Research at the Office of Health and Partnerships

Work in the EU Office  

Information on the projects and work in the Office of Health and Partnerships at Vejle Hospital. The Office of Health and Partnerships is one of the central staff units and supports ‘Patient First’ through coordinated task management with a focus on cross-sectoral collaboration, research support, innovation, and international cooperation.
The department serves as the point of entry for collaborative relationships with municipalities, general practice and international partnerships.

EU Projects

An EU project is funded, or co-funded, by the European Union and brings together organizations from different countries to work on a shared topic. They are awarded through open and competitive calls, where applicants submit their project ideas; the specific focus may be decided centrally or by the applicants themselves. Typical funding programs include Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and similar schemes.

EU projects follow a bottom-up approach, meaning that the project partners define the content, methods, and expected outcomes. Still, projects must align with broad EU priorities, such as research, health, and innovation.

The European Commission does not actively steer or interfere with the project implementation. However, projects are expected to deliver outputs such as new knowledge, research results, innovative solutions, or pilot models.

For hospitals and other public organizations, EU projects provide opportunities for international collaboration, shared learning, and testing new approaches that may improve services, systems, or patient outcomes, for example, in areas such as cancer care.

Joint Actions

Joint Actions are a specific type of EU-funded collaboration in which Member States work together to implement EU policy priorities in practice. Unlike standard EU projects, Joint Actions are top-down driven and politically steered. The topic, objectives, and scope are defined at the EU level, often as part of major policy initiatives such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

Participation is typically based on designated public authorities or institutions in each country, rather than open competition. Joint Actions are co-funded by the European Union and national authorities and are strongly focused on policy implementation, coordination, and harmonization across countries.

A key feature of Joint Actions is their national anchoring: activities must be embedded within national systems, structures, and strategies to ensure long-term uptake and sustainability.

The European Commission is closely involved in the governance of Joint Actions and plays an active role in monitoring progress, shaping deliverables, and steering the overall direction and outcomes.