call for proposals

Applications concerning one or more of the following thematic areas will be considered for the upcoming year:

1. Health System Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events (*): Extreme weather events (EWEs), including floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, are occurring with greater frequency and intensity. Consequently, it is imperative that healthcare systems are adequately prepared to address these events, mitigating their impacts on public health. This necessity is particularly pronounced in more challenging regions, such as the Alpine regions and other mountain areas in Europe, which are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. This call for proposals seeks to solicit studies and initiatives aimed at bolstering the disaster preparedness of healthcare systems in response to EWEs in the European Alpine regions. 

2. Social and societal health crisis preparedness and management (*): Health crises often arise when local health systems are overwhelmed and cannot adequately respond to the demands of an emergency. Preparedness is crucial to building the necessary capacity to manage crises and ensure an orderly transition to recovery. This call aims to foster a more holistic and citizen-centric approach to health crisis preparedness and management by co-creating policy recommendations and methods to better prepare for and address health emergencies from a social and societal perspective.

3. Technology in MCI Management, Education and Training: Effective MCI (Mass Casualty Incident) management is crucial, especially in environments requiring swift and coordinated responses. This thematic area seeks applications that explore innovative approaches to enhance MCI management through advanced technology. Focus areas include strategies to improve education and training for healthcare providers, utilizing cutting-edge tools and methods. By leveraging new technologies, we aim to strengthen the capabilities of healthcare systems, ensuring they are well-prepared to manage mass casualty incidents efficiently and effectively.

4. Access to Care in Humanitarian Crises: Globally, many countries are witnessing a humanitarian crisis and/or an active conflict. In these fragile contexts it is important to ensure continuity of care and guarantee access to essential health services, especially for vulnerable groups. This thematic area aims to gather applications investigating access to care in crisis settings, including strategies to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

5. Emergency Medical Teams: EMT is a WHO initiative that aims to improve the timeliness and quality of health services provided by national and international Emergency Medical Teams and enhance the capacity of national health systems in leading the activation and coordination of rapid response capacities in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, outbreak and/or other emergencies. In light of the strategic objectives of EMT 2030, this thematic area aims to strengthen evidence and research within the EMT Initiative.

6. Teaching aging: Heatwaves, marked by prolonged high temperatures, are becoming more frequent and severe. Consequently, healthcare systems must be prepared to mitigate their impacts on vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly. This need is especially critical in areas with high elderly populations, like urban centers and retirement communities. This call for proposals seeks studies and initiatives to enhance the disaster preparedness of healthcare systems for heatwaves, with a focus on protecting the elderly. Training healthcare professionals and caregivers is suggested as a key approach to improve preparedness and response.

7. Measuring long term effects of disasters: We seek research proposals aiming at evaluating long-term effects of disasters (e.g. nuclear accidents, earthquakes, meteorological events) on economy and labour market, health, and voting behaviour. Ideal candidates have strong interest in public policy evaluation.

(*) This research activity will be carried out in the framework of an ongoing collaborative research project funded by the European Commission. The candidate wishing to develop a research proposal around this topic will be working in cooperation with a team of researchers from CRIMEDIM and other partner institutions based in the European Union.