New European COST Action ENCORE to Advance Voluntary Mental Health Care Across Europe

We are delighted to share the launch of ENCORE (European Network Changing Conduct in Mental Healthcare Promoting Voluntary Measures and Practices), a new four-year COST Action that will strengthen international collaboration to promote voluntary, rights-based mental health care and reduce reliance on coercive practices.

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COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a European funding programme that supports international research and innovation networks. Rather than funding individual research projects, COST Actions bring together researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers, people with lived experience and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge, develop collaborations and translate evidence into practice.

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Building on the success of the FOSTREN COST Action, ENCORE aims to move beyond evidence generated in individual settings towards large-scale implementation strategies that support sustainable change across mental health and community services. The Action will establish a pan-European research-to-implementation network, bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, service managers, policymakers, people with mental health conditions and government representatives to promote voluntary measures and practices across Europe.

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Although ENCORE has a strong European focus, its network extends beyond the European Union. Countries that have often been underrepresented in research on violence and coercion, including countries such as Pakistan and Albania, are already involved, helping to broaden the evidence base, strengthen international collaboration and ensure that a wider range of perspectives informs future policy and practice.

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EViPRG has strong roots in both FOSTREN and ENCORE. Many members of the new Action are also active members of EViPRG, reflecting our shared commitment to reducing violence and coercion through research, implementation and international collaboration.

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EViPRG, FOSTREN and ENCORE each play a distinct but complementary role. While COST Actions such as FOSTREN and ENCORE provide time-limited, funded international networks focused on specific objectives, EViPRG provides the long-term professional home for this community. As an independent international charity, EViPRG brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers and people with lived experience, supports collaboration beyond the lifetime of individual projects, facilitates knowledge exchange and helps ensure that evidence continues to inform policy and practice long after funded initiatives have ended.

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With representatives from 29 countries already involved and additional countries expected to join before the Action officially begins in November 2026, ENCORE represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and further advance voluntary, person-centred and rights-based mental health care.

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EViPRG looks forward to supporting ENCORE and working alongside colleagues across Europe and beyond as this important new initiative develops.

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Find out more about ENCORE: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA25107/