Call for proposals to pilot and implement cancer screening programmes for lung cancer

1. GRANT PURPOSE AND TARGET

• Core Objective: This grant aims to support the implementation of lung cancer screening programmes to enhance early detection and efficiency. The action focuses on the gradual and appropriate planning, piloting, and roll-out of screening programs, aligning with national priorities and the latest scientific advancements, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Funding Organization: European Commission, managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).
• Target Recipients: The call targets legal entities such as public authorities, research organisations, civil society organisations, European Reference Networks (ERNs), academia and education establishments, hospitals, international organisations, and networks in the field of health.
• Sector Focus: SECTOR-SPECIFIC. The grant is strictly focused on the HEALTHCARE sector, specifically on cancer screening.
• Geographic Scope: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories) or an eligible non-EU country, which includes EEA countries and countries associated with the EU4Health Programme (e.g., Norway, Iceland, Ukraine).
• Key Filtering Criteria:
  • Project Scale: The indicative project budget is €7,440,000, with the expectation that a single grant will be awarded.
  • Consortium: A consortium of at least 5 beneficiaries from 5 different eligible countries is mandatory.
  • Project Duration: Projects should normally have a maximum duration of 36 months.
  • Project Focus: The project must focus on piloting and implementing lung cancer screening programmes, with an emphasis on implementation research and the potential of AI.

4. FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

• Funding Range: The total topic budget is €7,440,000. As only one grant is expected to be signed, the project budget is indicatively set at this amount. Therefore, the minimum and maximum funding for the single selected project is €7,440,000.

• Co-financing: The grant typically covers up to 60% of the total eligible costs. The funding rate can be increased to 80% for actions of 'exceptional utility'. An action has exceptional utility if either:

  • At least 30% of the budget is allocated to Member States with a Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant below 90% of the EU average.
  • The consortium includes bodies from at least 14 participating Member States, of which at least four are from Member States with a GNI per inhabitant below 90% of the EU average.

• Eligible Costs: Costs must be actually incurred, necessary for the project, and recorded in the beneficiary's accounts. Key eligible cost categories include:

  • Personnel costs: Calculated using a daily rate based on 215 days per year.
  • Subcontracting costs: Must be justified and awarded based on best value for money.
  • Purchase costs: Including travel, subsistence, and equipment (depreciation costs are the default; full cost eligibility is possible if specified in the call).
  • Indirect costs: A flat rate of 7% of total eligible direct costs is applied.

• Ineligible Costs: Standard ineligible costs according to the EU Model Grant Agreement apply. This includes, but is not limited to, debt service charges, currency exchange losses, and deductible VAT. For this specific topic, financial support to third parties is explicitly ineligible.

• Payment & Reporting: Payments will be made in installments, typically including:

  • An initial pre-financing payment.
  • One or more interim payments based on periodic reports.
  • A final payment of the balance.
    An interim payment ceiling of 90% of the maximum grant amount generally applies. Financial reporting is submitted as part of the periodic reports through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Formal Criteria

• Legal Status: Applicants must be legal entities (e.g., public or private bodies). Natural persons are not eligible.
• Eligible Countries: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State (including OCTs), an EEA country that has opted-in, or a country associated with the EU4Health Programme.
• Consortium Composition: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 5 beneficiaries from 5 different eligible countries.

Organizational Status

• The call is open to a wide range of organization types including:
  • Public authorities
  • Research organisations
  • Civil society organisations (e.g., patient organisations)
  • European Reference Networks (ERNs)
  • Academia and education establishments
  • Hospitals
  • International organisations
  • Networks in the field of health
• Applicants must have stable and sufficient financial resources to implement the project. A financial capacity check will be performed on beneficiaries requesting over EUR 60,000, unless they are public bodies or international organisations.

Technical Expertise

• Applicants must possess the necessary know-how, qualifications, and resources to successfully implement the project.
• The consortium as a whole must demonstrate expertise in areas such as cancer screening, public health policy, implementation research, clinical trials, data analysis, and ideally, artificial intelligence in healthcare.
• The operational capacity will be assessed based on the competence and experience described in the application, including the CVs of the core project team.

Exclusion Criteria

• Applicants will be excluded if they are in situations of bankruptcy, have breached tax or social security obligations, are guilty of grave professional misconduct, fraud, or have shown significant deficiencies in past EU contracts.
• Financial support to third parties is not allowed for this topic. Activities cannot be primarily aimed at providing funding to other entities.

