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Topic updates
10 July 2025
EVALUATION RESULTS (STAGE 1)
Published: 10/01/25
Deadline: 20/03/25
Available budget: EUR 49.100.000
In accordance with the call conditions, 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 for each topic/type of action with separate call-budget-split at a level that allowed the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 be as close as possible to 3 times the available budget (and not below 2.5 times the budget):
The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows:
|
|
HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-CH-01-two-stage |
|
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls) |
55 |
|
Number of inadmissible proposals |
0 |
|
Number of ineligible proposals |
8 |
|
Number of above-threshold proposals |
10 |
|
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals |
46.021.956,08 € |
Summary of observer report:
The evaluations were in the estimation of both observers impartial, fair and equitable. No issues of confidentiality were seen to arise.
This was, in particular, enabled by a careful selection of experts and recorders as well as ensuring that any experts or recorders with a COI were excluded from the discussions of the proposal in question. The use of the SEP platform for all aspects of the reports (IER, CR and QC) also reinforced the confidentiality of the evaluation.
No issues of non-conformity were observed and the evaluation followed all the applicable rules. The eligibility of proposals was determined by the Unit prior to the assignment of experts to proposals. Any issues of proposals being not being “in scope” were discussed by the experts during the consensus meetings.
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact applicants@global-health-edctp3.europa.eu
GENERALISED FEEDBACK for successful applicants after STAGE 1
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
Main shortcomings found in the stage 1 evaluation:
• HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-CH-01-two-stage – stage 1 submissions appeared to face frequent challenges and important shortcomings. Typical observations by the group of experts include:
-The emphasis was the clinical development of treatments and/or diagnostics and the focus on late stage development, which was sometimes missed by applicants.
- Very few proposals offered a compelling approach to linking climate factors to diarrhoeal diseases mitigation and adaptation. Where appropriate, proposals were encouraged to include complementary research components that help to improve the understanding on how diarrhoeal diseases are currently influenced by climate and weather and may be further exacerbated by climate change.
Please note that the all the amounts in the proposal are expressed in EUR.
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Please bear in mind that your full proposal will now be evaluated more in-depth and possibly by a new group of outside 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.
25 April 2025
Call HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-two-stage_stage1 has closed on the 20/03/2025.
55 proposals have been submitted.
The breakdown per topic is:
• HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-CH-01-two-stage: 55 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2025.
TOPIC ID: HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-CH-01-two-stage
Type of grant: Call for proposals
General information
Programme: Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
Call: Global collaborative action tackling Diarrhoeal Diseases in the context of Climate and Health (HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-04-two-stage)
Type of action: HORIZON-JU-RIA HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Status: Forthcoming
Deadline model: two-stage
Planned Opening Date: 30 January 2025
Deadline dates:
20 March 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)
02 September 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)
Topic description
Expected Outcome:
Background
At the current 8-year mean heating of 1,14 degree Celsius pre-industrial levels, climate change is undeniably impacting health: over half of known human pathogenic diseases can be aggravated by climate change, 24% of all estimated global deaths are linked to the environment and WHO estimates that climate change, between 2030 and 2050, will cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoeal and heat stress alone. In addition to the health burden, unequal evidence base is also observed, with underdeveloped methods: only ~10% of peer-reviewed publications in 2022 were focusing on Africa and innovative tools integrating climate and health data for modelling are often skewed towards a specific disease and available in HICs. The need for integrated interdisciplinary approaches and the generation of impact evidence is lacking and will be instrumental to inform policy making and adaptation and mitigation options. Furthermore, disruptive and integrated innovations need to be incentivised to foster cross-sector collaboration.
This call focuses on Diarrhoeal diseases (DDs) as part of the Climate and Health related diseases, majority of which are mostly transmitted through excreta-related infections. DDs are preventable and treatable but still represent the third leading cause of death in children 1–59 months of age. Globally, WHO reports nearly 1,7 billion cases of childhood diarrhoeal diseases every year (mostly in South-Asia and sub-Saharan Africa), leading to approximately 1,5 million deaths, of which over 400 000 children under 5 and over 50 000 children aged 5 to 9 years. Diarrhoea is also a leading cause of malnutrition in children under 5 years old. Repeated episodes of severe diarrhoea can lead to malnutrition, stunted growth and impaired cognitive development. DDs contribute to increased risk of death and ill health, diminished opportunities and reduced productivity over a lifetime for millions of people.
