Invest4Health (I4H) is a Horizon Europe project with eighteen partners, including four regional testbeds designed to challenge traditional methods of financing health promotion and disease prevention. By introducing innovative strategies such as Smart Capacitating Investment (SCI), social franchising, and new governance mechanisms also involving citizens, the project redefines health as a long-term investment rather than merely a cost. I4H emphasizes community-centred approaches, delivering socially equitable services while linking health outcomes to broader economic and social benefits. This transformative vision inspires collaboration among diverse stakeholders to create sustainable, impactful solutions to health challenges.
The Invest4Health Consortium organised an online public workshop on December 10th. This workshop was a significant milestone for our project as this was the first time we provided a comprehensive public overview of our work, as well as we launched an Open Call to invite new regions to collaborate with us.
You can read more about the workshop below. Just now we want to give attention to what emerged from a high-level panel discussion, where experts explored why innovative financing is essential for sustainable health systems. The key takeaways from this discussion were:
- Prioritizing health promotion is crucial for reducing long-term healthcare costs. Investments in prevention—such as fall prevention and early childhood education—can lead to significant health and economic benefits.
- Traditional investment models struggle to support health promotion due to long timelines and difficult-to-measure outcomes.
- Alternative approaches offer promising solutions, such as social impact bonds and co-investment with non-commercial entities (e.g., foundations or pension funds).
- Health professionals need stronger economic arguments to advocate for more resources in health promotion. Clear value propositions and simplified communication strategies can help gain their support.
- Framing health promotion projects in ways that appeal to investors—by focusing on scalability, measurable outcomes, and alignment with investor expectations—can attract funding, drawing inspiration from successful models in the green investment sector.
- Citizen involvement is key to building trust in new financial models and generating political support.
- Making financing tools easy to understand can help the public see the benefits of investing in health and well-being.
These insights highlighted the need for smarter, more inclusive financial strategies to ensure long-term investment in health promotion.
We thank everyone who participated in this workshop and those who may listen to the recording later. We hope that the session was valuable and insightful for all involved. We are excited about the opportunity for collaboration to explore further the innovative financial solutions and investment opportunities we are developing, and we look forward to working together with new regions to advance these approaches and make a lasting impact on health promotion and disease prevention.
For the Workshop report and presentation, CLICK HERE.
For our Open Call documentation, CLICK HERE.
To stay informed, sign up for our newsletter on the homepage, and follow us on Social Media – X and LinkedIn.
Thank you for your engagement and support.
(Image by freepik)
