{{{Second call for Transnational Research Projects on
Air pollution in urban areas –
health impacts on vulnerable groups under changing conditions}}}
European Union level research has significantly improved knowledge about the links between the
environment and health. However, understanding the complex interactions is still in an early stage.
The diversity of the environment and health theme and the diversity of approaches and associated
funding arrangements stem from the wide scope of the research which could be conducted. As a
consequence, it is difficult to have a clear understanding of organisational arrangements and
governance of the research programmes of each country in this field. The assessment of health
impacts is based mostly on scarce exposure data and limited information on the relationship between
exposure and health. There is, therefore, a need to strengthen research in this area and to develop
methods and tools that will improve the comparability of data. The scientific boundaries created by the
remits of different funding organisations have frequently acted as a disincentive to collaborative work.
Although research programmes aim towards relevance and efficiency, the results remain dispersed
and of limited support for policy-making. In order to tackle the broad and complex issues
encompassed in environment and health, both the environmental science and the public health
communities need to be mobilised.
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