This grant aims to improve our understanding of how environmental factors, combined with genetic and other influences, affect the development and progression of cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults. It seeks to gather and analyze large datasets to find new ways to prevent and treat these specific cancers.
Single, clear statement: To advance scientific understanding of environmental exposure's impact on paediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers, and to develop improved prevention strategies.
Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Research consortia, typically involving universities, research organizations, public bodies, and potentially private entities (like SMEs) from EU Member States and Associated Countries.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Oncology, Environmental Health, Medical Research, Digital Health).
Geographic scope and any location requirements: EU Member States and Associated Countries. Applicants must be from eligible countries as defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Projects must focus on cancer in individuals under 40 years old, environmental exposure, and utilize advanced data analysis techniques like AI and large cohorts.
Grant frequency and program context: This is part of the Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer for 2025, an annual work program, indicating it's a recurring opportunity within the larger program's lifecycle.
Financial Structure
Funding type: Grant (Research and Innovation Actions - RIA).
Minimum grant amount: EUR 6,000,000.0 per project.
Maximum grant amount: EUR 7,000,000.0 per project.
Expected number of grants: 5 projects are expected to be funded under this topic.
Total budget for this specific topic: EUR 30,451,664 for 2025.
Currency: EUR.
Co-financing requirements: Not explicitly stated in the provided text for this specific grant, but general Horizon Europe rules apply.
Eligible costs: Not detailed, but proposals should include a budget for networking, attendance at meetings, and joint activities within the 'Understanding' project cluster.
Ineligible costs: Not detailed; general Horizon Europe rules apply.
Financial reporting requirements: Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Eligibility Requirements
Organizational Type & Structure
Consortium required: Yes, proposals are expected to be submitted by consortia. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member.
Eligible organization types: Not explicitly defined in this document, but typically includes public bodies, universities, research organizations, and private companies (such as SMEs and enterprises) from eligible countries. Projects often involve collaboration across different types of entities.
Geographic Location
Eligible countries: Applicants must be from countries eligible under the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, Annex B. This includes all EU Member States and Associated Countries:
Associated Countries (not explicitly listed here, but defined in Horizon Europe guidelines).
Technical & Operational Capacity
Technical expertise: Required in epidemiological studies, large dataset analysis, causal inference, computational modeling, artificial intelligence, digital pathology, omics data, and biomarker identification.
Infrastructure requirements: Capacity to handle and analyze large, complex, and heterogeneous datasets; ability to ensure interoperability with the future UNCAN.eu research data platform and European Health Data Space.
Clinical studies: If included, must provide details using the dedicated annex template in the submission system.
Exclusion Criteria
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion rules are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Application Process
Application Process
Application deadline: 2025-09-16.
Submission window: The submission session opened on 2025-05-06.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Application forms: Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) is available in the Submission System.
Required documentation: Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form.
Supporting materials: If clinical studies are envisaged, details must be provided in a dedicated annex using the template from the submission system.
Evaluation & Selection Process
Evaluation criteria: Described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific thresholds (4 for Excellence, 4 for Impact, 4 for Implementation, 12 cumulative).
Review process: Details described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Project Implementation & Reporting
Grant duration: Not specified, but typical for Horizon Europe RIA projects which are multi-year.
Implementation timeline expectations: Projects are expected to commence after grant agreement finalization.
Reporting schedule and frequency: Financial and scientific reporting requirements are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Key milestones: Successful proposals are expected to establish appropriate collaborations with 'HORIZON-MISS-2024-CANCER-01-01 'Use cases for the UNCAN.eu research data platform'.
Budget for collaboration: Proposals should include a budget for networking, attendance at meetings, and joint activities with projects within the 'Understanding' project cluster of the Cancer Mission.
Application Assistance & Resources
Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance and assistance for Horizon Europe participation in EU and non-EU/Associated countries.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation in project proposals.
European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct: General principles for roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders.
Partner Search: Tools available to help find partner organizations for proposals.
Evaluation Criteria
Scoring & Thresholds
Excellence: A minimum score of 4 is required.
Impact: A minimum score of 4 is required.
Implementation: A minimum score of 4 is required.
Cumulative Threshold: The total score across all three criteria must be at least 12.
Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are further detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Expected Outcomes & Impact
Improved understanding: Projects should significantly advance knowledge on how environmental, genetic, epigenetic, and omics factors interact to cause cancer in young individuals and influence their health outcomes.
Policy influence: Provide robust scientific evidence to help policymakers and public health authorities develop better cancer prevention strategies, particularly regarding environmental factors.
