European UnionDeadline PassedNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
The impact of pollution on the development and progression of brain diseases and disorders
Living and working in a health-promoting environment
Funding Amount
€6.0M - €7.0M
Deadline
16/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Trusted by
What is the The impact of pollution on the development and progression of brain diseases and disorders Call?
Grant Description
This call supports research and innovation actions to understand and mitigate the impacts of environmental pollution on brain health across the life course. It addresses pollution as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases by generating scientific evidence, models, biomarkers, FAIR data, and health indicators to inform policies, prevention measures and guidelines. Funded projects will form a cluster for joint networking and engage social sciences and hum...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
• Up-to-date scientific evidence, tools and methodologies support Global and EU policies to prevent and reduce health impacts of pollution on brain health
• Citizens gain better insight into personal pollution exposure and its neurological impacts and adopt health-enhancing behaviours
• Public authorities, health stakeholders, scientific community and society at large have access to FAIR data on pollution–brain health links, including windows of susceptibility, and impacts on general and vulnerable populations
• Public authorities develop and implement evidence-based measures and guidelines to prevent or reduce pollution-related brain disease development
• Citizens gain better insight into personal pollution exposure and its neurological impacts and adopt health-enhancing behaviours
• Public authorities, health stakeholders, scientific community and society at large have access to FAIR data on pollution–brain health links, including windows of susceptibility, and impacts on general and vulnerable populations
• Public authorities develop and implement evidence-based measures and guidelines to prevent or reduce pollution-related brain disease development
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
• Focus on neurological, neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental diseases/disorders (ICD-11 Chapters 6 and 8) across occupational, living and/or social environments and at least one vulnerable/sensitive/exposed population group (children, older adults, workers, polluted-area residents)
• Address several of the defined research activities (molecular mechanisms, comorbidities, models, exposome, indicators, longitudinal studies, exposure in workers/consumers)
• Adopt a life-course and intersectional approach, considering windows of susceptibility, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors
• Use non-animal methods where applicable and adhere strictly to FAIR data principles, data standards and open access/sharing best practices
• Build on and connect to existing cohorts, European research infrastructures, the Environment, Climate and Health portfolio, EFSA’s neurotoxicity projects and PARC
• Include SSH disciplines and expertise to inform research design, implementation and societal impact
• Plan for clinical study details (second-stage annex), if applicable
• Allocate budget for cluster networking activities
• Exclude nutrition-focused mental health as primary scope (covered by a separate topic)
• Address several of the defined research activities (molecular mechanisms, comorbidities, models, exposome, indicators, longitudinal studies, exposure in workers/consumers)
• Adopt a life-course and intersectional approach, considering windows of susceptibility, sex/gender, age, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors
• Use non-animal methods where applicable and adhere strictly to FAIR data principles, data standards and open access/sharing best practices
• Build on and connect to existing cohorts, European research infrastructures, the Environment, Climate and Health portfolio, EFSA’s neurotoxicity projects and PARC
• Include SSH disciplines and expertise to inform research design, implementation and societal impact
• Plan for clinical study details (second-stage annex), if applicable
• Allocate budget for cluster networking activities
• Exclude nutrition-focused mental health as primary scope (covered by a separate topic)
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Grant type: HORIZON Research and Innovation Action, lump sum (HORIZON-AG-LS)
• Two-stage submission: Stage 1 blind evaluation (anonymise organisation/personnel in abstracts/Part B); Stage 2 full proposals with clinical study annex template
• Adhere to all General Annexes (A–G) of Horizon Europe Work Programme for admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, exclusion and grant management
• Eligible participants: EU/Associated Countries, US entities eligible; JRC, ECHA or other decentralised EU agencies may join without funding post-award
• If using satellite earth observation/positioning data, must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS
• Exclude primary focus on nutrition and mental health
• Mandatory cluster participation: allocate ~2% of budget to joint meetings, reports, dissemination, data management and policy strategy workshops
• Data sharing via IPCHEM and/or future ECHA platform; collaboration with relevant EU agency established after grant approval
• Projects must not exceed page limits/layout defined in application form; follow Proposal Form and Online Manual guidance
• Use non-animal experimental approaches wherever valid
• Two-stage submission: Stage 1 blind evaluation (anonymise organisation/personnel in abstracts/Part B); Stage 2 full proposals with clinical study annex template
• Adhere to all General Annexes (A–G) of Horizon Europe Work Programme for admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, exclusion and grant management
• Eligible participants: EU/Associated Countries, US entities eligible; JRC, ECHA or other decentralised EU agencies may join without funding post-award
• If using satellite earth observation/positioning data, must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS
• Exclude primary focus on nutrition and mental health
• Mandatory cluster participation: allocate ~2% of budget to joint meetings, reports, dissemination, data management and policy strategy workshops
• Data sharing via IPCHEM and/or future ECHA platform; collaboration with relevant EU agency established after grant approval
• Projects must not exceed page limits/layout defined in application form; follow Proposal Form and Online Manual guidance
• Use non-animal experimental approaches wherever valid
Important dates
Open from: 22/05/2025
Deadline:16/09/2025
Application period has ended
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