💰 Funding Details

Funding Description

Overview

This single-stage HORIZON Research & Innovation Action (RIA) under the Cancer Mission will finance international consortia that generate new evidence on how environmental exposures interact with genetic, epigenetic and socio-behavioural factors to influence the onset and progression of paediatric, adolescent and young-adult (PAYA) cancers (<40 yrs at diagnosis).

What is Funded

* Design and execution of large, data-intensive epidemiological studies (new prospective cohorts and/or pooling of existing cohorts, registries, EHEN data, PARC, etc.).

* Omics, exposome and biomarker discovery/validation work, including wet-lab analyses, biobanking and digital pathology.

* Development of AI/ML models, causal-inference methods and interoperable digital tools compatible with the future UNCAN.eu platform & European Health Data Space.

* Activities to identify windows of susceptibility, individual risk signatures, and modifiable lifestyle/clinical factors.

* Networking & clustering costs with the Mission “Understanding” projects, including meetings, joint workshops, citizen engagement.

* Open-science compliance: FAIR data curation, metadata creation, code/documentation publication, GDPR-compliant secure access.

* Optional yet eligible: pragmatic clinical studies (with Annex-specific details) to test preventive/monitoring interventions linked to exposure biomarkers.

Budget & Funding Rate

* Indicative EU contribution per project: EUR 8–12 million (up to the topic maximum of EUR 31 million, 100 % funding rate for eligible costs).

* Project duration: typically 4–5 years.

Eligibility Snapshot

* Consortium: ≥3 legal entities from ≥3 different EU Member States/Associated Countries (MS/AC). In practice, successful RIAs usually gather 8–15 partners covering academia, research infrastructures, hospitals, SMEs and patient organisations.

* Geographical eligibility: MS & AC automatically funded. Other countries may participate if they self-fund or have national HEU funding schemes.

* JRC may join as a partner without counting towards the three-partner minimum.

* Ethics & regulatory compliance: GDPR, clinical-study approvals, Nagoya Protocol (if bio-samples cross borders), chemicals regulations when relevant.

Timeline

* Call opens: 06 May 2025

* Submission deadline: 16 Sep 2025, 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage, full proposal only)

* Evaluation results: ~Jan 2026

* Grant signature & project start: Q2 2026

Key Policy Hooks

* Directly feeds Mission on Cancer objective “Understand” and supports the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

* Must align with UNCAN.eu data architecture and European Health Data Space standards.

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📊 Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria & How to Maximise Your Score

Excellence (Score 0-5, Threshold 4)

* Clarity & pertinence of objectives

- Explicitly map objectives to each bullet in the topic scope.

* Soundness of methodology

- Justify cohort sizes (power calculations), exposure assessments, omics pipelines.

- Address statistical validity (multiple-testing correction, causal-inference frameworks).

* Interdisciplinarity & integration

- Show seamless workflow across toxicology, molecular biology, AI, public health.

➜ Tip: Include a schematic work-flow diagram and a Gantt chart; cite ongoing EHEN/PARC resources to prove state-of-the-art awareness.

Impact (Score 0-5, Threshold 4)

* Credible pathways to Mission impacts

- Quantify expected reductions in exposure-attributable cancer risk, new biomarkers reaching TRL 4-5, policy uptake plans.

* Measures to maximise impact

- Detailed exploitation plan: IP management, open-source licensing, regulatory dossiers.

- Communication, dissemination, citizen engagement KPIs (e.g. number of outreach events, policy round-tables).

* Environmental & societal relevance

- Highlight contribution to Zero-Pollution, Farm-to-Fork, Health-in-All-Policies.

➜ Tip: Provide a logic-impact table linking each WP output to short-, medium- and long-term impacts and relevant SDGs.

Quality & Efficiency of the Implementation (Score 0-5, Threshold 4)

* Work plan & resources

- Realistic timelines, balanced budget, clear task allocation.

* Management structures & risk management

- Governance chart, decision-making flow, data-protection officer, ethics board.

* Consortium composition & complementarities

- Show each partner’s unique asset (cohort owner, omics platform, AI toolkit).

➜ Tip: Add a competence matrix matching partner expertise to tasks; underline prior collaboration success and gender balance in leadership.

Overall Threshold

* Proposals must score ≥4 in each criterion AND ≥12 cumulative to be considered for funding.

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📝 Application Strategy

Application Strategy

1. Assemble a Mission-Ready Consortium

* Cover multidisciplinarity: exposome scientists, paediatric oncologists, omics experts, biostatisticians, AI engineers, social scientists, patient advocates.

* Secure access to large PAYA cohorts/registries early; obtain Letters of Commitment.

* Invite key European Research Infrastructures (BBMRI-ERIC, ELIXIR, ECRIN, EuroBioImaging) and, if possible, the JRC.

* Add SMEs for analytical kits or AI solutions to boost innovation and exploitation sections.

2. Craft a Compelling Scientific Narrative

* Start with a clear logic model linking exposures → biological perturbations → cancer initiation/progression → clinical outcomes.

* Identify 2–3 high-impact exposure domains (e.g. endocrine disruptors, air pollution, pesticides) and justify them with incidence data.

* Embed time-window analysis (prenatal, early childhood, puberty, young adulthood) and sex/gender lenses.

3. Design Robust, FAIR Data Architecture

* Present a detailed data-management plan from day one: harmonisation protocols, ontologies, metadata (HealthDCAT-AP), secure federated analysis.

* Show how datasets/tools will be plug-and-play for UNCAN.eu (APIs, containerised workflows, persistent identifiers).

4. Demonstrate Impact Beyond Academia

* Map deliverables to specific Mission KPIs (e.g. new biomarkers ready for validation, policy briefs adopted by national cancer plans).

* Include a policy translation package: JRC collaboration, guidance for REACH/chemicals legislation, contributions to WHO/IARC monographs.

* Plan tailored communication & citizen-engagement activities (young-cancer survivors’ advisory board, schools, social media campaigns).

5. Implementation & Risk Management

* Provide a work-package (WP) structure that mirrors call bullets:

- WP1 Coordination & ethics

- WP2 Cohort integration & biobanking

- WP3 Exposure assessment & biomarkers

- WP4 Multi-omics & susceptibility signatures

- WP5 AI/causal modelling & tool development

- WP6 Translation to prevention & policy

- WP7 Open science, clustering & dissemination

* Detail risk matrices (data-sharing delays, recruitment hurdles) and mitigation actions (fallback cohorts, umbrella MTAs).

6. Budgeting Tips

* Allocate ≥5 % to clustering, networking and citizen engagement as explicitly requested.

* Reserve funds for cloud compute & secure analytics environments (eligible under Other Direct Costs).

* Demonstrate co-funding or in-kind support (national cohorts, lab assays) to show leverage.

7. Submission Best Practices

* Use the latest Part B template; respect 50-page limit.

* Place critical references, tables and figures strategically; avoid annex overflow.

* Perform an internal mock evaluation against HEU criteria ≥4/5 each.

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Understanding the effects of environmental exposure on the risk of paediatric, adolescent and young adult cancers

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