Increased temperatures, heavy rainfall or flooding have been associated to increased incidence of diarrhoeal diseases and have been shown to influence the transmission, geographical and seasonal ranges of diarrhoeal diseases. WHO reported projections estimating that climate change will lead to approximately 48 000 and 33 000 deaths per year in 2030 and 2050 respectively in children aged under 15 years.Context-specific evidence generation, vulnerability and adaptation assessments and adequate tools tocombat diarrhoeal diseases are urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa.
Expected Outcome
Within the scope of diarrhoeal diseases of the Global Health EDCTP3, this topic aims to reduce or manage the potential adverse consequences for diarrhoeal diseases by contributing to at least two of the following expected outcomes, with the first being mandatory:
Scope:
Scope
The scope of this call is anchored in the Global Health EDCTP3 SRIA.
The proposals are expected to generate late-stage clinical data evaluating safety, efficacy and clinical utility accelerating the development of novel or existing treatment against DDs or focus on late-stage development of novel or existing diagnostics to detect DDs. The scope limits to the following pathogens: rotavirus, shigella, cholera, enterotoxigenic E. coli, cryptosporidium, and norovirus. Solutions having the potential to reduce AMR are considered in scope. Other DD pathogens are out of scope of this call.
Where appropriate, proposals are encouraged to include implementation research combining interventions with current standard of care (including vaccines), as well as complementary research components that help to improve the understanding on how diarrhoeal diseases are currently influenced by climate and weather and may be further exacerbated by climate change (WHO Technical series on adapting to climate- sensitive health impacts: diarrhoeal diseases[1]).
Multidisciplinary approaches integrating adjacent sectors are strongly encouraged (i.e. nutrition, IPC/WASH). Proposals are to generate clinical data serving new-borns, children, people with co-infections and co-morbidities and other vulnerable and neglected populations at risk in SSA when relevant.
Applicants are expected to provide methodologies for translating research findings into public health/climate practice and policy guidelines.
When relevant, proposals should clearly describe the desired target product profile. Applicants need to concisely describe any prior relevant research findings and explain how the proposal builds on available data (including data generated in scope of earlier EDCTP programmes if available). Full details of the development milestones, including specific go/no-go criteria for the implementation of the proposed clinical trial(s) must be included, as well as specific plans for the subsequent regulatory approval process, which should aim at obtaining relevant market authorisation. and an access strategy that will allow patients in low- resource settings to access the final product.
The applicants are encouraged to consider new adaptive trial designs and lessons learnt from COVID-19 potentially allowing for shorter development timelines.
Proposals should engage communities and relevant stakeholders, most notably (local) key opinion leaders, researchers, health care professionals, policy makers, public health authorities and end-users. Applicants should provide methodologies for translating research findings into public health practice and policy guidelines.
Applicants are reminded of the expectation that proposals should come from research consortia with a strong representation of institutions and researchers from sub-Saharan African countries, including involvement of Franco/Lusophone countries, if possible. Collaboration with other international research groups with relevant experience is very much encouraged. Applicants are also reminded of the expectation of reaching out to organisations in countries with relatively lower research capacities.
All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to participate in networking and joint activities, such as external conferences, workshops or symposiums for an exchange of knowledge, and bestpractices with external collaborators.
[1] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240064591
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
The conditions are described in General Annex B except for the specific conditions for the Global Health EDCTP3 JU funding as regards entities eligible for funding and consortium composition, the specific rule for countries where the coordinator may be established and the obligation to designate a scientific project leader as below.
Specific conditions replacing the relevant sections in General Annex B to the Horizon Europe Work Programmes.
A. Entities eligible for funding
This section applies to both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).
To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding. To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
Legal entities which are established in countries not listed above will be eligible for funding if provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
Entities established in low- and middle-income countries that are not members of the EDCTP Association and listed in the Horizon Europe List of Participating Countries on the Funding & Tenders Portal [4] are not eligible for funding unless the specific country in which the entity is established, is associated to Horizon Europe or if the participation of the entity is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
B. Consortium composition
Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions, for all actions, due to the policy objectives of the Global Health EDCTP3 JU, legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions under the programme provided that the consortium includes as beneficiaries:
This condition applies to both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and SupportActions (CSA).
For the two CSA topics, i.e. topic HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-02-FELLOW-01-two-stage and topic HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2025-03-NETWORKS-01-two-stage - according to which the EDCTP Association is obligatorily part of the consortium as coordinator, the EDCTP Association must not be counted as one of the three independent legal entities necessary to ensure the eligibility of the consortium composition.
Specific cases:
Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call/topic conditions.
Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries or affiliated entities (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
International organisations – International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding unless their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or associated country are eligible to receive funding when provided for in the specific call conditions.
