Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases

Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) JU Call 13 topic HORIZON-JU funds a Research and Innovation Action titled "Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases" with an indicative EU contribution of approximately €9.2 million per selected project and a total Call 13 budget of about €53.2 million. The two-stage submission requires a 20-page short proposal by 8 October 2026 and a 50-page full proposal by 21 April 2027, submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Eligible cross-sectoral consortia must include public research, healthcare providers and industry, and IHI private members and/or contributing partners must collectively provide at least 45% of the action's total eligible costs through in-kind and/or financial contributions. The project scope targets elderly-onset immune-mediated diseases (selected gastroenterological, respiratory and rheumatic conditions) and mandates integration of multi-omics, cohorts, digital health and AI/ML approaches with regulatory and sustainability plans.

IHI JU Call 13 — Research and Innovation Action (two-stage)

What the call funds

Large multidisciplinary RIAs to clarify how ageing reshapes immune homeostasis and drives elderly-onset immune diseases and exacerbations. Funded activities should integrate multi-omics, immunophenotyping, ageing clocks, microbiome, digital biomarkers (wearables, activity, grip, sleep), multi-cohort data linkage, AI/ML for biomarker and pathway discovery, verification/validation including observational cohorts and translational/clinical evidence generation, and regulatory engagement toward acceptance of biomarkers and interventions.

Who can apply:Legal entities established in countries associated to Horizon Europe (and those listed in the Horizon rules) including research organisations, universities, hospitals, SMEs, mid‑caps and industry, patient organisations, regulators and public authorities; consortia must form a public‑private partnership and proposals must meet IHI JU rules on participant types and eligibility ¹.

1. 1Two-stage submission: stage 1 short proposal (20 pages), shortlisted consortia invited to stage 2 full proposal (50 pages)
2. 2Consortia must ensure minimum 45% of action eligible costs are contributions from IHI private members and/or approved contributing partners (IKOP + IKAA + FC)
3. 3Proposals should leverage existing cohorts and propose a new targeted observational cohort, and include AI‑driven data integration and a regulatory/sustainability plan

Deadlines (two-stage):stage 1 and stage 2 windows are listed on the call page; current windows for this topic: 2026-10-08 (first-stage) and 2027-04-21 (second-stage). See the official topic page for submission and template details.

Apply through the Funding & Tenders Portal; proposals must include IHI-specific annexes (Budget & Type of Participants, Declaration of in-kind commitment; if applicable IKAA and Contributing Partner letters) and follow the IHI Guide for Applicants IHI Call Topic. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1IHI guidance and templates: IHI Guide for Applicants and IHI Guide for Contributing Partners available from the IHI call documents page IHI Call Documents.

Call identity, deadlines and administrative context

Call title:Innovative Health Initiative JU Call 13. Topic code: HORIZON-JU. Call type: Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-JU-RIA) under the IHI Joint Undertaking. Submission procedure: two-stage (short proposal first stage; full proposal second stage). Deadlines (two-stage): first-stage short proposal session open July 2026; first-stage deadline 2026-10-08; second-stage full proposal deadline 2027-04-21. Submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (Electronic Submission Service).

Scope, objectives and expected impact

The topic aims to elucidate how biological ageing and age-associated immune system remodelling drive elderly-onset immune-mediated diseases and disease exacerbations across selected organ systems, with the objective to establish predictive biomarkers, AI-enabled multi-omics integration, digital biomarkers and regulatory pathways to enable precision prevention, diagnosis and therapy for ageing populations. Focus disease areas required in the proposal: gastroenterological immune diseases (IBD such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), respiratory immune diseases (asthma, COPD, immune-mediated interstitial lung disease), and rheumatoid/rheumatologic immune diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, Sjögren’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus).

Applicants are expected to integrate existing cohorts and set up a new targeted observational cohort across relevant age ranges and age-at-onset groups; collect and analyse biospecimens (PBMC, WBC, stool, saliva, urine, diseased tissue, exhaled breath condensate); perform deep molecular profiling (RNAseq, scRNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics), systems serology and immunophenotyping, T/B cell repertoire analysis and immunopeptidome; evaluate multiple biological ageing clocks (IMM-AGE, iAge, proteomic, somatic CHIP mutations, DNAm, RNA, metabolic clocks); include metagenomics (gut, lung, tissue-resident microbiomes) plus integrated host–microbiome modelling; deploy digital health technologies (wearables, grip, in-soles, sleep trackers) and digital biomarkers; and apply AI/ML for multi-omics + EHR integration and pathway/biomarker discovery. The project must consider regulatory strategy and health system implementation pathways, align with EHDS and AI Act, and include sustainability and data/sample repository plans.

Expected outcomes:Improved understanding of causal links between chronic inflammatory diseases and biological ageing; validated predictive biomarkers and ageing clocks that stratify elderly-onset disease risk and exacerbation; new early detection and diagnostic approaches differentiating elderly-onset from younger-onset disease; evidence supporting repurposed or novel therapies and precision approaches for older patients; interoperable multi-omics and clinical data infrastructure with AI capabilities enabling cross-disease immunosenescence signatures; evaluation data supporting digital biomarkers as candidate regulatory endpoints for healthy ageing; defined regulatory interaction strategies and HTA/health system implementation pathways.

