Launch of the SAMPO project to support the mental health of young people in Europe
Imke Baetens, professor at the VUB, is coordinating a project that is developing and testing an application aimed at boosting mental health and preventing self-harm with more than 12,000 young people
Brussels 01 June 2026 - SAMPO - Scalable Approach to Mental Illness and Self-Harm Prevention Online - has received funding from Horizon Europe to develop a new digital approach to preventive mental health care for adolescents and young adults.
The four-year project will develop, adapt and test a multi-level, person-centred digital programme. The programme is designed to make mental health support more accessible, scalable and relevant to young people's daily lives.
SAMPO responds to a clear challenge: many existing mental health interventions are fragmented, disorder-specific and insufficiently integrated into the contexts in which young people live, study or work.
To address this, the project brings together three key components within a single digital platform:
- a digital screening tool for early detection ;
- a person-centred algorithm for personalised support;
- digital toolkits on risk and resilience.
The programme will be tested in education, training and work settings through a large-scale randomised controlled trial with around 12,600 participants. These include teenagers aged 13-18, higher education students aged 18-30 and young working adults aged 18-30.
Young people and stakeholders are also actively involved through co-creation, workshops, focus groups and pilot studies. In this way, SAMPO aims to ensure that digital tools are accessible, inclusive and culturally relevant.
Coordinated by the Free University of Brussels (VUB) in Belgium, SAMPO brings together eight partners from six European countries. The consortium combines the expertise of universities, medical and higher education establishments, and companies specialising in digital solutions and communication. The partners are Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Pädagogische Hochschule Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany), Universität Bern (Switzerland), Charlemagne University (Belgium), Medizinische Universität Wien (Austria), Reconwell GmbH (Germany) and LOBA - Globaz, S.A. (Portugal).
With a total EU grant of almost €5 million, SAMPO will contribute to European efforts to promote mental health, strengthen resilience and enable earlier and more personalised prevention for younger generations.
Contact and further information:
Imke Baetens: imke.baetens@vub.be, tel. available from the editor
Funding statement and disclaimer
Financed by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible.
Koen Stein
