ERC - Excellence Grants

The European Research Council (ERC) supports excellent researchers at different stages in their careers for groundbreaking and visionary research.

• Starting Grants provide support for promising early career scientists from 2-7 years after PhD defence or 4-9 years after MD*.
• Consolidator Grants provide support for excellent researchers from 7-12 years after PhD defence or 9-14 years after MD*.
• Advanced Grants are aimed at leading and established researchers who have achieved excellent scientific results in the last 10 years.
• Synergy Grants provide support to a group of 2 to 4 excellent researchers regardless of their career stage. The ambitious research project can only be implemented through the specific expertise of the group.

*Reference date to calculate the eligibility window is the 1 January of the year of the call. Exceptions regarding the funding eligibility window can be made under certain conditions.

The following apply to all ERC Research Grants:

• Pioneering research is funded
• There are no prescribed priorities or topics for project ideas: bottom up
• The only selection criteria is scientific excellence

For further information, follow the links and/or contact us

ERC - Proof of Concept Grants

ERC Proof of Concept Grants allow for verification of innovative potential of ERC project results.

F o r t h c o m i n g:

ERC Proof of Concept Grants 2026

ERC grantees can apply for a proof of concept grant during or shortly after their ERC research grant. Regardless of the actual project costs a flat rate of 150.000 Euro is awarded. The duration can be up to a maximum of 18 months.

The next deadlines are 17 March 2026/ 17 September 2026.

Opening of the call is by the end of the first week of December 2025.

For further information click here and/or contact us .

Support for researcher mobility (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Staff Exchanges)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme provides funding to support international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral mobility in research.

O p e n:

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks

The Doctoral Networks provide funding to develop an international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral graduate training programme.

You can apply for three different types:

• Standard Doctoral Networks (DN)
• Industrial Doctorates (ID)
• Joint Doctorates (JD)

Main points of the call:

• To be eligible, a consortium needs to have at least three institutions, at least one of which is from an EU member state and two others from different member states or associated countries. For Industrial Doctorates and Joint Doctorates there are further specific requirements.
• The applicants are free to choose the research topic of the proposal.
• The duration for the Doctoral Networks and the Industrial Doctorates can be a maximum of four years and for Joint Doctorates five.
• The EU-funding includes fixed rates for the salary of the PhD students and for training, research, networking and management and indirect costs.

The next deadline is on 25 November 2025.

For further information click here and/or contact us .

Cluster 1 – Health

The Horizon Europe Work Programme for the years 2026 and 2027 are expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. These will contain the topics with deadlines foreseen in 2026 (April and September) and 2027 (April). The European Commission has made draft versions available through its Comitology Register. Please note that Information is preliminary and subject to change.

Work programme 2026-2027 Health (version 4 of 1 October 2025)

If you would like information on further programme parts and clusters, contact us .

The 2025 Horizon Europe Cluster Health topics are now closed.

For the two-stage calls, the deadline for the second stage is 16 April 2026.

Mission Cancer

Horizon Europe has five missions with the aim of finding solutions to greater challenges. EU Mission: Cancer addresses the topic of cancer and its objectives are understanding, prevention and early detection, diagnosis and treatment, and quality of life of cancer patients and their families.

The 2026/ 2027 Work Programme is expected to be published by the end of 2025. It will contain the topics with deadlines in 2026 (April) The European Commission has made draft information available through its Comitology Register. Please note that Information is preliminary and subject to change.

Work programme 2026-2027 Missions (including Cancer and Adaptation to Climate Change) (version 3 of July 2025)

For further information, follow the links and/or contact us .

Mission Adaptation to Climate Change

Horizon Europe has five missions with the aim of finding solutions to greater challenges. The Mission Adaptation to Climate Change is to support at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience by 2030. It focuses on helping these regions and local authorities to understand climate risks, develop adaptation pathways and implement innovative solutions.

The 2026/2027 Work Programme is expected to be published by the end of 2025. It will contain the topics with deadlines in 2026 (September). The European Commission has made draft versions available through its Comitology Register. Please note that Information is preliminary and subject to change.

