Innovative interventions to prevent the harmful effects of using digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults
Overview
The total budget for this topic is set at €44.20 million, with the expectation of funding approximately six projects, each receiving around €8 million. The open call will commence on February 10, 2026, and submissions are due by April 16, 2026, at 17:00 CEST.
This funding opportunity aims to generate comprehensive scientific evidence on how digital technologies impact mental health, particularly concerning neurobiological and cognitive-behavioral data. It seeks to engage multiple stakeholders, such as researchers, healthcare professionals, digital technology developers, policymakers, and end users, including families and educators. Proposed interventions are expected to address various mental disorders exacerbated by technology use, including anxiety, addiction, and sleep disorders.
Projects should focus on the development and testing of context-specific digital interventions, utilizing a wide array of data sources, including social media usage, heart rate, and sleep analytics. The incorporation of artificial intelligence is encouraged for data analytics. Applicants must consider sustainable models for long-term follow-up and scaling of interventions beyond the project duration. Moreover, the involvement of social sciences and humanities disciplines is mandated, alongside the participation of start-ups and SMEs to enhance the scientific and technological foundations.
Proposal evaluation will be based on three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation, with minimum score thresholds established. The initiative places a strong emphasis on collaboration and the sharing of knowledge among projects addressing mental health challenges in Europe, motivated by the pressing need to tackle rising mental health issues among young populations intensified by digital technology use.
Overall, this funding opportunity reflects the EU's commitment to addressing public health concerns while promoting responsible and positive engagement with digital technologies.
Detail
The expected outcomes of this topic are multi faceted. First, it aims to improve the understanding of the neuro biological and cognitive/behavioural evidence base concerning the correlation and impact of digital technologies on mental health, including brain development, among researchers and healthcare professionals. Second, it seeks to provide policymakers and digital technology and content developers with a robust evidence base on the impact, both positive and negative, of digital technologies on mental health in children and young adults. Third, it aims to encourage policymakers, digital technology developers, and educational institutions to utilize this evidence base, for example, by developing guidelines and widely implementing newly developed interventions. These interventions should promote children and young adults' mental health while mitigating any negative impacts of digital technology use. Fourth, the topic aims to ensure that children, young adults, families, guardians, educators, and carers have access to newly developed interventions designed to prevent harm and promote the positive use of digital technologies. Finally, it aims to empower children and young adults, fostering resilience and digital literacy to enable them to engage healthily and positively with digital technologies.
The scope of this opportunity addresses the increasing mental health issues among young people in the EU, exacerbated by the excessive or misguided use of digital technologies. Proposals should generate robust scientific evidence on the impact of digital technologies and develop and test context specific digital interventions. These interventions should leverage multi source data, including sleep patterns, heart rate, stress levels, screen time analytics, social media use, biological data, and clinical data, and could incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI). Data handling must include sex and gender identity disaggregated data, incorporating intersectional factors where feasible.
Applicants should address several key aspects. They should generate neuro biological and cognitive/behavioural evidence on the correlation and impact of digital technologies on mental health, including brain development. They should develop and test innovative digital interventions aimed at counteracting addictive design patterns, gaining insights into risk patterns for early risk detection, redirecting users towards healthy use, and reducing exposure to harmful content. Furthermore, they should assess the changes in behaviour in children and young adults resulting from the newly developed interventions, focusing on fostering resilience and promoting responsible digital habits.
The call is open to address any mental disorder caused or aggravated by digital technologies, including addiction, self harm, anxiety, decreased self esteem, sleeping disorders, and post traumatic stress disorders. Cohort and clinical studies are within the scope, with applicants encouraged to include longitudinal cohort studies with a sustainability plan for long term follow up. The use of existing cohort data is encouraged, and transnational recruitment of participants from diverse settings is welcomed to ensure generalizability. Proposals should detail how interventions can be scaled up and transferred to other settings, and should consider the inclusion of end users in the codesign of interventions. Access to and best use of existing European Research Infrastructures relevant for brain research, such as EBRAINS and Euro BioImaging, is expected.
Funded projects must liaise with relevant European mental health projects and the future co funded European Partnership for Brain Health, and explore synergies with projects under the EU4Health Work Programme 2026. Participation of start ups and SMEs is encouraged to strengthen their scientific and technological basis and advance commercial exploitation. Proposals must adhere to FAIR data principles, adopt relevant data standards, and apply GDPR compliant data protection practices. Effective contribution from social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines is required, including the involvement of SSH experts and institutions. Applicants should provide details of their clinical studies in a dedicated annex using the provided template.
Admissibility conditions, proposal page limits, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and related guidance documents. The thresholds for each criterion will be 4 (Excellence), 4 (Impact) and 4 (Implementation). The cumulative threshold will be 12.
