SYS-LIFE · Systemic approaches to improve cardiometabolic and brain health during lifespan

Systemic approaches to improve cardiometabolic and brain health during lifespan

Cardiometabolic and brain disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, depression and related conditions remain among Europe’s most pressing long-term health challenges. In the EU, non-communicable diseases account for the majority of disease burden, costing over €1,600 billion annually and causing over 48% of deaths and millions of lost disability-adjusted life-years. STEM research is essential to understand mechanisms and develop new diagnostics and therapies, yet a significant part of the burden is preventable and strongly shaped by behaviour, social determinants and unequal access to effective prevention and care. At the same time, evidence increasingly points to shared risk factors and systemic interactions between cardiometabolic and brain health across the lifespan. The strategic and policy context therefore prioritises prevention, early diagnosis, better treatment pathways and health equity, reflected in EU action on non-communicable diseases including the Commission’s “Healthier together” initiative, which explicitly targets health determinants, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and mental health and neurological disorders. Systemic approaches to improve cardiometabolic and brain health during lifespan (SYS-LIFE) - a pioneering Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND Fellowship Programme hosted by the University of Turku (UTU) - responds to this context by enabling on research that can connect mechanisms, behaviours, and care across the lifespan, translating advances in imaging, data, AI, and biology into improved outcomes and more sustainable health systems. SYS-LIFE recruits 22 experienced researchers for 36-month fellowships through an open, international, merit-based process aligned with MSCA best practices. SYS-LIFE seeks to provide a new framework for international excellence in research and training: fellows design bottom-up projects, with research options encouraged to be interdisciplinary, intersectoral, longitudinal, or systemic, supported by cross-sector partners and dedicated Proof-of-Concept resources to accelerate valorisation and uptake. The programme’s goals are (i) breakthrough advances in human health within this field, (ii) scientific renewal and (iii) the development of the future leaders of tomorrow. A clear pathway to impact is built in: high-quality research outputs and open dissemination, plus structured training, secondments, and innovation support that enable results to progress toward new diagnostics, preventive strategies, and treatment concepts while strengthening Europe’s talent base in the field. The programme also integrates relevant social sciences and humanities via behavioural science perspectives and population-level evidence, including large cohort studies and sources on attitudes and behaviours (e.g. the European Social Survey) to improve understanding of real-world determinants, health inequalities, and implementation contexts.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз