Key Dates and Process

Planned Opening:10 February 2027.

Deadline:21 September 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission).

Type of Action:HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) with HORIZON Lump Sum Grant (HORIZON-AG-LS).

Funding Details

Total Indicative Budget:€10 million.

Expected EU Contribution per Project:€5-€7 million (indicative number of projects to be funded: 3).

Funding Rate:100% for RIA (lump sum covers eligible costs including personnel, subcontracting, purchases, and indirect costs at 25% flat rate).

Proposals must include a detailed budget table estimating costs per work package and beneficiary. Lump sum payments are released upon completion of work packages, with no actual cost reporting required.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

Proposals must contribute to all expected outcomes: improved access to cost-effective cancer control programmes; enhanced data access for researchers, physicians, innovators, and SMEs on healthcare spending, registries, and epidemiology; evidence for policymakers to address costs, value-driven care, and organisational challenges in cancer control.

Scope Requirements

• Establish, validate, or refine health-economics, health systems, epidemiological, or outcomes research methods/models for cost-effectiveness and epidemiological analyses.
• Account for socio-economic inequalities, trends, and behavioural changes via participative research involving patients, caregivers, and end-users.
• Calculate cancer-control healthcare expenditures and value-driven healthcare relations, reflecting local/regional/national specificities and diversity across EU.
• Demonstrate improvements in access and organisation of evidence-based cancer control in various settings (centres, hospitals, home, community), considering socio-cultural context, survival, and quality of life.

Proposals must build on Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC) resources for EU alignment. Successful projects join the 'Understanding' project cluster, with budget for networking, meetings, and joint activities (e.g., workshops, best practices, citizen engagement). Commission facilitates coordination.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

• Legal entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries.
• Non-EU/Associated Countries may participate under conditions in Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
• Consortia recommended: multidisciplinary involving researchers, physicians, innovators, SMEs, healthcare systems, providers, policymakers.
• Admissibility: Proposal page limits/layout per Annex A/E.
• Financial/operational capacity per Annex C; exclusion criteria apply.

Evaluation criteria thresholds: 4/5 for Excellence, Impact, Implementation (cumulative 12/15). Detailed in Annex D/F.

Key Requirements and Considerations

• Use participative models with patients/caregivers for social innovation.
• Reflect cultural diversity and resource availability.
• No clinical studies template required unless applicable.
• Proposals not required to detail cluster activities (defined post-grant).

Application and Submission

Submit via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Use standard RIA forms, detailed lump sum budget table (Excel), and relevant templates (e.g., clinical studies if applicable). Reference documents include HE Work Programme 2026-2027 (Missions), Lump Sum MGA, Programme Guide.

Primary source: Topic Details. Work Programme: HE WP 2026-2027 Missions. Knowledge Centre: KCC.

Support Resources

• National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for SMEs.
• Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, IT Helpdesk.
• Partner Search announcements available on portal.

Cancer control defined as reducing incidence/morbidity/mortality and improving quality of life via evidence-based interventions (prevention to palliative care).¹ Healthcare expenditures reference Eurostat statistics.²

Footnotes

1. 1Cancer control definition from topic description.
2. 2Healthcare expenditure statistics: Eurostat.