The budget overview indicates that the total budget for this topic is 44,200,000 EUR, and it is anticipated that approximately 6 grants will be awarded. The opening date for submissions is February 10, 2026, and the deadline is April 16, 2026.
This funding opportunity seeks to address the growing concern about the impact of digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults in Europe. It aims to generate evidence based interventions and strategies to promote responsible and positive engagement with digital tools, while mitigating potential harms. The call encourages collaborative projects that involve researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, technology developers, educational institutions, and end users, including families and carers. By fostering innovation and promoting the use of best practices in data handling and protection, this initiative aims to empower young people to navigate the digital world in a healthy and resilient manner, ultimately reducing the burden of mental health issues in the EU.
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Breakdown
Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (HORIZON-PPI).
Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to favor a consortium approach, as it encourages transnational recruitment of participants and the involvement of various stakeholders, including end-users, families, carers, and educators.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific provisions. Legal entities established in the United States of America are also eligible.
Target Sector: The target sectors are health, ICT (digital technologies, AI), education, social sciences and humanities, and research and innovation. The program targets mental health, specifically addressing mental disorders caused or aggravated by the use of digital technologies.
Mentioned Countries: United States of America is explicitly mentioned as eligible. The primary geographic focus is the European Union.
Project Stage: The project stage encompasses research, development, and validation, with an emphasis on generating robust scientific evidence and developing and testing context-specific digital interventions. The project also considers the scaling-up and transfer of interventions to other settings, suggesting a move towards demonstration and implementation.
Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific HORIZON action type.
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-01: €3,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-03: around €10,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-02: around €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-03: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-04: €9,000,000 to €11,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-09: €3,000,000 to €4,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-11: €6,000,000 to €7,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-15: around €1,900,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-01: €7,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-04: €7,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-05: around €3,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-IND-03: €4,000,000 to €6,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-02: €9,000,000 to €10,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-03: €1,500,000 to €1,900,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-03: €5,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-05: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-06: around €2,900,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-07: around €3,900,000
Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.
Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support research, development, and innovation activities.
Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.
Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but applicants are encouraged to explore potential synergies with other projects, which might imply a need or advantage for projects that can leverage additional resources.
Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on "Innovative interventions to prevent the harmful effects of using digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults." It seeks to fund projects that generate scientific evidence on the impact of digital technologies on mental health and develop/test digital interventions to promote responsible technology use and improve mental health outcomes. The call encourages the participation of diverse stakeholders, including researchers, healthcare professionals, technology developers, educational institutions, and end-users. Projects should address various aspects, such as neuro-biological evidence, innovative digital interventions, and behavioral changes. The call is open to EU member states, associated countries, and the USA, with funding ranging from approximately 1.9 million to 11 million EUR depending on the action type. Applicants must submit their proposals by the deadline of April 16, 2026. The call aims to tackle the increasing mental health issues among children and young adults exacerbated by digital technologies, aligning with the EU's broader goals of promoting health and well-being while mitigating the negative impacts of digital transformation.
Short Summary
Impact The funding aims to generate evidence-based interventions to prevent the harmful effects of digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults, promoting responsible engagement with digital tools. | Impact | The funding aims to generate evidence-based interventions to prevent the harmful effects of digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults, promoting responsible engagement with digital tools. |
Applicant Applicants should possess expertise in health research, digital technology development, social sciences, and humanities, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative intervention design. | Applicant | Applicants should possess expertise in health research, digital technology development, social sciences, and humanities, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative intervention design. |
Developments The funding will support research and development of digital interventions targeting mental health issues exacerbated by technology use, including evidence generation, intervention testing, and scalability assessments. | Developments | The funding will support research and development of digital interventions targeting mental health issues exacerbated by technology use, including evidence generation, intervention testing, and scalability assessments. |
Applicant Type This funding is designed for universities, research organizations, SMEs, start-ups, healthcare institutions, and non-profit organizations involved in health and technology sectors. | Applicant Type | This funding is designed for universities, research organizations, SMEs, start-ups, healthcare institutions, and non-profit organizations involved in health and technology sectors. |
Consortium The funding supports both individual applicants and consortia, encouraging collaboration across various stakeholders. | Consortium | The funding supports both individual applicants and consortia, encouraging collaboration across various stakeholders. |
Funding Amount The total budget for this opportunity is €44.20 million, with an expected EU contribution of approximately €8 million per project. | Funding Amount | The total budget for this opportunity is €44.20 million, with an expected EU contribution of approximately €8 million per project. |
Countries Eligible applicants include entities from EU Member States, EEA countries, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and legal entities established in the USA. | Countries | Eligible applicants include entities from EU Member States, EEA countries, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and legal entities established in the USA. |
Industry This funding targets the health sector, specifically focusing on mental health and the impact of digital technologies. | Industry | This funding targets the health sector, specifically focusing on mental health and the impact of digital technologies. |
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