Introduction

The ERA-Net E-Rare has successfully implemented the Joint Transnational Calls for rare disease research projects since 2006. This effort is now continued in the frame of the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) that has been established to further help in coordinating the research efforts of European, Associated and non-European countries in the field of rare diseases and implement the objectives of the International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC).

Aim

The aim of the call is to enable scientists in different countries to build an effective collaboration on a common interdisciplinary research project based on complementarities and sharing of expertise, with a clear benefit for patients.

Topic: Research projects to accelerate diagnosis and/or explore disease progression and mechanisms of rare diseases.

Transnational research proposals must cover at least one of the following areas, which are equal in relevance for this call:

Projects shall involve a group of rare diseases or a single rare disease following the European definition and must be based on novel ideas stemming from consolidated previous results or preliminary data and must be clearly endowed with benefit for the patients.

The following approaches and topics are excluded from the scope of this call:

a. Approaches concerning rare infectious diseases or rare cancers;

b. Approaches concerning rare adverse drug events/medical complications in treatments of common diseases;

c. Studies that focus on pre-clinical therapy development and/or validation in invitro, cellular or animal models. These will be addressed in future calls;

d. Interventional clinical trials;

e. Rare neurodegenerative diseases which are within the main focus of the Joint Programming Initiative on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND; http://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/). These concern: Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias; Parkinson’s disease (PD) and PD-related disorders; Prion disease; Motor Neuron Diseases; Huntington’s disease; Spinal Muscular Atrophy and dominant forms of Spinocerebellar Ataxia. Interested researchers should refer to the relevant JPND calls. Not excluded through this specification are childhood dementias/neurodegenerative diseases.

Requirements

Only transnational projects will be funded.

Each consortium submitting a proposal must involve a minimum of four eligible and a maximum of six eligible research partners from at least four different countries participating to the call (see list above). No more than two eligible research partners from the same country participating in the call will be accepted in one consortium.

Applicants are encouraged to include research partners from participating countries usually underrepresented in projects (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Turkey). If they include such research partners, the maximum number of research partners can be increased to eight .

Additional partners that secure their own funding may join consortia. However, their number is limited to two. The consortium coordinator must always be eligible to receive funding from the funding organisations participating in the call.

Eligible Countries

Austria; Belgium; Canada; Czech Republic, Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Israel; Italia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Poland; Portugal; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; The Netherlands; Turkey.

Budget

The funding depends on national/regional rules. For Spanish entities, up to € 175.000 for coordinators and € 100.000 for partners.

Duration

3 years

Deadlines

There will be a two-stage submission procedure for joint applications: pre-proposals and full proposals.

Important

Whilst applications will be submitted jointly by applicants from several countries/regions, individual groups will be funded by the individual funding organisation of their country/region that is participating in the EJPRD JTC 2019. The applications are therefore subjected to eligibility criteria of individual funding organisations.
Due to the complexity of the call, if you are interested in submitting an application we strongly recommend that you contact FSJD- Proyectos Internacionales (lnorton@fsjd.org) well in advance of the deadline.

Web

http://www.erare.eu/joint-call/1st-joint-call-european-joint-programme-rare-diseases-jtc-2019
Guidelines and templates:
http://www.ejprarediseases.org/index.php/documents/