Data platform contribution: Proposals must contribute to the future UNCAN.eu research data platform by ensuring data interoperability, and the development of new digital tools and models.
Cancer Mission alignment: Projects should clearly contribute to the broader objectives of the Mission on Cancer, including understanding cancer, preventing preventable cancers, optimizing diagnosis and treatment, improving quality of life, and accelerating digital transformation in health systems.
Quality & Innovation
Research methodology: Proposals should present innovative and data-intensive approaches for epidemiological studies.
Data analysis: Encouraged to use causal inference, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and deep learning for analyzing large, complex, heterogeneous datasets.
Biomarker development: Identify, validate, and document various types of biomarkers for measuring cumulative environmental exposures.
Cost-effectiveness: Elaborate and test cost-effective approaches for biomarker measurement in large populations.
Novelty: Develop new tools and methods for combining and analyzing multimodal data.
Open Science: All tools and models developed must follow Open Science principles and be made available through the UNCAN.eu platform.
Scope Alignment & Collaboration
Target population: Focus strictly on paediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers (individuals less than 40 years of age at first cancer diagnosis).
Environmental focus: Research must address the impact of environmental exposures and their interaction with other relevant factors (e.g., genetic, lifestyle, socio-economic).
Existing initiatives: Advantage should be taken of data and experience from initiatives like the European Human Exposome Network (EHEN) and European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC).
EU Infrastructures: Relevant EU research and health infrastructures should be exploited for digital tools and services.
Collaboration: Expected to establish appropriate collaborations with 'HORIZON-MISS-2024-CANCER-01-01 'Use cases for the UNCAN.eu research data platform'' and budget for networking within the 'Understanding' project cluster is required.
Sex & gender: Sex and gender differences should be duly considered in the research.
Compliance & Special Requirements
Regulatory Compliance
Horizon Europe Framework: Projects must comply with all general conditions and annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, including admissibility conditions (Annex A, E), eligible countries (Annex B), financial/operational capacity (Annex C), evaluation/award criteria (Annex D, F), and legal/financial set-up (Annex G).
EU Financial Regulation: Adherence to EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Legal Entity Validation: Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment apply.
European Communication Networks: Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Data & Technical Standards
European Health Data Space: All datasets produced must be described with metadata records in the EU dataset catalogue of the future European Health Data Space.
Open Science: All tools and models developed must follow the principles of open science and be made available through the future UNCAN.eu platform.
Interoperability: Projects must ensure interoperability of data, tools, and models with the future UNCAN.eu research data platform.
Research Infrastructures: Exploitation of relevant EU research and health infrastructures for digital tools and services is encouraged.
Ethical & Social Considerations
Sex and Gender: Sex and gender differences must be duly considered in the research.
Ethical Standards: Given the nature of medical and human-related research, high ethical standards and compliance with relevant ethical guidelines are implicitly required.
Unique Aspects & Strategic Opportunities
Target Population Focus: Highly specific focus on paediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers, addressing a critical and often underserved area.
Environmental Exposure: Emphasizes understanding the complex interplay between environmental factors and cancer development.
Data-Intensive Research: Strong encouragement for the use of advanced technological approaches like AI, computational modeling, and large cohort studies.
UNCAN.eu Platform: Provides a direct opportunity to contribute to and integrate with a major European cancer research data platform, facilitating broader impact and data sharing.
Cross-Cluster Collaboration: Expected collaborations with other projects within the 'Understanding' cluster and 'Use cases for the UNCAN.eu research data platform' ensure synergy and maximize EU investment.
JRC Involvement: The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) may collaborate with successful proposals, offering a direct link between research and policy/regulatory requirements.
Mission Alignment: Directly contributes to the strategic objectives of the EU Mission on Cancer, which aims to improve the lives of millions by 2030 through prevention, cure, and improved quality of life.
Grant Details
oncology
paediatrics
adolescent cancer
young adult cancer
environmental exposure
cancer prevention
biomarkers
epidemiology
data analysis
artificial intelligence
machine learning
deep learning
computational modelling
genetic factors
epigenetic factors
omics data
cohort studies
health data space
uncan.eu
research and innovation
clinical studies
public health
health equity
digital health
cross-sector collaboration
eu funding
horizon europe
mission cancer
environmental health
refractory cancers
childhood cancer
data sharing
open science
smes in research
universities
research organizations
public bodies
cancer research
disease prevention
health outcomes
Understanding the effects of environmental exposure on the risk of paediatric, adolescent and young adult cancers
48335257TOPICSen
Horizon Europe Mission: Cancer
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