Specific rules regarding legal entities that may be the coordinator of an indirect action
In accordance with Article 110(2) of the Council Regulation 2021/2085 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe[5], where entities established in a third country without an agreement to protect the financial interests of the Union participate with funding in an indirect action, the coordinator of the indirectaction must be established in a Member State or associated country, or South Africa.
Scientific project leader
If the coordinator is not established in a country in SSA (please see previous paragraph), the designation of a scientific project leader established in a SSA country member of the EDCTP Association with the roles as described below is mandatory. A work package on ‘scientific project leadership’ must be included in the proposals and budget needs to be provided for this activity. The scientific project leader oversees the project scientific governance and leadership. For this purpose, proposals must include a work package where the details of scientific project leadership are laid down. The scientific project leader should indicatively perform the following tasks:
Annex 1 to the grant agreement and the consortium agreement should address the relationship of the scientific project leader with the coordinator regarding their respective tasks, for example sharing of the information received from or sent to the Global Health EDCTP3 JU on all issues of interest for the proper scientific management of the action.
[1] The list is correct at the time of adoption of this work programme. Please see the Horizon Europe List of Participating Countries on the Funding & Tenders Portal for up-to-date information on the current list and on the position for Associated Countries: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf
[2] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
[3] The list is correct at the time of adoption of this work programme. For an update, please check the EDCTP Association website www.edctp.org
[4] Horizon Europe List of Participating Countries on the Funding & Tenders Portal https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf
[5] Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014. OJ L 427, 30.11.2021, p. 17–119; Regulation - 2021/2085 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu).
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions related to Scores and weighting
Replacing the scores and weighting section in General Annex D to the Horizon Europe Work Programmes as regards second stage of two-stage evaluations, for both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA)
Evaluation scores will be awarded for the criteria, and not for the different aspects listed in the table. For full applications, each criterion will be scored out of 5. The threshold for individual criteria 1 (Excellence) and 2 (Impact) will be 4 and for criterion 3 (Quality and Efficiency of the implementation) will be 3. The overall threshold, applying to the sum of the three individual scores, will be 12.
Proposals that pass the individual threshold and the overall threshold will be considered for funding, within the limits of the available call budget. Other proposals will be rejected.
Nota bene, for the first stage of the two-stage evaluation of both RIAs and CSAs, the scores and weightingas indicated in Annex D of the General Annexes of the Horizon Europe work programme 2023/2025 apply.
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Also in line with Article 114 of the Council Regulation 2021/2085, participants will be subject to the following additional exploitation obligations:
Implementing the provision on affordable access as defined in Article 114 of the Council Regulation 2021/2085 establishing52, grants awarded under this topic will have to include in their Plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results including communication activities to be submitted during the project as a deliverable also the following:
Access plan
Participants must include in their Plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results an appropriate and proportionate access plan that demonstrates their strategies to ensure that the products and services that they develop based or partly based on the results of clinical studies undertaken by their project are affordable, available and accessible to the public (market and end-users) at fair and reasonable conditions. This covers registration targets, plans to meet demand, flexible approaches to IP, engagement with regulators and manufacturers where relevant and other strategies that reflect ability to pay and ensures that economic barriers to access are low. In addition, participants should add, if relevant, as part of the plan, an outline on how to achieve the optimal use of an intervention including, for example, how to avoid irrational use, overuse or abuse (e.g. antimicrobials).
Additionally to any updates during the project, a final version of the Plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results including the above access plan, must also be submitted with the final report of the project.
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
JU right to object to transfer/exclusive licensing
The Global Health EDCTP3 JU may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5 of the Model Grant Agreement. In addition, in accordance with Article 24(3) of Council Regulation 2021/2085 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe [1]and the Model Grant Agreement, the right toobject applies also to participants that have not received funding from the JU.
[1]Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014; OJ L 427, 30.11.2021, p. 17.
Other requirements
For all projects under this topic, if the coordinator is not from a country in SSA, the designation of a scientific project leader with the roles as described in the introduction is mandatory. A work package on ‘scientific project leadership’ must be included in the proposals and budget needs to be provided for this activity
Annual Work Programme 2025
Global Health EDCTP3 Calls for proposals
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Note: despite blind evaluation being mentioned in the standard application form for stage 1 proposals, available in the Funding and Tenders Portal (at the stage of adoption of this Work Programme), please note that this call is not part of the ‘blind evaluation pilot’, therefore no anonymisation is required for stage 1proposals of the two-stage calls.
Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
HE MGA
Call-specific instructions
Information on financial support to third parties (HE)
Information on clinical studies (HE)
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 4. Health
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
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