The aim of this call is to enable scientists in different countries to build a valuable collaboration on common interdisciplinary research projects based on complementarities and sharing of expertise in the field of cardiovascular disease treatments with a clear translational research approach. In-depth, two-way engagement with different actors from academia, healthcare providers, industry, as well as patients' organizations will help to develop effective research strategies. This call promotes cooperation at transnational level and will open the way for new therapeutic strategies for patients in Europe and worldwide.

Proposals must present research that addresses one or both of the following topics:

1. Repair and/or regeneration of the heart and/or the blood vessels The proposals should focus on:
   1. The identification of integrative approach, clinically relevant, based on molecular and cellular levels and/or the link between these two levels. Poorly known mechanisms should be the focus of the proposal e.g. (but not limited to) the inflammatory reaction, the amyloid accumulation, endogenous mechanisms of repair, linked to thromboembolism and/or related to macrovascular compartment and autonomous nervous system.
   2. And/or the development of cell and non-cell-based approaches in combination with bioactive biomaterials/ bioengineered patches or grafts.
2. Chronic heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The proposals should focus on the development of treatment strategies that can reverse the pathophysiology responsible for chronic heart failure (especially with preserved ejection fraction), atrial fibrillation and/or the both diseases. The therapeutic strategies should take into account patient comorbidities and their potential treatment.

Exclusion: For both topics, research on cell therapy is strictly restricted to novel and innovative approaches.

The duration of the projects will be 36 months.

Proposals must clearly demonstrate the potential health, economic, and/or policy impacts, as well as the added-value of transnational collaboration i.e. sharing of resources (models, registries, diagnosis, etc.), harmonisation of data, sharing of specific know-how and/or innovative technologies.

Proposals should follow the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). All consortia should demonstrate a commitment for investigating and addressing social, ethical, political, environmental or cultural dimensions of the proposed research. The proposal template further elaborates on this and how RRI dimensions can be approached.

Research supported by ERA4Health must respect fundamental ethical principles. Applicants have to describe any potential ethical aspects of the work to be carried out, and how the project will fulfil applicable requirements in institutional, national and European Union legislation (including the ethical standards and guidelines of Horizon 2020/Europe4 ).

The individual project partners of the joint applications should be complementary and the proposed work should contain novel, innovative and ambitious ideas with a high application potential for the end-users and/or with a high implementation potential to benefit of end-users/patients/citizens.

Eligible countries for this call are: Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands and Turkey.

Only transnational projects will be funded. The following conditions apply to the composition of consortia:

• Minimum of three eligible and a maximum of five eligible partners from at least three different countries participating in the call (see list above).
• The maximum number of eligible partners can be increased up to six or seven (see table below) if they include one or two partners, respectively, from the following participating countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey.
• No more than two eligible partners from the same country participating in the call will be accepted within one consortium.
• Maximum of two collaborators per consortium. Collaborators are selffunded partners: i.e. partners that do not request funds in this Joint Transnational Call provided by one of the participating funding organisations(i.e. partners from non-funding countries or partners which are not fundable according to national/regional regulations of the participating funding organisations).

In case of interest, both as possible coordinator or partner, please click on "m'interessa" and we will contact you.