ENACT: Empowering youth for lifelong NCD prevention through digitally supported behavioural interventions and community-based Activities

Project Snapshot

ENACT addresses the rising burden of behaviour-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among young Europeans aged 12–25. Rather than developing new interventions from scratch, ENACT focuses on scaling up, adapting, and evaluating existing, evidence-based behavioural interventions in real-life settings.

Our model targets four critical prevention domains: Healthy diet and weight management, Physical activity and sedentary behaviour reduction, Stress regulation, sleep quality, and mental wellbeing, Vaping and smoking prevention.

These interventions are delivered through a hybrid ecosystem combining physical settings (schools, youth centres, families) with a youth-friendly digital companion that provides self-monitoring and personalised support.

The overarching objective of the ENACT project is to develop and validate a scalable, youth-centred European model for preventing the top NCDs later in life by identifying at-risk young people, implementing and tailoring existing behavioural interventions, empowering them through a personalised digital support layer, and generating robust real-world evidence through multi-country implementation research and cross-sector collaboration, thereby providing policymakers with actionable guidance and scalability pathways for long-term adoption across diverse European contexts.

Who We Are Looking For

We are currently seeking partners to complete a multidisciplinary consortium capable of multi-country implementation. We are specifically looking for expertise in the following areas:

1. Implementation Researchers & Clinical Partners

• Role: To conduct pragmatic implementation research across different European countries.

• Specific Needs: Experience in measuring behavioural, psychosocial, and non-invasive physiological outcomes (e.g., sleep quality, heart-rate trends). Expertise in analyzing "what works for whom" regarding gender, disability, and socioeconomic factors is highly valued.

2. Digital Health & AI Developers

• Role: To co-develop the "Digital Support & Personalisation" layer.

• Specific Needs: Expertise in developing user-friendly interfaces (Human Interaction Layer), integrating wearables/point-of-care devices, and building "Smart Decision-Support Layers" using explainable, ethical AI for personalised nudging.

• Requirement: Capabilities in Secure Cloud & FAIR Data Governance to ensure privacy-preserving data management.

What We Offer

By joining the ENACT consortium, you will be part of a high-impact initiative that aims to:

• Develop a Scalable Model: Move beyond pilot studies to create a validated European model for NCD prevention that integrates risk identification, behavioural intervention, and digital support.

• Access Real-World Data (RWD): Generate and access high-quality, FAIR-aligned data on youth behavioural health, offering insights into personalization effects and long-term prevention impacts.

• Drive Policy Change: Directly influence European health policy by co-developing cost-effectiveness insights and implementation frameworks for national and regional authorities.

• Bridge the Gap: Contribute to closing the gap between "what works" in controlled studies and "what is used" in practice, specifically targeting underserved and vulnerable youth populations.

Our Vision

We believe that effective prevention must be integrated, personalised, and youth-centred. ENACT moves away from fragmented digital tools and isolated school programs. Instead, we empower young people through a coherent ecosystem that combines human support with smart technology, ensuring that every young European—regardless of background—has the support they need to avoid NCDs later in life.

Interested in collaborating? Please contact us to discuss how your expertise can contribute to the ENACT mission.