Improving socio-economic outcomes for persons with dementia and informal caregivers – Förderung EU-weit

Expected Outcome: Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: • Persons with dementia experience improved social, mental and socio-economic outcomes through the development and implementation of person-centred interventions that enhance autonomy, inclusion, and quality of life. • Informal caregivers benefit from reduced emotional, financial, and physical burden thanks to evidence-based support measures, policies, and services that improve their well-being and economic resilience. • Support networks, long-term care and healthcare systems provide more integrated and accessible care for people with dementia and their caregivers through strengthened coordination between healthcare providers, long-term care and social services, and community organisations. • Researchers (including from SSH disciplines) and policymakers have access to improved, gender-sensitive data on dementia care to inform policies (in particular national strategies and EU aging policy), optimise resource allocation, and enhance the effectiveness of care models. Scope: Dementia is a progressive neurological disease. The number of people with dementia will double by 2050 in the European Union, from 10 million currently. As people with dementia lose their ability to care for themselves, care is often provided by informal caregivers, which mostly include family members, and more specifically women. In fact, 71% of the estimated time devoted to unpaid care for people with dementia is devoted by women. Women, especially those in vulnerable situations such as those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, often face additional pressures in managing caregiving responsibilities, which may exacerbate pre-existing inequalities. Furthermore, the provision of informal care has a negative impact on the economic and social life of the caregiver, as the time spent on the person with dementia is time not spent in employment or with other friends and family. Additionally, informal care is unpaid and has been estimated to have negative financial consequences for the caregivers themselves and the society as a whole. Studies have also shown that people with dementia and their informal caregivers have higher rates of depression than the general population. While there is a lot of attention for clinical research, there is far less attention for the aspects surrounding the economic and social life, financial stability and the mental health of persons with dementia and informal caregivers. Many innovative solutions have been proposed, but few have been implemented on a wide scale. Social public policies with different design and funding that take into account the substitution and complementarities between formal and informal caregivers have been implemented to reduce the burden of the informal caregivers. What is needed, are systemic interventions focussed on improving these aspects for patients and informal caregivers and addressing the gendered nature of caregiving. Priority should be given to scaling up and contextualising interventions that have already shown promise or effectiveness at smaller scale, rather than developing entirely new or untested solutions. Applicants should provide a robust methodological framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions. Proposals should also assess the economic feasibility and sustainability of the interventions, including cost-effectiveness and potential integration into existing health and social care systems or policy frameworks. Proposals can focus on groups in vulnerable situations (e.g. migrants, lower socio-economic populations, people with disabilities) for gender-responsive and inclusive interventions. Social inequality analyses are therefore also recommended. Community based models (e.g. dementia-friendly cities, peer-support groups) can be included, as well as analyses of the quality of residence of people with dementia. Proposals are encouraged to include technology and digital tools in the scope of their work. Considering the already high burden of dementia, interventions should be implemented in at least four Member States or Associated Countries. Considering the focus, it is of the upmost importance that informal caregivers are involved in the research throughout (in the design and implementation) to ensure that interventions are tailored to the real needs of caregivers and the individuals they care for. Proposals should outline clear, evidence-based strategies for tailoring, deploying, and assessing these interventions at individual, family, community, and societal levels, while addressing the specific needs of different caregiver demographics. ">General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout Applicants submitting a proposal for a blind evaluation (see General Annex F) must not disclose their organisation names, acronyms, logos nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (see General Annex E). As described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible Countries As 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. 3. Other Eligible Conditions As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds The first-stage proposals of this topic will be evaluated blindly. In addition, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]]. The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. In addition, 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 and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1 BLIND) Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1 BLIND) Guidance HE Programme Guide  Model Grant Agreements (MGA) Lump Sum MGA  Call-specific instructions  Detailed budget table (HE LS)  Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" Additional documents: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 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