Mobilising a network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for the Health Cluster
Proposals should aim to facilitate trans-national co-operation between National Contact Points (NCPs) with a view to identifying and sharing good practices and raising the general standard of support to programme applicants.
The network will organise NCP Information Days, NCP trainings, brokerage events for potential participants and provide appropriate tools and instruments to support NCPs and researchers. Activities will support researchers of the social sciences and humanities to connect into all Clusters of Horizon Europe. To achieve its expected outcomes and objectives, the NCP network could cooperate with but should not duplicate actions foreseen in other thematic and horizontal Horizon Europe NCP networks.
Proposals should include a work package to implement matchmaking activities to link up potential participants from widening countries with emerging consortia in the domain of the Health Cluster. Matchmaking should take place by means of online tools, brokerage events, info days and bilateral meetings between project initiators and candidate participants from widening countries. Other matchmaking instruments may be used as appropriate. Where relevant, synergies should be sought with the Enterprise Europe Network to organise matchmaking activities in accordance with Annex IV of the NCP Minimum Standards and Guiding Principles.
The proposed structure and activities of the HE Health NCP network, should be closely interlinked with and associated to (at national and regional level) with those of the National Focal Points (NFPs) supporting the EU Health programmes. It is important to facilitate cooperation, identify and use synergies between the work of these two NCP and NFP networks - but also with other NCPs/NFPs responsible for different EU programmes providing funding available for health-related actions. This cooperation would not only improve the quality of the relevant actions funded by Horizon Europe and EU4Health but also the overall EU-level public health impact of all health-related actions using any EU funding.
Special attention should be given to enhancing the competence of NCPs, including helping less experienced NCPs rapidly acquire the know-how built up in other countries.
The consortium should have a good representation of experienced and less experienced NCPs.
The proposal should cover the whole duration of Horizon Europe plus one year.