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HORIZON EUROPE TOPIC · Cluster 1 · Health

Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) for integrated clinical decision support in prevention and diagnosis

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-03-TOOL-04 — the expected outcomes as checkable statements, what evaluators look for in this topic, and the conditions that shape the proposal.

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ForthcomingRIADeadline 16 September 2027EUR 10 million to EUR 12 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-HLTH-2027-03-TOOL-04
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-HLTH-2027-03 — Cluster 1 - Health (Single stage - 2027/2)
DestinationDeveloping and using new tools, technologies, and digital solutions for a healthy society (2026-27)
Type of actionResearch and Innovation Actions
Opening3 June 2027
Deadline16 September 2027
BudgetEUR 10 million to EUR 12 million per project · 4 projects expected · EUR 39.3 million in total
Part B page limit40 pages (standard application form; check your call)
TemplateWork Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes. The topic says: “This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Developing and using new tools, technologies and digital solutions for a healthy society”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:”

  1. EO1 Healthcare professionals have access to multi-scale, multi-organ models of individual patients that aim to improve prevention and diagnosis in high disease burden areas.
  2. EO2 Health professionals benefit from enhanced knowledge of complex diseases and co-morbidities by recourse to multi-scale, multi-organ models.
  3. EO3 Patients with diverse characteristics (e.g. of any sex, age group, racial or ethnic origin) benefit from improved, integrated and personalised prevention and diagnostics tools.
  4. EO4 Health professionals and patients benefit from the use of “Virtual Human Twin” (VHT) models which enable integration of other preventive and diagnostic tools and modalities.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

  1. EI1 Europe’s scientific and technological expertise and know-how, its capabilities for innovation in new tools, technologies and digital solutions, and its ability to take-up, scale-up and integrate innovation in healthcare is world-class.
  2. EI2 Citizens benefit from targeted and faster research resulting in safer, more sustainable, efficient, cost-effective, accessible and affordable tools, technologies and digital solutions for improved (personalised) disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring for better patient outcome and wellbeing, in particular through increasingly shared health resources (interoperable data, infrastructure, expertise, citizen/patient driven co-creation).
  3. EI3 The EU gains high visibility and leadership in terms of health technology development, including through international cooperation.
  4. EI4 The burden of diseases in the EU and worldwide is reduced through the development and integration of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, personalised medicine approaches, digital and other people-centred solutions for healthcare.
  5. EI5 Both the productivity of health Research and Innovation, and the quality and outcome of healthcare is improved thanks to the use of health data and innovative analytical tools, such as AI supported decision-making, in a secure, ethical and inclusive manner, respecting individual integrity and underpinned with public acceptance and trust.
  6. EI6 Citizens trust and support the opportunities offered by innovative technologies for healthcare, based on expected health outcomes and potential risks involved.

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

  • Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
  • For each outcome (EO1 to EO4), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
  • Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

  • “Proposals should take into account the work of projects funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-TOOL-05-03: “Integrated, multi-scale computational models of patient patho-physiology (‘virtual twins’) for personalised disease management”, which had a predominant focus on disease management, and focus on high-potential multi-disciplinary approaches at greater complexity (multiscale, multiorgan, longitudinal), strengthening their deployment in health…”
  • “The proposals should address all the following activities:.”
  • “Methodologies may include and are not limited to biophysics-based modelling, artificial intelligence (AI) that should be interpretable or allow explainability of outcomes, generative AI and in-silico modelling, agent-based and network physiology approaches.”
  • “Evaluation, selection and extension of these should be documented during the design phase.”
  • “Availability and integration of the multi-modal data should be documented, and the ethical and sex dimensions be investigated.”
  • “Proposals should be multidisciplinary; solution design and development should be end-user-focused and draw on user and non-user input.”
  • “Best practice in VHT software development including responsible AI development should be followed (e.g. risk assessment and management, requirements definition process).”
  • “Participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is encouraged.”
  • “Proposals should contribute to the objectives of the European VHT Initiative and to the Platform for Advanced VHT Models, with project assets made available on the Platform and interoperable with its technical specifications; relevant consortia members should join its User Community.”
  • “Budget should be reserved for these activities.”
  • “Projects are expected to collaborate with other EU-funded projects on VHTs and align with relevant EU initiatives funded under Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027), e.g. European Cancer Imaging Initiative, 1+Million Genomes Initiative, Intensive Care Unit Data Space, co-funded European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, and projects on advancing AI in health where relevant.”
  • “This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 40 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
  • Other Eligibility Conditions: “In recognition of the opening of the US National Institutes of Health’s programmes to European researchers, any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding.”
  • Other Eligibility Conditions: “Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.”
  • Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes: “The thresholds for each criterion will be 4 (Excellence), 4 (Impact) and 4 (Implementation). The cumulative threshold will be 12.”

