Call for proposals for the development of new diagnostic tests for vector-borne diseases (HERA)

The EU funding opportunity titled "Call for proposals for the development of new diagnostic tests for vector-borne diseases (HERA)" is part of the EU4Health Programme, identified as EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-2. The total budget for this specific initiative is €10,000,000. The call opened on September 4, 2025, and will close on December 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The application process is a single-stage submission.

The expected impact of this call is to enhance diagnostic capabilities for vector-borne diseases, facilitating earlier detection, prompt treatment, and improved public health outcomes. The objectives include increasing the accuracy and specificity of existing diagnostic tests and developing innovative solutions for better disease detection.

Eligible applicants are expected to include a range of organizations involved in medical device development, encompassing large enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutions, universities, and potentially public-private partnerships. The geographic focus is primarily on EU Member States and associated countries, reflecting the overarching goals of EU health policies.

Financial support is provided as a grant, specifically in the form of EU4H Action Grant Budget-Based funding. The funding mechanism generally expects co-funding, with the EU contribution typically covering 60% to 80% of total eligible costs, depending on project specifics.

The project should be at a late-stage development phase, indicating that it must be beyond preliminary research status. The scope focuses on advancing medical devices towards market readiness, improving existing diagnostic products, and fostering innovation. The call also addresses the need for rapid, accurate diagnostic tests for vector-borne diseases such as those transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks.

The application process is designed to streamline submissions, requiring applicants to provide full proposals through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Additional support resources, including FAQs, IT helpdesk assistance, and the Online Manual, are available to aid applicants in developing their proposals effectively.

In summary, this opportunity reflects a major investment in public health preparedness, emphasizing the enhancement of diagnostic tools as a critical component in managing vector-borne diseases within the European Union. The program aims to facilitate the transition from research to implementation, ultimately improving healthcare systems' ability to respond to emerging health threats.

This EU funding opportunity is the Call for Proposals for the Development of New Diagnostic Tests for Vector-Borne Diseases (HERA) under the EU4Health Programme (EU4H). The call is titled EU4H HERA Action Grants 2025 (EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ) and the type of action is EU4H-PJG EU4H Project Grants. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is EU4H Action Grant Budget-Based [EU4H-AG].

The call is currently open for submission and follows a single-stage submission model. The opening date for submissions was September 4, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is December 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact of this action includes:
1. Improved diagnostic capabilities that will lead to earlier detection of Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs), enabling prompt treatment initiation and reducing disease transmission.
2. Development of new diagnostic tests to stimulate research and innovation in the field of VBDs.
3. Support for global health initiatives focused on attaining goals for international health security.

The objective of this action is to:
1. Enhance disease detection, reduce misdiagnoses, and improve patient outcomes by broadening the diagnostic toolkit, with a focus on rapid tests.
2. Advance early detection of VBDs through the development of novel diagnostic tests that identify these diseases at an early stage, enabling timely treatment and control.
3. Increase the accuracy and specificity of existing diagnostic assays to better identify VBD pathogens, thus minimising misdiagnoses.

The scope of the activities conducted under this action will focus on:
1. Supporting late-stage development of medical devices, bringing them to (near-) market.
2. Improvement of existing products in terms of accessibility, affordability, or accuracy.
3. Aiding the creation of innovative solutions in case of unmet needs.

Supported actions will need to advance beyond the current Research and Innovation (R&I) status and, where applicable, must also take into account ongoing Union projects, such as under Horizon Europe, guaranteeing complementary. This will expand diagnostic capabilities to address emerging and re-emerging pathogens in the Union, by providing advanced tools to monitor and respond to outbreaks.

Updating diagnostic technologies to improve accuracy, speed, and accessibility and the optimisation of diagnostic technologies such as molecular assays and serological tests, should be supported by evidence on novel antigens or genetic sequences, including clinical testing.

The submission session is now available for the following topics: EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-2, EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-a, EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-b, EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-c.

The conditions for this call are as follows:
1. Admissibility Conditions: Described in section 5 of the call document. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries: Described in section 6 of the call document.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: Described in section 6 of the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in section 7 of the call document.
5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document is available, along with the following application form templates:
1. Standard application form (EU4H) available in the Submission System.
2. Detailed budget table (EU4H).

The Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include:
1. EU4Health Programme General MGA.

Additional documents include:
1. EU4Health Work Programme 2025.
2. EU4Health Regulation 2021/522.
3. EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
4. EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
5. STEP Regulation 2024/795.

The budget overview for the year 2025 is as follows:
1. EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-a EU4H Project Grants: 18,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening date 2025-09-04, deadline 2025-12-04.
2. EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-b EU4H Project Grants: 1,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening date 2025-09-04, deadline 2025-12-04.
3. EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-c EU4H Project Grants: 1,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening date 2025-09-04, deadline 2025-12-04.
4. EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-2 EU4H Project Grants: 10,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening date 2025-09-04, deadline 2025-12-04.

There are currently 0 searches for partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into the Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

To access the Electronic Submission Service, applicants should click on the submission button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to their proposal. After confirming the choice, applicants will be linked to the correct entry point. To access existing draft proposals for this topic, applicants can log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact HaDEA-HP-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Additional support resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ Submission of proposals, the IT Helpdesk for technical questions, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this EU4Health Programme call aims to improve diagnostic capabilities for vector-borne diseases by supporting the late-stage development of medical devices, enhancing existing diagnostic tools, and fostering innovative solutions. The call encourages projects that expand diagnostic capabilities, improve accuracy, speed, and accessibility of diagnostic technologies, and complement ongoing Union projects. The total budget for the call is significant, with multiple topics addressing different aspects of diagnostic development and implementation. Applicants are advised to carefully review the call documents and conditions, and to utilize the available support resources for proposal preparation and submission.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of the call, it can be inferred that eligible applicants could include entities involved in the development of medical devices and diagnostic tests, such as research institutes, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations with relevant expertise in the health sector. The mention of LEARs (Legal Entity Appointed Representatives) and Account Administrators suggests that established organizations are expected to apply.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically "EU4H Project Grants (EU4H-PJG)." The call also mentions "EU4H Action Grant Budget-Based [EU4H-AG]", indicating another type of grant.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the partner search announcements suggest that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged. The presence of LEARs and the ability to publish partner requests indicate that collaborative projects are anticipated.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text. However, since it is an EU4Health Programme call, it is highly likely that the primary geographic eligibility is for entities located in the EU and potentially associated countries. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document, as referenced in the "Eligible Countries" condition.

Target Sector: The target sector is health, specifically focusing on the development of new diagnostic tests for vector-borne diseases (VBDs). The call targets the medical devices industry, particularly those involved in diagnostics, molecular assays, and serological tests. It also aims to improve diagnostic technologies for emerging and re-emerging pathogens.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. The focus is on the EU, as indicated by the EU4Health Programme.

Project Stage: The project stage targeted is late-stage development, bringing medical devices to (near-) market. The call emphasizes the improvement of existing products and the creation of innovative solutions for unmet needs, suggesting projects should advance beyond the current R&I status.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic:
EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-a: €18,000,000
EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-b: €1,000,000
EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-1-c: €1,000,000
EU4H-2025-HERA-PJ-2: €10,000,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status. The submission process is single-stage.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage, meaning applicants submit a full proposal at once.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This EU4Health Programme call, specifically the EU4H HERA Action Grants 2025, aims to improve diagnostic capabilities for vector-borne diseases (VBDs) within the European Union. The call supports late-stage development of medical devices and diagnostic tests, focusing on bringing them to market, improving existing products, and creating innovative solutions. The call is structured around several topics, each with a specific budget, with the overall goal of enhancing disease detection, reducing misdiagnoses, and improving patient outcomes. The call is open for submission with a deadline of December 4, 2025. Applicants need to submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The program seeks to update diagnostic technologies, including molecular assays and serological tests, supported by evidence on novel antigens or genetic sequences, including clinical testing. The EU4H program is designed to expand diagnostic capabilities to address emerging and re-emerging pathogens in the Union, by providing advanced tools to monitor and respond to outbreaks.