EU support for research and innovation on brain health (including mental health)
Brain disorders are one of the greatest health challenges. Around 165 million Europeans are living with a brain disorder. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people will suffer from a neurological and/or mental disorder at some point in their lives. The global cost to European healthcare budgets is estimated to be €800 billion per year, and this is expected to increase further as Europe’s population ages and becomes more susceptible to brain disorders.
Neurological disorders include neurodegenerative disorders (i.e. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease), as well as other disorders like stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Mental disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of these disorders are highly debilitating and have no cure. Others can be managed but still have wide-ranging effects on the quality of life of patients and their carers.
Tackling brain health challenges is beyond the scope and resources of any single country and must be addressed collectively. There is a need for considerable effort in terms of funding and better coordination of research among European countries and beyond, as well as between academia and industry.
The EU supports brain health research through its research and innovation framework programmes. Funding is directed at better understanding brain function and dysfunction, and developing methods for improved diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and care.
In the area of mental health, EU-funded projects cover diverse themes like promoting mental health and early intervention, supporting young people’s mental well-being, assisting vulnerable groups, addressing workplace psychosocial risks, and studying complementary approaches using the arts and culture.
Latest publications
This report builds on the results of a policy event "R&I to promote mental health and to prevent and treat mental disorders". At its heart, the event showcased a selection of promising EU-funded research and innovation projects organised within six thematic sessions of emerging pertinence to the mental health policy space and matching these presentations with end users and policymakers for further implementation.
Why we need research and innovation on mental health.
Funding opportunities
Funding for health under the research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe
Funding for health under Cluster 1 (Pillar II) of Horizon Europe
Collaboration and jobs
Look for project partners and view profiles of all organisations that have received funding via the funding and tender opportunities portal
EU Joint Programme which is the largest global research initiative aimed at tackling the challenge of neurodegenerative diseases. JPND involves 30 countries that strive to align their national priorities in brain research
An EU-supported partnership (2026-2036) to advance research and innovation in brain health, covering both neurological and mental health
The Commission cooperates with the US and Canada in InTBIR allowing researchers in Europe and North America to work together for better treatment of traumatic brain injury
The Commission supports the ERA-NET NEURON partnership, which supports basic, clinical and translational research in diverse fields of disease-related neuroscience
Public-private partnership supported by the European Commission that also invests in research in neurodegenerative diseases
EU-funded project that aims to put in place a cutting-edge research infrastructure that will allow our knowledge to advance in the fields of neuroscience, computing, and brain-related medicine
Alliance supported by the EU with a focus on implementation research and a call in 2017 on mental disorders targeting low and middle income countries and vulnerable populations in high income countries
An EU-supported coordination action (2023-25) preparing the European partnership for Brain Health
An EU-supported coordination action (2018-22) for European brain research, also developing a global strategy
An EU-supported digital research infrastructure that gathers data, tools and computing facilities for brain-related research
Researcher jobs in related fields
Scientific publications, tools and databases
CORDIS brings you the results of EU research and innovation
Access to research results of the Joint Research Centre
You can access all scientific publications from Horizon 2020 via OpenAIRE
Single point of access to open data produced by the EU institutions. All data free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes
