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

This document outlines a significant opportunity for funding through the EU4Health Programme, specifically targeting cancer screening initiatives for prostate cancer within the call titled EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-03. This program aims to pilot and implement comprehensive screening programs across EU Member States and relevant candidate countries, highlighting a focus on integrating artificial intelligence into the screening process.

Eligible applicants likely include a diverse range of organizations such as research institutions, universities, hospitals, healthcare providers, medical societies, and patient organizations, indicating that collaborative consortiums may be essential for application success. The call encourages partnerships and cross-border cooperation, particularly in fields related to healthcare technology and public health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the necessity for robust cancer screening, particularly prostate cancer, which is a leading cause of mortality among men in many European nations. The budget allocated for this call stands at €7,440,000, reflecting the serious commitment to this public health initiative.

Applications are open and will be accepted from September 23, 2025, until January 6, 2026. The submission process consists of a single stage, allowing applicants to present their proposals without preliminary rounds. Each project is expected to demonstrate a clear plan for implementing and piloting screening programs, integrating AI solutions to improve detection rates and reduce disparities in access to care.

Additional expected impacts of the program include enhancing knowledge about effective screening practices, fostering a culture of information sharing among member states, and ultimately advancing the quality of prostate cancer screening. The call encourages the collection of data on the benefits and harms of screening processes and emphasizes the implementation of actionable frameworks derived from EU cancer guidelines.

Through effective funding allocation, this initiative seeks to improve early detection rates for prostate cancer while ensuring equitable access to screening technologies and interventions across Europe.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the EU4Health Programme (EU4H) and falls under the EU4H SANTE Action Grants 2025 (EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ). It is specifically a call for proposals to pilot and implement cancer screening programmes for prostate cancer. The type of action is EU4H-PJG, which stands for EU4H Project Grants. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is EU4H Action Grant Budget-Based [EU4H-AG]. This is a forthcoming call with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date for submissions is 23 September 2025, and the deadline for submissions is 6 January 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact of this action includes: Regularly updated reporting and gap analysis to guide Member States, enhanced knowledge on the current state of play and feasible and successful modalities of prostate cancer screening programmes, including the integration of new AI-based screening technologies to improve detection and reduce disparities across Member States, further roll-out of prostate cancer screening, and further availability of prostate cancer screening programmes across the Union based on European Guidelines, as available.

The objective of this action is to contribute to the implementation of prostate cancer screening programmes in a stepwise approach. This involves gradual and appropriate planning, piloting, and roll-out of screening programmes within national priorities, as called for in the 2022 Council Recommendation and upcoming European Guidelines on cancer screening. The call emphasizes assessing the use of AI in ongoing and pilot programs and exploring the potential use of AI where feasible. It also encourages exploring synergies with actions implementing the European Cancer Imaging Initiative, particularly the Cancer Image Europe platform, and potential synergies with the project stemming out of the “Call for proposals on advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence in health” (DI-g-24-76 from 2024 EU4Health work programme).

The scope of the action may include the following activities: Facilitating implementation research via new pilots and programme rollout initiatives through monitoring and assessment of on-going implementation studies, defining needs for and planning of new implementation studies based on gap analyses, building on deliverables of the PRAISE-U project, supporting, coordinating and running implementation studies within Member States, linking regional/national implementations studies within Member States to reduce duplication and human/financial resources as well as to increase study impact, and regular quality assessment and improvement of implementation research. It also includes facilitating aggregation and analysis of the prostate cancer imaging datasets, allowing cross-border multi-centric cooperation on AI studies, including research and development of replicable AI algorithms for prostate cancer screening and for strengthening the evidence base for AI uptake in prostate cancer screening programmes. Furthermore, it involves collection and assessment of benefits/harms data and other data on outcomes, quality assurance and cost-effectiveness relating to prostate cancer screening programmes from the national level based on the established methods, infrastructure and networks within the previous EU4Health Programme funded projects. Linking relevant experts and representatives from European medical societies and patient organisations to ensure broad outreach to corresponding national partner societies and patient organisations, effective dissemination as well as bidirectional knowledge exchange with all Member States and relevant candidate countries relating to prostate cancer screening, close collaboration with related projects, such as those covering lung and gastric cancer screening, and the Joint Action Implementation of cancer screening programmes (‘EUCanScreen’) from the 2023 EU4Health work programme action CR-g-23-38, close collaboration with the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, and the planned Commission Initiative on Prostate Cancer, and exploration of the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in prostate cancer screening to detect prostate cancer at an earlier stage and reduce disparities in access to diagnosis among high-risk populations in synergy with the activities under the European Cancer Imaging Initiative.

