Advancing knowledge on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health

This Horizon Europe call focuses on advancing knowledge about the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health and the environment. The initiative aims to support research and innovation actions that contribute to a healthier environment by addressing knowledge gaps and potential health risks associated with exposure to these pollutants.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and other legal entities capable of conducting research in relevant fields. Consortium participation is required, typically involving at least three organizations from different EU or associated countries. The funding type is a lump sum grant, simplifying financial reporting through fixed amounts based on achieving specific objectives.

The geographic eligibility comprises EU member states, associated countries, and potentially third countries with strong research and development (R&D) capabilities, including the United States. The target sectors focus primarily on environmental and health aspects concerning pollution, particularly micro- and nanoplastics, and their implications for human health.

The grant budget is substantial, with a total of €50 million allocated for 2025, indicating that individual grants will likely range from €1 million to €5 million, depending on the specific topic. The application process entails a two-stage submission, beginning with a short proposal followed by a more detailed second stage for selected applicants.

Success rates for Horizon Europe tend to be low, estimated between 10% to 39%. Notably, co-funding is generally not required for lump sum grants. The call encourages multidisciplinary approaches and emphasizes the importance of social sciences and humanities.

Project aims include improving risk assessment methodologies, understanding the toxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics, and providing evidence-based guidance to policymakers. The research scope includes enhancing analytical methods, understanding exposure mechanisms at different biological levels, and proposing mitigation strategies to reduce population exposure.

The submission deadlines are set for September 16, 2025, for the first stage and April 16, 2026, for the second stage. Overall, the call presents a significant opportunity for research into the health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics and how to mitigate their effects while enhancing public health and environmental safety.

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals under the Health cluster, specifically targeting research and innovation actions related to the impact of micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) on human health. The call, titled "Advancing knowledge on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health," aims to support activities that contribute to a health-promoting environment, focusing on understanding and mitigating the potential health risks associated with exposure to MNPs in living and working environments.

The expected outcomes of this call are:

1. Supporting environmental and health policies with scientific evidence, standards, tools, and methodologies to reduce exposure to MNPs and prevent potential health impacts.

2. Providing public authorities and the scientific community with access to FAIR data on realistic human exposures to MNPs and their potential health impacts.

3. Informing citizens about the health impacts of MNPs exposure and promoting behaviors that protect health and reduce environmental impacts.

4. Supporting industry in assessing the safety and sustainability of their products.

5. Filling major knowledge gaps regarding the health impacts of MNPs exposure and promoting mitigation measures based on robust evidence.

6. Providing public authorities and regulators with evidence-based guidance for designing health policies.

The scope of the research activities includes:

1. Enhancing the comparability and reproducibility of studies through better optimization, validation, and standardization of analytical methods and protocols for collecting MNPs and detecting/quantifying exposure.

2. Studying the causal mechanisms of action and pathways involved in the effects of MNPs exposure at molecular, cellular, and organism levels.

3. Improving the understanding of the drivers of toxicity and adverse health effects of MNPs, considering realistic environmental samples and varying characteristics like size, shape, concentration, and chemical composition.

4. Developing suitable and environmentally relevant reference materials to improve robustness and comparability across laboratories.

5. Developing better in-vivo, in-silico, and in-vitro models, instruments, and methods for harmonized risk and hazard assessment.

6. Strengthening knowledge on human exposure through biomonitoring studies and the use of specific biomarkers and endpoints.

7. Generating evidence on the long-term impacts of MNPs on human health, fate, and systemic effects through systematic studies.

8. Providing robust evidence on MNPs exposures at work and improving assessment, prevention, and mitigation approaches for occupational exposures.

9. Increasing the understanding of environmental routes of exposure, considering real-life scenarios.

10. Proposing mitigation measures to reduce population exposure, including evaluating the health impacts of potential alternative materials.

11. Gaining insights into the interactions between MNPs (and their additives) with other pollutants and/or biological agents.

12. Gaining insights on the delivery mechanisms and studying the elimination process of MNPs in the human body and the microbiome capacity to degrade MNPs.

