Background Employment is an essential component of adult life, and occupation is a major determinant of health. Despite profound changes in working life, there has been little coordinated European occupational health research.

Objectives We present results from the HERA international project funded by the EU Horizon2020 program, to set priorities for an environment and health research agenda in the EU for 2020–2030.

Methods We contacted hundreds of researchers in Europe through an online survey. We also identified major policy needs in the health and environment/occupation nexus by contacting national, regional, and European stakeholders representing authorities, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector through surveys and regional meetings. We applied a priori defined criteria to examine novelty, public health importance, importance to the environment, impact on policies, and potential for innovation within the sustainable development goals.

Main research gaps identified include (i) Climate change and worker health; (ii) Ageing workers; (iii) New technologies and chemicals; (iv) Working time; (v) Changing employment patterns and precarious employment; (vi) Mixed exposures and biomonitoring; (vii) Work-life-balance; and (viii) Neglected occupational diseases. In addition, priority actions related to occupational health were identified such as commuting to work, tools, and infrastructure such as the development of big data, biobanks, occupational cohorts, and large population cohorts with occupational information, development of exposome type approaches, and approaches examining societal aspects on employment and productivity.

Conclusions We will discuss challenges in the identification of key areas in occupational health research that will benefit from new scientific evidence and challenges in strategies to ensure the engagement of stakeholders. This large initiative in Europe has systematically evaluated priorities through the engagement of a wide spectrum of stakeholders across the continent. A consultation process will continue over the next year to raise additional research gaps and calibrate recommendations.