The conditions for this call are as follows:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries are described in section 6 of the call document.
3. Other Eligible Conditions are described in section 6 of the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are 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 are described in section 4 of the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants are described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include: The Call document, application form templates (Standard application form (EU4H) available in the Submission System, Detailed budget table (EU4H)), Model Grant Agreements (MGA) (EU4H MGA), and additional documents such as the EU4H Work Programme, EU4H Regulation 2021/522, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the year 2025 is as follows:

EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-01 EU4H Project Grants: 3,000,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-02 EU4H Project Grants: 7,440,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-03 EU4H Project Grants: 7,440,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-04 EU4H Project Grants: 20,000,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-05 EU4H Project Grants: 2,000,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-06 EU4H Project Grants: 750,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-07 EU4H Project Grants: 1,200,000 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-08 EU4H Project Grants: 14,386,810 EUR
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-09 EU4H Project Grants: 600,000 EUR

All topics are single-stage, with the opening date planned for 2025-09-23 and the deadline on 2026-01-06.

Partner search announcements are available for those looking to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests after logging into the Portal.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

For support, applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. For help related to this call, contact HaDEA-HP-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide.

In summary, this EU4Health Programme call seeks to improve prostate cancer screening across the EU by funding projects that pilot and implement screening programs, integrate AI technologies, and collaborate with other relevant initiatives. The goal is to enhance early detection, reduce disparities, and ensure the availability of high-quality screening based on European guidelines. The call encourages research, data analysis, and knowledge exchange among Member States and relevant stakeholders.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of the EU4Health Programme and the focus on cancer screening, it is likely that eligible applicants include a range of entities such as public health organizations, research institutions, universities, hospitals, healthcare providers, medical societies, patient organizations, and potentially other relevant organizations involved in healthcare and research within the eligible geographic scope. The mention of LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants suggests that a wide array of legal entities with an active public Person profile can apply.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically an EU4H Project Grant (EU4H-PJG) under the EU4Health Programme. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is an EU4H Action Grant Budget-Based [EU4H-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the scope of the action, which includes activities such as linking experts and representatives from European medical societies and patient organizations, facilitating aggregation and analysis of data, and dissemination of knowledge, suggests that a consortium approach involving multiple entities is highly encouraged, if not required. The ability for LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants to publish partner requests further supports the likelihood of consortium-based applications.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but the call mentions "Member States and relevant candidate countries" in the context of knowledge exchange and dissemination related to prostate cancer screening. This indicates that the beneficiary scope includes EU Member States and potentially EU candidate countries. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Target Sector: The target sector is health, specifically focusing on cancer screening and implementation research related to prostate cancer. The call also targets the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, particularly in cancer screening technologies.

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to EU Member States and relevant candidate countries.

Project Stage: The project stage targets implementation research, piloting, and roll-out of prostate cancer screening programs. This suggests that the projects should be at the development, validation, demonstration, or early commercialization stages, rather than purely at the idea or research stage. The call emphasizes the importance of gradual and appropriate planning, piloting, and roll-out, indicating a focus on projects that are ready to be implemented and scaled up.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €600,000 to €20,000,000. Specifically:
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-01: €3,000,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-02: €7,440,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-03: €7,440,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-04: €20,000,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-05: €2,000,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-06: €750,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-07: €1,200,000
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-08: €14,386,810
EU4H-2026-SANTE-PJ-09: €600,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 23 September 2025, and the deadline for submission is 6 January 2026.

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

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

Summary:
This is a call for proposals under the EU4Health Programme, specifically targeting the implementation of prostate cancer screening programs across EU Member States and relevant candidate countries. The call aims to support projects that contribute to the gradual planning, piloting, and roll-out of these programs, in line with the 2022 Council Recommendation and upcoming European Guidelines on cancer screening. A key focus is on the integration of AI-based screening technologies to improve detection and reduce disparities.

The call encourages projects that facilitate implementation research, aggregate and analyze prostate cancer imaging datasets, collect and assess benefits/harms data, link relevant experts and organizations, and disseminate knowledge effectively. Collaboration with related projects and initiatives, such as the European Cancer Imaging Initiative and the Joint Action Implementation of cancer screening programmes (‘EUCanScreen’), is also emphasized.

The funding is provided through EU4H Project Grants (EU4H-PJG), with varying budget allocations for different topics, ranging from €600,000 to €20,000,000. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a planned opening date of 23 September 2025 and a deadline of 6 January 2026.

Eligible applicants likely include public health organizations, research institutions, universities, hospitals, healthcare providers, medical societies, and patient organizations. While not explicitly stated, a consortium approach is highly encouraged, given the scope and nature of the activities involved.

In essence, this call seeks to advance prostate cancer screening across Europe by supporting projects that are ready for implementation, incorporate AI technologies, and foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among relevant stakeholders.