Health, environment, biodiversity and climate: PNRR call for research projects published

Il Ministry of Health issued the public notice for the '' Promotion and funding of applied research with multidisciplinary approaches in specific areas of health-environment-biodiversity-climate intervention', inherent ininvestment E.1.4 of the National plan for complementary investments (PNC) al PNRR.

The aim of the call is to encourage, through applied research projects, the development of a new structure on the subject health-environment-climate that can support the application of the comprehensive approach One Health al National Health System (SSN), so as to strengthen the protection against i risks known and still unknown for the health environmental and climatic issues and facilitate the green and digital transition.

Proposals should focus on one of the 14 programs belonging to one of the two macro areas available, respectively with 8 and 6 initiatives:

A - priority programs for the health system:

1. Prevention and reduction of health risks related to indoor air pollution
2. Prevention and reduction of health risks related to outdoor air pollution
3. Prevention and mitigation of risks for populations within critical areas from an environmental point of view, safe and sustainable management of the soil and the waste cycle; risk communication and proximity approach to the citizen
4. Universal access to water: safely managed water supply and sanitation, healthy human use and reuse of water, coasts, marine environments
5. Prevention and reduction of physical risks (including noise, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation) and risks associated with chemicals and processes
6. Reduction of direct and indirect risks to human health associated with climate change
7. Hygiene, resilience and sustainability of primary productions and agri-food chains as a whole with respect to environmental-climatic risks
8. Health-environmental promotion, climate in the early stages (first 1000 days, infantile and maternal-infantile) of life.

B: programs that envisage highly synergy actions with other institutions / sectors

1. Prevention of emerging health risks associated with environmental and socio-economic changes, new technologies, energy policies, transport, green transition
2. Health and safety in the workplace. Worker well-being from a TWH (Total Worker Health) perspective
3. Support in the development of cities? for healthier, more inclusive, safer, resilient and sustainable environments
4. Promotion of choices oriented towards natural environments, green and blue spaces
5. Promotion of the digitization of environment-climate and health systems, to support risk analysis and communication
6. Applied research for the assessment of the health impact of environmental risks.

They are eligible to participate in the call as leader or subjects proposing the Regions or autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano and, as Operating units, NHS bodies, scientific hospitalization and treatment institutes (IRCCS) and experimental zooprophylactic (IIZZSS), Third Sector organizations, public research bodies, universities and private non-profit entities in line with the legislation on state aid.

Il budget available is equal to 21 million euro for the period 2022-2026, of which 16.8 million distributed equally for each program of thearea A (2.1 million per initiative) e 4.2 million overall forarea B, equal to 700.000 euros per program.

Le questions may be presented from the 15 July to the 10 August, thanks to the appropriate platform,.