5. APPLICATION PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Deadlines

• Call opening: 23 September 2025
• Submission deadline: 06 January 2026 – 17:00:00 CET (Brussels time)
• Evaluation period: January – March 2026
• Information on evaluation results: April – May 2026
• Grant Agreement signature: September – October 2026

Required Documents

Proposals must be submitted electronically and must be complete, containing:
* Application Form Part A: Contains structured administrative information and the summarised budget, to be filled in directly on the Portal.
* Application Form Part B: A narrative technical description of the project, limited to a maximum of 70 pages. A template is provided in the submission system.
* Mandatory Annexes:
* Detailed budget table/calculator
* CVs of the core project team members
* List of previous relevant projects from the last 4 years

Application Process

• Submission: Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted.
• Procedure: The call follows a single-stage submission and one-step evaluation procedure.

Support

• For questions related to the call, contact HaDEA at: [email protected].
• Technical support for the portal is available via the IT Helpdesk.
• The Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual provides step-by-step guidance.

Post-Award Obligations

• Implementation Timeline: The project duration should normally be a maximum of 36 months. The starting date is typically after the grant signature, though a retroactive start may be requested.
• Reporting: Beneficiaries must submit continuous reports (e.g., deliverables) and periodic reports (technical and financial) through the portal.
• Specific Deliverables: This topic has mandatory deliverables, including reports on ongoing screening programmes, the latest evidence on screening effectiveness, the use of AI in screening, and synergies with other EU projects.
• Specific Milestones: Mandatory milestones include establishing a network of experts, launching implementation studies (including one on AI), and including smoking cessation and equity perspectives in the studies.

3. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals are evaluated against a set of weighted criteria with minimum pass scores for each, and an overall pass score. The maximum total score is 100.

Scoring Factors

For proposals with the same total score, priority will be given based on the score for 'Relevance', then 'Impact', then 'Quality'.

Innovation & Impact

• Innovation: The proposal should describe its innovative aspects, including the integration of new AI-based screening technologies and the exploration of AI's potential in lung cancer screening. It should build on the results of past activities and complement other ongoing initiatives.
• Impact (10 points): The evaluation will assess the short, medium, and long-term effects of the project. This includes identifying target groups and how they will benefit, the project's ambition to trigger change, and the effectiveness of the communication, dissemination, sustainability, and continuation plans.

Project Quality

• Project design and implementation (30 points): Assesses the suitability of the concept and methodology. It covers the quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation strategy, and risk management plan. The cost-effectiveness of the project and the financial management arrangements are also key components of this criterion.
• Project team and cooperation arrangements (30 points): Evaluates the consortium's composition, ensuring participants complement each other and each has a valid role. The expertise of the project teams and the effectiveness of management structures and decision-making mechanisms are crucial.

Strategic Fit

• Relevance (30 points): The project must be highly relevant to the scope of the call and its general objectives. The proposal must demonstrate a sound needs analysis, clear and measurable objectives, and explain its contribution to the priorities of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the 2022 Council Recommendation on cancer screening. It must also illustrate its European added value, such as trans-national dimension and potential for use in other countries.

Cross-cutting Themes

• An equity perspective, specifically how to reach underrepresented or vulnerable subpopulations, is a mandatory milestone and will be considered in the evaluation. This aligns with the broader EU4Health goal of reducing health inequalities. Gender equality and the elimination of inequalities are also to be promoted throughout the programme.

6. COMPLIANCE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Regulatory Compliance: Projects must adhere to the highest ethical standards and comply with all applicable EU, international, and national laws. Any research involving human participants requires approval from a relevant ethics committee. Processing of personal data must be compliant with GDPR (Regulation 2016/679). Research on animals must follow Directive 2010/63/EU.

• IP Policy: The standard Intellectual Property rules of the EU Model Grant Agreement apply. Beneficiaries retain ownership of the results they generate. The granting authority receives a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to use non-sensitive materials for communication and policy purposes. Beneficiaries must ensure open access to scientific publications resulting from the project.

• Unique Aspects:

  • Strategic Alignment: Projects must demonstrate close collaboration and alignment with the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the European Cancer Imaging Initiative, and related projects like SOLACE and EUCanScreen.
  • Artificial Intelligence: There is a strong emphasis on assessing and exploring the potential of AI in lung cancer screening. At least one implementation study on the use of AI is a mandatory milestone.
  • Equity Focus: The project must explicitly address health equity by including measures to reach underrepresented or vulnerable subpopulations, which is a mandatory milestone.
  • Smoking Cessation: The pilot studies must include smoking cessation support activities.

• Industry-Specific Rules: As the project involves healthcare and medical research, specific regulations apply:

  • Human Subjects Research: Requires prior approval from relevant ethics committees and adherence to informed consent procedures.
  • Health Data: All activities involving health data must ensure privacy and security in line with GDPR and national data protection laws.
  • Clinical Studies: If applicable, clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with relevant Union legislation to ensure patient safety and data integrity.