The NWA Call Building Blocks for Integral Policy on Planetary Health is open for applications. The program focuses on developing an approach that can be used in the policy of the Dutch government to better consider the consequences of that policy for the health of people and the planet. ZonMw is implementing this thematic program in collaboration with NWO.
Global environmental changes pose a threat to human health. Conversely, human healthcare affects the global environment, for example through greenhouse gas emissions. Planetary health is a research concept that examines the interconnections between the health of the planet, nature, and people. There is a need for an integrated approach that can assess policy measures in relation to their consequences for the planet, nature, and people.
Objective of the program
The NWA program Building Blocks for Integral Policy on Planetary Health aims to develop an approach that can be used to better account for the (unintended) consequences of that policy for the planet, nature, and people in national policy. The focus is on developing a broadly applicable approach for Planetary Health Impact Assessment (PHIA). It is expected that this will build on already available frameworks for Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). These are previously developed methods for estimating the impact of policy measures on health and the environment.
Due to the importance of connection between research, policy, and practice, the program requires collaboration between researchers from various disciplines (interdisciplinarity) and the entire knowledge chain (fundamental, applied, and practice-oriented research). Transdisciplinarity is also ensured through collaboration, co-design, and co-creation with societal parties. The call for proposals can be found on the ZonMw website. See the button below.
Meetings
Prior to submitting a full application, two collaborative workshops will take place. The main applicant must attend both workshops or arrange for a replacement and coordinate this with ZonMw/NWO. Registration for the collaborative workshops is possible until Monday, May 26, 2025. More information about the meetings can be found on the ZonMw website.
More information about meetings
Budget and deadlines
The subsidy ceiling for this Call for proposals amounts to a total of €2,865,000. Within this program, it is expected that a maximum of one application will be awarded.
The deadline for submitting the full application is November 11, 2025, at 14:00.
Program National Science Agenda
The foundation of the establishment and renewal of the National Science Agenda lies with citizens. In the NWA program, the connection between society and science is essential. Governments, researchers, societal organizations, and citizens develop and utilize knowledge together to achieve scientific and societal impact. Through science communication, knowledge is shared in society to increase involvement and trust in science.