Impact pathway and traps

  • The topic asks for social sciences and humanities (SSH) expertise. Evaluators look for SSH partners with a real role in the methodology, not a token task.
  • Users or citizens are part of the scope. Show how they take part in the design and testing, not only that they are informed.
  • The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
  • Policy or regulation is in scope. Name the policy owners you will reach and what you will give them.
  • Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
  • For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
  • Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
  • Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published

VHTs are digital representations and in-silico models of an individual’s health and disease state at different levels of anatomy. Multi-scale, multi-organ VHT solutions have a potential for tailored prevention and diagnosis, particularly in areas of high disease burden, and can significantly benefit citizens' health and the efficiency of EU health systems. Proposals should take into account the work of projects funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-TOOL-05-03: “Integrated, multi-scale computational models of patient patho-physiology (‘virtual twins’) for personalised disease management”, which had a predominant focus on disease management, and focus on high-potential multi-disciplinary approaches at greater complexity (multiscale, multiorgan, longitudinal), strengthening their deployment in health and care, including the integration into care pathways and links with other decision support tools. The proposals should address all the following activities: Select clinical use cases to deliver multi-disciplinary, high impact solutions requiring multi-organ, multi-scale approaches to modelling complex pathophysiology over time, as a basis from where prevention and diagnosis of diseases with high morbidity and mortality could be enhanced. Proposals can put forward use cases in any areas of high disease burden; examples include co-morbidities, chronic cardiovascular conditions, infection and (auto)immunity, inflammation and cancer, diabetes and related conditions, rare diseases, degenerative diseases (including their interaction with mental health conditions), the exposome and its impact on human health and disease. Building on current approaches, standards, data repositories (e.g. biobanks, environmental data, others) and modelling assets (e.g. those of the EDITH CSA and the Platform for Advanced VHT Models), and new data if relevant, design, develop, extend and validate multi-organ, multi-scale, dynamic computational models that accurately simulate a person’s health and disease states, as necessary. Evaluate, select, extend and validate diverse modelling methodologies, resulting in integrated, advanced, interoperable, patient-specific VHT models that can integrate diverse data sources and methodologies, addressing the chosen clinical use case requirements. Methodologies may include and are not limited to biophysics-based modelling, artificial intelligence (AI) that should be interpretable or allow explainability of outcomes, generative AI and in-silico modelling, agent-based and network physiology approaches. Evaluation, selection and extension of these should be documented during the design phase. Availability and integration of the multi-modal data should be documented, and the ethical and sex dimensions be investigated. Demonstrate integration of these models with other advanced preventive and diagnostic modalities, tools and techniques enabling integration across pathways. Generate evidence, including clinical validation, that the solutions deliver clinically meaningful decision support, addressing use case requirements. Document lessons-learned for broader application. Gather evidence via health economic and/or feasibility studies in real-world healthcare settings confirming cost-effectiveness vis-à-vis current practice (e.g. cost-effectiveness analysis). Produce an exploitation plan on regulatory compliance and intellectual property. Proposals should be multidisciplinary; solution design and development should be end-user-focused and draw on user and non-user input. Best practice in VHT software development including responsible AI development should be followed (e.g. risk assessment and management, requirements definition process). Participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is encouraged. Proposals should contribute to the objectives of the European VHT Initiative and to the Platform for Advanced VHT Models, with project assets made available on the Platform and interoperable with its technical specifications; relevant consortia members should join its User Community. Budget should be reserved for these activities. Projects are expected to collaborate with other EU-funded projects on VHTs and align with relevant EU initiatives funded under Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027), e.g. European Cancer Imaging Initiative, 1+Million Genomes Initiative, Intensive Care Unit Data Space, co-funded European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, and projects on advancing AI in health where relevant. This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Applicants should provide details of their clinical studies in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. As proposals under this topic are expected to include clinical studies, the use of the template is strongly encouraged. In the context of this topic, multi-scale refers to modelling at different levels of human anatomy, e.g. at (sub-)cellular, tissue, organ or organ system level. The use of the term ‘racial or ethnic origin’ does not imply an acceptance of theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races. See the “European Virtual Human Twin” Coordination and Support Action EDITH, funded under the Digital Europe Programme: https://www.edith-csa.eu Funded under the Digital Europe Programme, procedure identifier EC-CNECT/LUX/2024/OP/0014: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/tender-details/16cc3c6a-844a-42d4-9746-dcc7444b8001-CN For example with Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/745/oj, Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/746/2025-01-10, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689…

Other topics in HORIZON-HLTH-2027-03

Source and attribution

Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.