PARTNERSHIP: Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS)

Features

A joint transnational call for proposals has been published by the Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) partnership, Joint Transnational Call for Proposals (2026) on Access to Care.

This call for proposals promotes the coordination and optimization of research and innovation efforts to support the necessary transformation of health and social care systems in Europe and partner countries. Its goal is to fund projects that help ensure equitable access to and appropriate use of health and care services, providing policymakers and decision-makers with the knowledge and tools needed to reallocate resources effectively.

The projects, based on existing evidence, will develop innovative solutions to reduce inequalities in access to care by addressing financial models, service delivery models, and integrated and interdisciplinary care programs at all levels of the system.

The call for proposals is co-financed by the European Union and involves 32 funding organizations, with a total estimated budget of more than 35 million euros.

In addition, the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) is participating in this call for proposals as the national funding agency.

Requirements

The aim of the call is to fund research and innovation projects that, within an ecosystem approach, contribute to ensuring equitable access to and use of health and care services. Through the funded research and innovation projects, policymakers and decision-makers should gain the knowledge and tools necessary to implement the reallocation of resources as the health and care system undergoes a transition to address new and ongoing challenges.

All proposals would benefit from co-creation with stakeholders, particularly people from disadvantaged groups. Proposals are encouraged to incorporate elements of the social sciences as part of an interdisciplinary approach.

This call requires collaborative, transnational research, innovation, and evaluation activities. It is mandatory to engage in one or more of the following types of activities: applied research, implementation research, piloting, upscaling, and/or testing. All projects must demonstrate proof of concept(s), validate concepts, models, or solutions, and showcase demonstrations of solutions in relevant health and care ecosystems. The adaptation of already adopted solutions to other settings is also within the scope of this call.

Submission deadline.

The following table lists the different dates: