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Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Adaptive Platform Trials for Pandemic Preparedness
Details
Location:EU 27
Funding agency:
Contracting authority type:Development Institution
Description
Call Update
Jul 25, 2024 2:51:28 PM
CALL UPDATE: FLASH EVALUATION RESULTS
EVALUATION results
Published: 07.12.2022
Deadline: 11.04.2024
Available budget: EUR 25,000,000
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
The results of the evaluation for the topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage are as follows:
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls): 4
Number of inadmissible proposals: 0
Number of ineligible proposals: 0
Number of above-threshold proposals: 3
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 37,040,687.39
Number of proposals retained for funding: 2
Number of proposals in the reserve list: 1
Funding threshold[1]: 14
Ranking
Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14: 2
Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13: 1
Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 12: 0
Summary of observers’ report:
Two independent observers were asked to assist the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) in the evaluation of proposals submitted to 9 single and two-stage calls (covering 14 topics) with deadline on 11 April 2024, which were discussed during 2.5 weeks of consensus meetings. They followed the evaluation in order to assess and report on the implementation of the evaluation procedures, on the conduct and fairness of the evaluation process and on the application of the evaluation criteria. Based on the analysis conducted, the observers give independent advice for improvement of the evaluation process.
The evaluation process was fully transparent. The rules and guidelines to be followed were clearly communicated by documents provided to experts, by online and on-site briefings and by instructions given and, where necessary, repeated by the moderators. This ensured a fair and transparent procedure. The evaluation was conducted in an extremely fair and professional way, thanks to a thorough and meticulous preparation and to the helpful and competent HaDEA staff involved, including the quality checkers and the assistant team.
The lump sum method was used in this evaluation. Despite that the budget tables provided detailed information and that guidance was provided, many experts found it challenging assessing the proposed budgets.
The independent observers were impressed by the high quality of the evaluation, and made some further recommendations, for consideration in setting up the rules for the next framework programme. The most important advice is that a higher weight should be assigned to the Excellence criterion. It has at present a weight of 1/3 of the final score. This should be increased, as scientific excellence is the most important factor that determines the quality of a project. Such a change would be in line with international practices.
For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.
[1] Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions (for HE, in the General Annexes to the Work Programme or specific arrangements in the specific call/topic conditions).

Apr 19, 2024 5:54:02 PM
Call HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage has closed on 11 April 2024.
52 proposals have been submitted. The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage: 4 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2024 at the earliest.
Feb 13, 2024 12:06:52 PM
In order to best ensure equal treatment, successful stage 1 applicants do not receive the evaluation summary reports (ESRs) for their proposals, but this generalised feedback with information and tips for preparing the full proposal.
Information & tips
The proposals should address all the individual sub-criteria in each appropriate section of the proposal (Excellence, Impact, Implementation). E.g., the state of the art should be clearly referenced, the methodology and - where relevant – the technical robustness of AI should be clearly described, the pathways to the expected outcomes and impacts, the scale and significance of project’s contributions to the expected outcomes, and all other aspects need to be addressed.
Applicants are invited to further substantiate the flexibility of the platform for future pandemics as well as to demonstrate its sustainability.
If your proposal contains clinical studies, please read carefully the definition and guidance on the template ‘Information on clinical studies' published on the call page in the Participant Portal (Information on clinical studies (HE)) and remember to upload the template filled in when submitting your proposal.
In stage 2 the eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum contribution as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme. To get started, please read lump sum funding and the guide Lump sum funding - what do I need to know, with details on how to complete the Excel workbook. Recommended: Excel 2013 (Windows) / Excel 2016 (Mac OS) or more recent.
In your stage 2 proposal, you have a chance to address or clarify these issues.
Please bear in mind that your full proposal will now be evaluated more in-depth and possibly by a new group of external experts.
Please make sure that your full proposal is consistent with your short outline proposal. It may NOT differ substantially. The project must stay the same.
Jan 29, 2024 6:35:29 PM
In accordance with General Annex F of the Work Programme, the evaluation of the first-stage proposals was made looking only at the criteria ‘Excellence’ and ‘Impact’. The threshold for both criteria was 4. The overall threshold (applying to the sum of the two individual scores) was set at 8.0 points for topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage that allowed the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 be as close as possible to 3 times the available budget of EUR 30 000 000 (and not below 2.5 times the budget).
The results of the evaluation are as follows:
- Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls): 10
- Number of inadmissible proposals: 1
- Number of ineligible proposals: 1
- Number of above-threshold proposals: 4
- Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 39 999 998
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact the https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/contact-us/research-enquiry-service_en
Sep 20, 2023 6:42:56 PM
First stage of call HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage closed on 19 September 2023. 293 proposals were submitted. The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage: 10 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated on 24 January 2024 at the earliest.
Mar 31, 2023 11:12:09 AM
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage(HORIZON-RIA)
Mar 3, 2023 12:37:23 PM
The Director-General responsible for the call HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage, has decided to postpone the opening of this topic from 30 March 2023 to 26 April 2023.
Pandemic preparedness and response: Adaptive platform trials for pandemic preparedness
TOPIC ID: HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage
Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: Tackling diseases (Two stage - 2024) (HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage)
Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]
Deadline model: two-stage
Planned opening date: 30 March 2023
Deadline dates: 19 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
11 April 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time
Topic description
ExpectedOutcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination 3 “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
- A diverse and comprehensive EU landscape of multi-country adaptive platform trials (i.e. able to study multiple interventions in a disease or condition in a perpetual manner, thus allowing modification to the trial after its initiation without undermining its validity and integrity) that assess vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases, and have the capacity to pivot rapidly in the case of epidemic or pandemic health threats.
- Innovative and improved design of clinical studies, suited for pandemic preparedness, is available for the clinical research community, taking into account the high safety standards in the European regulatory environment.
- Trial sites across multiple countries have the capacity to deliver robust clinical evidence in a diverse European population, using harmonised research methods, data collection and analysis.
As shown by the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases remain a major threat to health and health security in the EU and globally. Health threats are expected to arise due to among others, climate change, and thus a need for proactive approaches to ensure timely availability of medical countermeasures during disease outbreaks is anticipated. The conduct of perpetual adaptive platform trials, with the in-built agility to pivot when an epidemic strikes, is key to be prepared for infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
This topic aims to provide funding to adaptive clinical platform trials that may be implemented routinely outside of an epidemic or pandemic context, but that are designed to be ready for the timely assessment of novel diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines in the face of an epidemic or pandemic.
Proposals should develop the wide range of elements needed to sustain multi-country adaptive platform trials, including the trial implementation capacity, laboratory analysis capacity, and a harmonised approach to the collection, storage, sharing and analysis of FAIR[1] data.
Proposals should ensure timely engagement with regulatory authorities and bodies. Proposals should consider the European regulatory environment and take full use of the European capacity to deliver quality trials, including the possibility for registration of new medical products. Proposals should strengthen the leading role of the EU in clinical research preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.
The proposals should address the following areas:
- Development of robust clinical evidence that contributes to the knowledge base for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Sex, gender, age, ethnicity and socio-economic factors should be taken into account.
- Known hurdles related to ethical, administrative, regulatory, legal and logistical aspects should be anticipated and addressed to the extent possible, in order to avoid such barriers when the trial needs to pivot in response to an epidemic or pandemic.
- Engagement with clinical researchers and biostatisticians, to increase capacity for the design and implementation of adaptive platform trials across Europe.
Collaboration and coordination with existing adaptive platform trials in the EU is expected, where relevant, as well as with the coordination mechanisms established under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-DISEASE- 3.05 and with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Collaboration and coordination with other organisations and other regional and global initiatives, such as Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking[2], the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R)[3], the European Pandemic Preparedness Partnership and the European Health Preparedness and Emergency Response Authority (HERA) should be envisaged. International cooperation is encouraged.
This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Applicants invited to the second stage and envisaging to include clinical studies should provide details of their clinical studies in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. See definition of clinical studies in the introduction to this work programme part.
[1]See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this work programme part.
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/health-research-and-innovation/edctp_en
[3] https://www.glopid-r.org/
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