Enhancing Integrated Research and Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa Through Digital Innovation and AI

About the call The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking — a partnership between the European Union and the EDCTP Association — has opened a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) call (call reference HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2026-03-DIGIT-02) to strengthen health systems in sub-Saharan Africa through digital innovation and artificial intelligence.

The call supports the development, adaptation or scale-up of digital health platforms — including electronic health records, AI-driven tools and data-sharing platforms — to improve disease prevention, detection and treatment, particularly for infectious diseases, and to enable data-driven decisions by healthcare workers and policymakers. The focus is on making digital health innovations work in real African health systems, connecting researchers, regulators and practitioners, and building the foundations for sustained digital health transformation.

Why this call matters Sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear a heavy burden of infectious disease, and its health systems often operate with constrained human and material resources. Digital technologies and AI offer a realistic route to strengthening disease prevention, detection and treatment, and to equipping healthcare workers and policymakers with the data they need to make better decisions. However, many promising digital innovations never move beyond pilot stage. This call is designed to help validated innovations reach national and sub-regional scale, and to create the institutional and interoperability foundations — including harmonised electronic health records — that allow digital health to be sustained within national health systems over the long term.

Funding The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 18 million, with up to two projects expected to be funded. The funding rate is 100% of eligible costs (lump sum), with projects of up to 60 months' duration.

Eligibility Consortia must include at least three independent legal entities from three different countries, with at least one entity from an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country and at least one from an eligible sub-Saharan African country. Eligible participants include universities, research institutions, ethics committees, regulatory authorities, public health institutes and digital platform developers. This breadth of eligible participants reflects the call's emphasis on building partnerships that connect research, regulation, public health practice and digital innovation.

Expected outcomes - Scaling of validated digital innovations at national or sub-regional level; - Improved data interoperability and harmonisation of electronic health records; - Integrated roadmaps for sustainable digital health integration into health systems; - Increased retention of skilled experts in digital health, epidemiology, bioinformatics and AI in sub-Saharan Africa.

Who should apply The call is relevant to universities, research institutions, ethics committees, regulatory authorities, public health institutes and digital platform developers in sub-Saharan Africa and Europe that are interested in advancing digital health and AI for infectious disease control and health system strengthening. Organisations with validated digital tools or platforms seeking to scale them, as well as institutions building the governance, interoperability and workforce foundations for digital health, are encouraged to consider forming a consortium and applying.

How to apply Proposals are submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The full topic details, including the call reference HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2026-03-DIGIT-02, are accessible through the application link on this listing. Ensure your consortium meets the minimum eligibility requirements before beginning your application, and allow sufficient time to complete the online submission process.

Deadline The deadline for submission is 2 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.