HERA H2020
HERA H2020 SC1 Project: Integrating Environment and Health Research: a Vision for the EU
An SC1 project addressing the environment-health nexus and shaping the integrated health, environmental and sustainability agenda for the next research platform Horizon Europe
Principal Investigator: Dr Alan Gilmer
Timeframe: 2018 - 2022
Funder: European Commission
Project description: Public health, quality of life, and vulnerable groups are negatively affected by climate change, pollution and environmental degradation. Healthy environments can have positive impact on life, as well as social and political benefits. The EU-funded HERA project will advance an environment and health research programme by adopting an integrative and systemic method considering global environmental changes. It will encourage decision-making and help accomplish the improvement and protection of ecosystem quality and human health. By identifying opportunities and obstacles, it will help detect health and environment-related policy areas and propose strategies and instruments engaging stakeholders. It can also improve the coordination and cross-fertilisation of ideas. HERA will also focus on knowledge transfer to countries with limited environment and health research activities.
Project weblink: Integrating Environment and Health Research: a Vision for the EU | HERA Project | Fact Sheet | H2020 | CORDIS | European Commission (europa.eu)
Project Objective: Environmental degradation and pollution, climate change, and the destabilization of the ecosystem biodiversity, damage health and quality of life, and affect socially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Negative outcomes can be balanced by positive effects that healthy environments, such as green and blue spaces, can have on human and ecosystem health. Socio-economic costs are significant and public policies could develop preventive actions. HERA will set the priorities for an environment and health research agenda in the EU by adopting a holistic and systemic approach in the face of global environmental changes. Research will support decision-making and help attain the ultimate goal of protecting and improving ecosystem quality and human health. HERA will identify both the environmental opportunities for health improvements and the major environmental problems and challenges. This ambitious objective will only be possible through a close and continuous interaction with numerous and diverse stakeholders in the wider environment and health area. HERA specifically aims: 1) to proactively identify key sectors and policy areas in the field of environment and health that will benefit from additional scientific evidence in the next decade; 2) to develop a European medium-term research and innovation agenda covering key strategic research and policy aspects; 3) to propose strategies and tools to respond to the new and continuing challenges in environment and health nexus, by ensuring the engagement of stakeholders, increasing coordination and cross-fertilisation of ideas, and contributing to the European environment and health process and policy activities. HERA is structured in workpackages addressing policy needs, knowledge gaps, establishment of new guidelines, stakeholder community consultation and establishment of the research agenda. A specific activity focuses on knowledge transfer towards countries with less active research in environment and health.