HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-01

HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-01: Public procurement of innovative solutions for improving citizens' access to healthcare through integrated or personalised approaches

Our team of social scientists from the Dep of Sociology at the West University of Timișoara, Romania, can contribute to the design, conduct, and effectively communicate qualitative (in-depth interviews, participatory observation, social visual maps) and quantitative (surveys, social statistics analysis) social research results to inform policymakers in the healthcare area. The social research we provide aims to gather multiple perspectives from patients/beneficiaries, institutional and health personnel, and policymakers on equal access to innovative, sustainable, high-quality healthcare.

Team - Department of Sociology, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, West University of Timișoara: Sorin Pribac, PhD; Atalia Onițiu, PhD; Melinda Dincă, PhD.

Sorin Pribac earned the scientific title of Doctor in History from the West University of Timișoara (2005). Areas of interest: Sociology of religions, Interethnic relations, Diversity and interculturality, Social and cultural anthropology, History and culture of ethnic communities in Romania, Socio-anthropology of rock music. sorin.pribac@e-uvt.ro,  ORCID identifier.

Atalia Oniţiu is a Lecturer with a PhD in the Department of Sociology. She holds a PhD in history (2006) from the West University of Timisoara, two MA degrees in Roman provincial history and Sociology of work, and two bachelor’s degrees in history and sociology. Since October 2021, she has been pursuing doctoral studies in Sociology, with a doctoral project on the quality of life of families with children with disabilities. With 25 years of teaching experience, Atalia Onițiu stands out for the research carried out, as well as for organisational skills and the publication of collective volumes and journals. Her main areas of interest, as reflected in scientific publications and communications, are the sociology of culture; the sociology and history of religions; social history; social inclusion of vulnerable people; and gender studies. atalia.onitiu@e-uvt.ro, ORCID identifier: 0000-0001-6319-2634.

Melinda Dincă holds a PhD in Sociology (2008) from the University of Bucharest and a doctoral grant in Social Anthropology at Université de Fribourg from the SCOPES program of the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research (2005-2006). Melinda has conducted extensive fieldwork in marginalised communities, on the work integration process of disadvantaged people like Roma ethnics, young NEETs, persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees. Her research interests include social inclusion, cultural diversity, team-based learning, and the internationalisation of higher education. Melinda participated in European projects, such as VRclassrooms-EEA Grants (2022-2023), EHEI-HORIZON-MSCA-SE-2024 (2025-2029), SALAM-Interreg Europe (2024-2027), and Smart Shrinkage Solutions–HORIZON-2020 (2017-2020). melinda.dinca@e-uvt.ro, ORCID identifier

Institution description: As the largest higher education and research centre in Western Romania, West University of Timisoara comprises 12 faculties, 85 Bachelor's-level study programs, 120 Master's-level study programs, and 12 Doctoral Schools. Over 20 Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD programs are offered in English, French, or German. A comprehensive higher education institution with around 1000 international students among 15000, WUT consistently strives to create a genuinely interdisciplinary and global environment for undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates. An essential part of WUT’s current internationalisation strategy is our membership in the UNITA European Alliance. Within our network of over 550 European and global partners, we implement international mobility and research projects every year. The university’s strong focus on quality in an increasingly competitive and globalised academic world is recognised in international rankings. In 2024, the Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects places WUT’s research in Psychology and Economy in the 401-500 global rankings; in the Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, WUT’s Physics was ranked 301-400 in 2022; in Emerging Europe and Central Asia University Rankings, it ranked 94 in 2022; in the Times Higher Education Emerging Economies University Rankings, WUT ranked 401-500 in 2021; while in the QS Rankings by Subject, Modern Languages, ranked 251-300 in 2018.