Work programme 2026-2027 Missions (including Cancer and Adaptation to Climate Change) (version 3 of July 2025)

Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) JU Calls

The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a private-public partnership that offers funding for health research and innovation. Projects include both academic and industry partners and should address public health needs, improve the lives of patients and boost the competitiveness of Europe’s health industries.

F o r t h c o m i n g:

IHI Call 12

Expected to launch early in 2026, applicants will be invited to explore IHI projects that address a topic based on the five priorities of the IHI Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda . The applicant-driven approach piloted in Call 10 will be adopted. Note that all information is subject to change.

• Topic 1 (SO1): contribute towards a better understanding of the determinants of health and priority disease areas
• Topic 2 (SO2): integrate fragmented health research and innovation efforts bringing together health industry sectors and other stakeholders, focussing on unmet public health needs, to enable the development of tools, data, platforms, technologies and processes for improved prediction, prevention, interception, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases, meeting the needs of end-users
• Topic 3 (SO3): demonstrate the feasibility of people-centred, integrated healthcare solutions
• Topic 4 (SO4): exploit the full potential of digitalisation and data exchange in healthcare
• Topic 5 (SO5): enable the development of new and improved evaluation methodologies and models for a comprehensive assessment of the added value of innovative and integrated healthcare solutions

Keep posted for updates to the draft text: Future opportunities | IHI Innovative Health Initiative

For further information, visit the IHI-Website and /or contact us .

European Innovation Council (EIC)

The EIC supports breakthrough innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research, to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises.

The EIC Work Programme 2026 is now published:

F o r t h c o m i n g:

EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges | Deadline 26 February 2026

The EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges aim to supports high-risk, demand-driven deep tech innovation with transformative potential in areas where there is extensive research but lack of commercial uptake.

Challenges 2026:

• Accelerating Physical AI: Embodied Intelligence for the Next Frontier of AI-Powered Robotics
• Translating Disruptive New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) into Practice

Main points:

• Single applicants or small consortia can apply
• Stage-gated funding – two-stage model, stage 1: EUR 300.000 lump sum for up to nine months to prepare and benchmark; stage 2: up to €2.5 million lump sum for up to 2.5 years to further develop the most promising solutions and test them in real world environments and with the involvement of users
• Proactive portfolio management by a EIC Programme Manager

EIC Pathfinder Open | Deadline 12 May 2026

The EIC Pathfinder Open has no predefined topics and funds consortia to perform breakthrough research from any field of science or technology. EIC Pathfinder Open supports early stage development of such future technologies from laboratory to prototype (e.g., various activities at low Technology Readiness Levels(TRL) 1 to 4).

Main points:

• Consortia can apply: at least three independent legal entities from three different Member Statesor Associated Countries
• The recommended budget per proposal is up to EUR 4 million (larger if justified)
• Bottom up approach
• Application procedure is one stage

EIC Transition | Deadline 16 September 2026

The EIC Transition programme funds innovation activities that go beyond experimental proof of principle. Both maturation and validation of novel technologies from laboratory to application in the relevant environment, and the development of a business case and business model towards the innovation’s future commercialisation are supported.

Main points:

• Proposals must build on the results of eligible EU-funded projects at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or 4
• Single applicants or multi-beneficiary small consortia (maximum 5 partners) can apply
• Open call without any predefined thematic priorities
• The recommended budget range per proposal is up to EUR 2.5 million
• Project duration of 1 to 3 years
• The application procedure is one-stage, the evaluation process two-stage: evaluation by EIC expert evaluators and, if successful, an interview with the EIC jury members.

EIC Pathfinder Challenges | Deadline 28 October 2026

The EIC Pathfinder Challenges funds cutting edge projects that address one of the four three challenges in predefined areas of emerging and strategic technologies.

• Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
• Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems
• DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems

Main Points:

• Single applicants or consortia can apply
• The recommended budget per proposal is up to EUR 4 million (larger if justified)
• The application procedure is one-stage

For further information, follow the links and/or contact us .

Other clusters and programme parts with health aspects

In addition to the topics under Cluster Health, there are topics among the other clusters and programme parts of Horizon Europe that relate to health and that are thence relevant to the UKE.

The work programmes are currently being finalised and we are expecting the publication of calls in April with deadlines in September 2025. If you would like further information, contact us.

European Rare Disease Alliance (ERDERA)

The aim of the European Rare Disease Research Alliance (ERDERA) is to advance research in rare disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment and to build on the results of other EU-funded projects such as the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases . The alliance will provide a number of funding opportunities.

O p e n:

The Networking Support Scheme (NSS ) aims to promote transnational networking events to share knowledge across borders, disciplines and sectors and to cover topics related to rare diseases and rare cancers.

Events can be funded to an amount of EUR 30.000 and must:

• Include at least three different eligible countries
• Involve early stage researcher and patient advocacy
• Promote the inclusion of typically underrepresented countries (UCs)

The call is permanently open with scheduled collection rounds in October and April of each year (until 2029).

F o r t h c o m i n g:

Joint Transnational Call 2026

Resolving unsolved cases in rare genetic and non‑genetic diseases (will be launched on 10 December 2025).

Main points:

• Four to six eligible principal investigator partners from at least four different participating countries (in specific cases up to eight partners)
• Proposals should solve undiagnosed rare genetic diseases and address complex, multifactorial rare non-Genetic disease
• Consortia should include and actively engage patient partners

The deadline for the preproposal is 12 February 2026. There will be an Information Event on 16 December 2025. All information is subject to change.

Clinical Trials Call - ERDERA will soon be available.

For further information, contact us .

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

COST actions support networks for innovative research activities in Europe.

The main points of the call:

• Funding for network activities regarding research topics that you are free to choose
• To be eligible, a consortium needs to be comprised of at least seven COST members or cooperating members, at least 50% of which need to be from Inclusiveness Target Countries. Participants from non-EU countries are eligible
• The duration of a COST-Action is 4 years
• One-stage application
• The next deadline for submission is in October 2026.

For further information, follow the links and/or contact us .

EU4HEALTH PROGRAMME

The EU4Health Programme complements measures taken by the member states to make health systems stronger, more resilient and more accessible. The new EU4Health Work Programme 2025 has been published and it lays down the European Commission’s core priorities in the areas of health systems, digital transformation, and disease prevention. There are research and innovation opportunities in areas such as early detection of cancer, cardiovascular health, digital health infrastructure and AI applications.

O p e n:

Call for proposals:

• For the development of new diagnostic tests for vector-borne diseases (HERA)
• To support the development of innovative medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (HERA) - Medicinal products (EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-a)
• To support the development of innovative medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (HERA) - Reusable respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE) (EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-b)
• To support the development of innovative medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (HERA) - Detection and diagnosis (EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-c)

The deadlines are on 4 December 2025.

F o r t h c o m i n g:

European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) has published a tentative calendar for the calls expected to open over the coming months. Tentative calendar 2025

The deadlines are foreseen for 6 January 2026.

European Partnership for Personalised Medicine (EP PerMed)

The European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, EP PerMed (supported by the European Union under Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement N° 101137129), is a platform for joint programming of national and European regional research and innovation supporting activities.

F o r t h c o m i n g:

Joint Transnational Call 2026: Personalised Medicine for CARdiovascular, MEtabolic, and kidNey diseases (CARMEN2026) (will be launched on 25 November 2025).

Main points:

• Innovative personalised therapeutic approaches
• Monitoring of treatment response in patients in order to tailor treatment pathways
• Early disease risk prediction and prevention of disease worsening or comorbidities
• Interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial collaborations including private sector, regulatory agencies and patient organisations

There will be an Information Day on 16 December 2025 and the preproposal deadline is 10 February 2026. All information is subject to change.

For further information, contact us .