Pan-European Response to the ImpactS of COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics

Project Information

PERISCOPE

Grant agreement ID: 101016233

DOI

10.3030/101016233

Project closed

EC signature date 30 October 2020

Start date 1 November 2020

End date 31 October 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being

Total cost

€ 9 993 475,00

EU contribution

€ 9 993 475,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - PERISCOPE (Pan-European Response to the ImpactS of COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2023-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The objectives of PERISCOPE were to map and analyse the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, collecting data and statistical evidence, developing policy guidance and technologies for policymakers and health authorities on how to mitigate the impact of the outbreak. This with the aim to enhance Europe’s preparedness for future similar events, and to reflect on the future multi-level governance in the health as well as in other domains affected by pandemics and epidemics.

At the end of the project, we can say that the above objectives have been fulfilled. The project has produced 52 deliverables, 92 scientific publications and 6 technological tools: the legacy of the project for exploitation, which constitute a large body of scientific results on the socio-economic and behavioural impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, the lessons learnt from the obtained data and statistical models, the evaluation of the policies undertaken by the different governments, the technologies best suited to mitigate the effects of the pandemics.

In summary, the results of the PERISCOPE project leaves to European citizens and scientists, and to the world at large, a comprehensive set of knowledge which can serve as a basis for policy making, against future pandemics and epidemics.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first year, the consortium has produced 21 deliverables:
On the "impacts" side, D1.1 establishes the mapping of the impact assessments, and similarly for mental health impacts (D2.1) and health inequalities (D2.2). On the "data" side, D4.1 specifies the data sources and specifications that lead to the first release of the DATA ATLAS (D4.4). In terms of statistical models, a new class of forecast methods, based on dynamic SIR models, is proposed in D6.1. On the "policies" side, the project has specified an impact assessment methodology for best practices (D7.1) a policy governance proposal (D7.2) and a policy brief (D8.3). The first results of the project have been disseminated in workshops with policymakers (D8.1) and health authorities (D8.2). On the "operational” side, D13.1 and D14.1 set out the consortium strategy for project management and dissemination, and D13.2 the socio-sustainability strategy, whereas D12.1 and D12.2 specify the data management and ethics plan, along with five ethics requirements: D15,1, D15.2 D15.3 D15.4 D15.5.

During the second year, the consortium produced 20 deliverables:
On the "impacts" side, D1.2 presents an integrated report on the socio-economic impacts of the pandemics, and D3.1 on health systems. The behavioural impacts are reported in terms of: perception of covid-19 risks (D5.1) policy measures (D5.2) and (mis)information foraging (D5.3). On the "data" side, D4.5 presents version 2.0 of the DATA ATLAS, to which software components (D4.2) and visualisation components (D4.3) have been added. On the statistical modelling side, D6.2 extends dynamic SIR models into spatial temporal models to predict the impacts of policy measures.On the "policies" side, D7.3 describes the structure of the innovation challenge workshop, and D7.4 its results. Whereas D8.4 introducesof PERSEUS-COVE, a decision-making platform for policymakers, and D8.5 provides guidance on TRUSTWORTHY AI applications in health care. On a more holistic level, D9.1 proposes multi-level governance of the pandemic, for which the role of the EU is described in D9.2.
On the "technologies" side, D10.1 introduces COCTEAU, a gamification tool to increase citizens' engagement and policy inclusion; and D10.2 introduces S-PEEK, a fintech inclusion platform based on trustworthy credit ratings. Concerning training and validation, D11.1 specifies the training modules and D11.2 details their implementation as Massive Online Open Courses.
On the "operational" side, D15.6 specifies further ethics requirements.


During the third year of activity, the project has produced 11 deliverables. The impact activities have led to D1.3: a report on the recovery strategies; D2.3 and D2.4: extended reports on mental health and health inequality. Data science activities have focused on updating the Data atlas, the data repository of the project, and on building new statistical learning models for pandemic preparedness and policy making: D6.3: Bayesian models for decision making. Policy activities have intensified, with the update of PERSEUS-COVE (D8.6) and with two comprehensive reports, dedicated to the actual variability of EU policies (D7.6) a proposal for a EU health data governance (D7.5) and a proposal for a multi level governance of health care, including the role of the EU (D9.3).The technology work has been focused on the validation of the COCTEAU AND S-PEEK platforms (D10.3) and on the dissemination activities, centered around the website (D14.2). Finally, D15.7 contains the report of the ethics advisory body.

Over all three years of activity, the project has produced 52 deliverables, 92 scientific publications and 6 technological tools: the legacy of the project, which constitute a large body of scientific results on the socio-economic and behavioural impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, the lessons learnt from the obtained data and statistical models, the evaluation of the policies undertaken by the different governments, the technologies best suited to mitigate the effects of the pandemics.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

During its first year of activity, the project has made progress that has advanced the state-of-the-art research concerning the identification of the socio-economic, mental health, health system, and behavioural "impacts" of the pandemic. On the "data" side, It has released the first version of its Data Atlas, and it has developed original and relevant research in the field of statistics, producing models can accurately forecast the evolution of the pandemics. In the first year, the project has also laid down the foundational aspects for its "policies" and "technologies" parts and has built its dissemination strategy, centred around the project website.

During the second year of activity, the project has further expanded the state-of-the-art research on the socio-economic, mental health, health systems, and behavioural impacts. It has completed the structure of the Data Atlas and has extended forecast statistical models in a spatio-temporal perspective. The project has also advanced the state of the art on the policy side, with innovative responses to the pandemic, and related guidance and governance models; in particular with TRUSTWORTHY AI methods and with the PERSEUS-COVE tool. During the second year, the project has also completed the structure of two technological tools that can improve social and financial inclusion: COCTEAU and S-PEEK, and of new training modules, implemented in corresponding MOOCs.

During the third period of activity, the project has consolidated its scientific and technological results, across the four main disciplinary areas of its work: socio economic and behavioural impacts, data science statistics, policy suggestions, technological tools. A total of 38 scientific publications, all open access and all acknowledging the project, have been published, in comparison with the 54 published in the first two periods.

Summary description of the PERISCOPE project work