13. Promoting knowledge exchange and engaging with regulators and public authorities.

The call emphasizes the importance of addressing gender and sex-related differences, encouraging the use of experimental methods that do not involve live animals, and requiring the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines. Proposals should adhere to FAIR data principles and consider involving the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Selected projects will form a cluster and participate in common networking and joint activities, with a dedicated work package and budget allocated for these activities. Applicants invited to the second stage should provide details of their clinical studies.

The call specifies admissibility conditions, eligible countries (including the United States), and financial and operational capacity requirements, all detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The evaluation process includes a blind evaluation pilot for the first stage. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum contribution.

The call provides a list of application and evaluation form templates, guidance documents, and additional resources, including links to the Funding & Tenders Portal, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and various helpdesks.

The budget overview indicates that the call is divided into several topics:

HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-DISEASE-02-two-stage with a budget of 50,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 7 grants, with contributions ranging from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR.

HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-01-two-stage with a budget of 40,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 6 grants, with contributions ranging from 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 EUR.

HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage with a budget of 40,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 5 grants, with contributions ranging from 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR.

HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-IND-03-two-stage with a budget of 40,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 5 grants, with contributions ranging from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR.

HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage with a budget of 40,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 5 grants, with contributions ranging from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR.

The call is a two-stage process, with deadlines for submission on September 16, 2025, and April 16, 2026.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call is a significant opportunity for researchers to contribute to the understanding of the health impacts of micro and nanoplastics, develop mitigation strategies, and inform policy decisions. It encourages collaborative, multidisciplinary research that adheres to FAIR data principles and promotes the use of innovative methodologies. The call aims to bridge the knowledge gaps in this emerging field and support the development of a health-promoting environment for all citizens.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Environment Agency (EEA) may also participate as members of the consortium.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] under the HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Environment Agency (EEA) may participate as members of the consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible countries are 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. Any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding.

Target Sector: The target sector is health, specifically related to the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on human health and the environment. This includes research and innovation actions related to environmental science, toxicology, risk assessment, and public health.

Mentioned Countries: United States of America.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions. The projects should aim to strengthen the evidence base, develop new methodologies, and propose mitigation measures related to the health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics. This suggests a focus on research, development, and validation stages.

Funding Amount: The funding range varies depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-DISEASE-02-two-stage: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000 (indicative number of grants: 7)
HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-01-two-stage: €6,000,000 to €7,000,000 (indicative number of grants: 6)
HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage: €7,000,000 to €8,000,000 (indicative number of grants: 5)
HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-IND-03-two-stage: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000 (indicative number of grants: 5)
HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage: €6,000,000 to €8,000,000 (indicative number of grants: 5)

Application Type: The application type is a two-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages. In the first stage, applicants submit a proposal that is evaluated based on Excellence and Impact. If successful, applicants are invited to the second stage, where they submit a more detailed proposal that is evaluated based on Excellence, Impact, and Implementation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the text indicates that the overall threshold for the first stage is set to ensure that the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 is as close as possible to four times the available budget, and not less than three and a half times the available budget. This suggests that only a fraction of initial proposals will proceed to the second stage.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement. However, the eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, and applicants are expected to manage their budget effectively to achieve the project's objectives.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of Cluster 1 Health, focuses on "Advancing knowledge on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health." It aims to support research and innovation actions that contribute to a health-promoting environment by addressing the knowledge gaps regarding the health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs). The call encourages proposals that strengthen the evidence base, improve analytical methods, develop risk assessment models, and propose mitigation measures to reduce human exposure to MNPs. The call is structured as a two-stage process, with funding provided as a lump sum grant. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, and other legal entities capable of conducting relevant research. The projects are expected to form a cluster to maximise synergies and impact, and they should contribute to informing environmental and health policies, supporting industry in assessing product safety, and educating citizens about the risks and mitigation strategies related to MNPs. The call also encourages the involvement of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the sharing of data through platforms like IPCHEM. The indicative budget for each project ranges from 6 to 8 million EUR, with the call opening on May 22, 2025, and deadlines for submissions in September 2025 and April 2026.