European Congress on Obesity 2025: Meet the Horizon Europe projects that will take part in this year’s edition

The European Congress on Obesity (ECO), the largest annual scientific congress on obesity in Europe, is around the corner for its 32nd edition.  

Organised by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), ECO 2025 will take place between 11 and 14 May and will gather healthcare professionals, research scientists, industry leaders, policymakers, students and patients in the stunning Spanish city of Málaga to discuss the latest advances in obesity science, prevention and treatment.  

Obesity is a growing public health concern linked to risks such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart diseases and certain types of cancer. The Horizon Europe programme is funding research to tackle obesity and associated health risks. The European Cluster of Obesity Research Projects (OBEClust) brings together nine innovative EU-funded initiatives, each contributing unique methodologies and areas of expertise to tackle the multifaceted challenge of obesity prevention and management. Several Horizon Europe projects from OBEClust will be present at ECO 2025. Read on to discover them.

OBCT focuses on the biological, sociocultural and environmental determinants of obesity across Europe. Its outputs include a comprehensive obesity risk screener, country-specific trend estimates, and an EU-wide digital interactive atlas mapping obesogenic environments.  

OBCT is also developing tailored lifestyle recommendations and evaluating the impact of obesity-related policies on inequalities, while providing decision support dashboards and policy toolboxes for effective preventive interventions. 

During ECO 2025, OBCT will deliver both oral and poster presentations – including insights into a twin study on the quasi-causal association between the obesogenic environment and obesity. 

Bio-Streams provides a multi-pillar framework to address obesity in the underage population and aims to deliver the first EU childhood and adolescence obesity Biobank, acting as an EU-wide data-sharing centre for research and innovation on the matter. Moreover, it aims to provide an accessible obesity platform (Bio-Streams platform), combining the Biobank with novel services, as well as an EU community network on childhood and adolescence. 

Bio-Streams is also establishing an EU-wide Knowledge Chain Model (KCM) on obesity for children and adolescents, which will lead to novel study deployments for validation and new data collection for the Biobank.  

ECO 2025 participants will be able to learn about the initial BIOSTREAM’s results through guided poster presentations on the link between digital interventions and children’s health, showcasing the initial results of the project’s multi-country workshop. 

PAS GRAS focuses on the prevention of obesity and its associated metabolic issues within four distinct age groups: pre-pubertal children (ages 3-9), adolescents (ages 10-18), young adults (ages 19-25), and adults (ages 25-55). 

The project seeks to proactively identify obesity risks within these age segments by employing a personalised risk assessment tool. The identified risk factors will then be utilised by PAS GRAS to contribute to new interventional studies that will suggest lifestyle adjustments – including the adoption of the Mediterranean diet – with the ultimate goal of achieving a 15% reduction in overweight and obesity prevalence among adults, and a 30% reduction among children and adolescents by 2050. 

During ECO 2025, PAS GRAS will provide a poster presentation on what children’s preferences, perceptions and knowledge tell us about the food environment, food choices and the way forward. 

The BETTER4U project aims to prevent obesity through biologically tailored interventions that consider individual differences in metabolism, genetics and response to treatment. By integrating clinical, behavioral, and molecular data, the project seeks to develop personalised strategies that optimise weight management and long-term health outcomes.  

Ultimately, the project has the objective of redefining obesity prevention by shifting from one-size-fits-all approaches to precision-based solutions that enhance individual and collective health. 

The project will participate in ECO 2025 with two poster presentations: one focusing on understanding the intergenerational impact of obesity in Portugal, and one exploring the links between obesity and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. 

The eprObes project has the aim of defining effective strategies for active prevention of obesity during the life-course, with a particular focus on early stages of life – from prenatal to pubertal periods. 

In the context of ECO 2025, eprObes will organise a themed symposium where its first innovative results will be presented. In addition, Manuel Tena-Sempere, project coordinator, will deliver a plenary lecture on the impact of early-onset obesity on pubertal maturation and the neuroendocrine mechanisms involved.  

The SHIFT2HEALTH project aims to develop nutritional and behavioural strategies for shift workers, who are at a high risk of obesity caused by circadian disruption. 

Working rotating night shifts causes circadian disruption, which is associated with higher risk of becoming overweight and obese while increasing the chances to develop obesity and non-communicable diseases. 

In this framework, the SHIFT2HEALTH project seeks to provide nutritional and behavioural strategies for shift workers based on an advanced understanding of the underlying biological pathways, the identification of pre-obesity biomarkers, and the expectation, wishes and needs of shift workers.  

Project representatives will deliver a presentation during ECO 2025 on the obesity prevalence in night shift workers compared to day workers across Europe, with a preliminary analysis of an online survey carried out by the project. 

Obelisk aims to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to or preventing childhood obesity, with the objective of enhancing the health, quality of life, and life span of people of all ages living in Europe.  

The project seeks to develop tools for early prediction and prevention, identify new genes associated with childhood obesity and explore targeted approaches for prevention.  

Obelisk will conduct a clinical study on an existing drug to reverse obesity in individuals with a genetic predisposition. Moreover, it will disseminate best practices, educate stakeholders on preventing and treating childhood obesity and collaborate with other initiatives to optimise knowledge and joint activities. 

During ECO 2025, Obelisk will provide five presentations on different topics – from “Meal timing, appetite and exercise in people living with obesity” to “How obesity medications are reshaping our patient’s nutrition and nutritional counselling.” 

Background 

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020.