Target group
The funding program is aimed at researchers working in the field of rare diseases at universities, non-academic research institutions, and research departments in related sectors.
Funding goals
ERDERA has the ambition to improve the health and well-being of the 30 million individuals living with rare diseases in Europe, both by making Europe a world leader in RD research and innovation and by delivering concrete health benefits to rare disease patients through better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Funding period and funding amount
The maximum funding period is 36 months.
Requirements
The requirements and specifications for the FWF programs Principal Investigator Projects and Clinical Research apply.
Information on the current call “Pre-clinical therapy studies for rare diseases using small molecules and biologicals – development and validation”
The aim of this call is to support interdisciplinary, transnational collaborations to develop new, innovative therapies for rare diseases, building on previous calls of the Joint European Program on Rare Diseases (EJP RD). Funding is provided for preclinical studies with small molecules or biological agents with a focus on therapies that can be translated into clinical applications:
- Development of preclinical therapies using cell, organoid, or animal models
- Identification of biomarkers that correlate with therapeutic efficacy
- Preclinical proof-of-concept studies showing pharmacological activity and safety data
Gene therapies, rare neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and rare types of cancer are excluded from this call. Cooperation with patient organizations and the involvement of early career researchers are strongly recommended to foster a collaborative and inclusive research environment.
Each proposal must involve a minimum of four and a maximum of six partners from at least four different participating partner countries. A joint proposal must be submitted by the project coordinator to the central Call Secretariat.
The researchers are funded by their respective national/regional funding organizations.
Funding organizations from over 30 countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and all the Baltic states, are planning to take part in the call. The current list of participating countries can be found on the ERDERA website.
Approval
Decided by the Scientific Board based on a recommendation of the Call Secretariat.
Application information
All applications must be submitted using the Call Secretariat's online application system. Please see the ERDERA website for the link to the application system.
Application and review are carried out in a two-stage procedure.
- Submission of pre-proposals: December 10, 2024 to February 13, 2025 (2:00 pm CET)
- Full proposals: currently scheduled deadline July 9, 2025 (2:00 pm CET)
- Decision on full proposals: expected in December 2025
In addition to the application to the Call Secretariat, administrative and financial data as well as the academic abstracts for the proposal must be submitted to the FWF on elane (in compliance with the FWF application guidelines for Principal Investigator Projects). In the pre-proposal phase, applications must be submitted under the program category “PIK - International Projects (Pre-Proposals)” (deadline: February 14, 2025, 2:00 pm local time Vienna). For the full proposal phase, please select the program category “PIN - International Projects” (currently scheduled deadline July 10, 2025, 2:00 pm local time Vienna).
Please note that applications must be approved for submission by the research institutions before the deadlines indicated above. Research institutions must be registered in the FWF's research institution portal.
Both steps are required.
Funding institution
Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Find out more
Details can be found on the ERDERA website.
If you have specific questions about the budget, the criteria, or individual funding organizations’ requirements, please consult the funding organization directly. Funding organization contacts as well as the national or regional requirements of the individual funding organizations are available in the guidelines for applicants on the ERDERA website.