[European Commission](https://commission.europa.eu/index_en)

February 13, 2025 (Pre-proposal) | July 9, 2025 (Full proposal, by invitation)

Total available: €32,625,162 | Project duration: up to 3 years

Supports transnational pre-clinical research on rare diseases, focusing on developing and validating small molecule and biological therapies.

Two-stage application: only invited pre-proposals proceed to full proposal stage.

--- ## Description This grant, offered by the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA) and funded by the European Commission, aims to advance pre-clinical therapy studies for rare diseases. The focus is on the development and validation of small molecule and biological treatments for rare diseases that currently lack approved therapeutic options. The initiative is designed to overcome the challenges inherent to rare disease research—such as limited patient populations and fragmented expertise—by fostering collaborative, transnational research consortia. Projects should generate robust pre-clinical evidence to support future clinical translation, with a strong emphasis on scientific excellence, patient engagement, and the added value of European collaboration. --- ## Due Dates - Call launch: December 10, 2024 - Information webinar: December 17, 2024 - Pre-proposal deadline: February 13, 2025 (17:00 Brussels time) - Pre-proposal eligibility check: March 3, 2025 - Invitation to full proposal: Early May 2025 - Full proposal deadline (by invitation only): July 9, 2025 (17:00 Brussels time) - Full proposal eligibility check: July 18, 2025 - Notification of funding decision: December 2025 --- ## Funding Amount - Total funding available: €32,625,162 - Maximum project duration: 3 years - Individual project budgets must comply with national/regional caps; see the “Guidelines for Applicants” for details. --- ## Eligibility - Consortia must include 4–6 eligible principal investigator partners from at least 4 different participating countries (can be increased to 8 in specific cases). - At least one partner must be an Early Career Researcher. - No more than two eligible partners from the same country. - Patient advocacy organisations (PAOs) may participate and request funding but do not count toward the minimum partner requirements. - Projects must be transnational, involving legal entities from at least two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe-associated countries. - National/regional eligibility rules and budget limits apply; consult the call guidelines for details. --- ## Application Process - **Two-stage submission:** Pre-proposal (required for all applicants), followed by full proposal (by invitation). - All proposals must be submitted via the [ERDERA electronic proposal system](https://funding.erdera.org/). - Proposals must use the provided templates and be in English. - Only proposals invited after pre-proposal review may submit a full proposal. - Pre-proposals should focus on the scientific idea, hypothesis, and preliminary data. - Full proposals must address patient engagement, data management, statistical methods, and ethical/legal issues. - Detailed guidance and templates are available on the [ERDERA website](https://erdera.org/). --- ## Additional Information - An information webinar for applicants will be held on December 17, 2024, 14:00–16:00 CET. [Register here](https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cdee57ea-49e4-4002-b4a8-dded8652806e@383ac401-a21d-426b-8072-5f74c36b7093). - Proposals must demonstrate the added value of transnational collaboration and meaningful patient involvement. - Evaluation follows Horizon Europe rules, with criteria emphasizing scientific excellence, impact, and implementation quality. - Only proposals passing both scientific and ethical evaluations will be funded. --- ## External Links - [Call details and application portal](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/9515?isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502&order=DESC&pageNumber=16&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate) - [ERDERA main website](https://erdera.org/) - [Guidelines for Applicants and templates](https://erdera.org/) - [European Commission (Funder homepage)](https://commission.europa.eu/index_en) - [Ethics requirements guide](https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/cross-cutting-issues/ethics_en.htm) --- ## Contact Information | Name/Office | Email | Phone | |---------------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------| | Joint Call Secretariat | SelteneErkrankungen@dlr.de | +49 228 3821 2453 | | Dr. Katarzyna Saedler | SelteneErkrankungen@dlr.de | | | Dr. Michaela Fersch | SelteneErkrankungen@dlr.de | | | Dr. Ralph Schuster | SelteneErkrankungen@dlr.de | | ---

ERDERA Joint Transnational Call 2025 "Pre-clinical therapy studies for rare diseases using small molecules and biologicals – development and validation"

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