Eligibility and who should apply

Eligible applicant types:legal entities established in Member States of the EU or countries associated to Horizon Europe and in eligible low- and middle-income countries as described by Horizon Europe rules. Eligible applicants include universities, research organisations, hospitals and clinical networks, SMEs, mid-caps, large companies (subject to two-stage constraints), non-profit organisations, patient organisations, healthcare providers, HTA bodies, regulators, public authorities and industry associations. Constituent or affiliated entities of the IHI JU private members (COCIR, EFPIA including VaccinesEurope, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe) and approved Contributing Partners can participate and provide in-kind and/or financial contributions (see IHI-specific contribution rules).

IHI-specific constraints for consortium composition and funding eligibility:two-stage topics normally include a pre-identified industry consortium. Entities that are pre-identified as part of the industry consortium in a two-stage topic are generally not eligible to receive IHI grant funding (they join at stage 2 without JU funding). For two-stage calls, for-profit entities with annual turnover equal to or above €500 million (or under common control with such entities) are normally not eligible for JU funding. For single-stage calls any legal entity established in eligible countries can request funding in line with Horizon Europe general rules.

Eligible applicant types (explicit list):Startups; SMEs; mid-cap companies; large enterprises (subject to call rules); universities and other higher education institutions; research institutes and technology organisations (RTOs); hospitals and healthcare providers; non-profit organisations and charities; patient and citizen organisations; public authorities; regulators and notified bodies; health technology assessment bodies; public-private partnerships and consortia; contributing partners; affiliated entities of IHI private members (when declared).

Funding modalities and financial rules

Funding type:Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action grant (HORIZON-AG model grant agreement; HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based). Funding modality: grant contribution to beneficiaries' eligible costs (personnel, subcontracting, purchase, internally invoiced goods and services, plus 25% flat-rate indirect costs). IHI JU specific in-kind and cash contribution rules: private members' constituent/affiliated entities and contributing partners provide in-kind operational contributions (IKOP), in-kind contributions to additional activities (IKAA, only private members), and financial contributions (FC). The IHI JU eligibility threshold requires that the total contribution from IHI JU private members and/or contributing partners (IKOP + IKAA + FC paid) must be at least 45% of the action’s (eligible costs + IKAA). Proposers are encouraged to target 50% as prudent margin.

Budget and specific thresholds:Total eligible costs are the sum of direct eligible costs plus 25% indirect costs. IKOP and IKAA are not captured in the standard Part A budget and must be detailed in the compulsory IHI Annex: Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants. Non-EU IKOP must be declared separately; non-EU IKOP at programme level is limited (normally up to 20% of total IKOP) and individual calls may set lower limits. IKAA (in-kind additional activities) from private members are limited at programme level (recommended maximum 40% of total in-kind contribution from private members). Financial contributions paid and received between parties must balance; FC paid by private members to beneficiaries count towards the 45% threshold if paid to beneficiaries eligible for funding.

Consortium and consortium-level requirements

Consortium requirement:two-stage procedure. First stage (short proposal) is submitted by applicant consortium (without pre-identified industry members if the call defines them); only the highest-ranked short proposal per topic is invited to second stage to prepare a full proposal in concert with the pre-identified industry consortium and contributing partners specified in the topic text. Full proposal must include a new targeted observational cohort and plans for data/sample access, multi-omics profiling, AI/ML infrastructure, regulatory interaction, and sustainability of data and samples beyond the grant.

1. 1Required project activities (examples): set up a new observational cohort (age-ranges and age-at-onset groups), integrate existing cohorts, deep multi-omics profiling (bulk and single-cell RNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenome), immunological profiling (systems serology, immunophenotyping, T/B repertoire), microbiome/metagenomics, ageing clocks benchmarking, digital biomarkers with wearables, AI/ML multi-omics + EHR integration, verification strategies and regulatory engagement.
2. 2Compulsory data/sample types to consider: peripheral blood mononuclear cells, white blood cells, stool, saliva, urine, diseased tissues, exhaled breath condensate, electronic health records (comorbidities, frailty, vaccination/infection history).
3. 3Regulatory and health system engagement: include regulatory strategy, plan for interaction with regulators and HTA/payers, and regional engagement for implementation readiness.

Geographic and participant restrictions / Mentioned countries

Beneficiary scope / Geographic eligibility:Horizon Europe eligibility applies. Legal entities established in the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe (and eligible low- and middle-income countries where allowed by programme rules) are eligible to receive funding. The IHI topic text and the IHI Guide note special arrangements and transitional arrangements for certain third countries. Explicitly mentioned countries or regions in call documentation and related guidance: United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Switzerland. Note: eligibility to receive IHI funding differs by call stage and by topic for some of those countries and is addressed in the IHI guidance and FAQs; transitional arrangements apply in some calls. See the IHI Guide for Applicants and IHI FAQs for details on call-specific eligibility for these countries.

Mentioned countries (explicit in the topic documentation):United Kingdom; Canada; Hungary; Japan; Republic of Korea; Switzerland; EU Member States; countries associated to Horizon Europe; low- and middle-income countries as listed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target sectors and scientific / technological scope

Primary target sectors:health, immunology, ageing/geroscience, biotech/biopharma, medical technologies (including digital health, wearables, imaging, sensors), bioinformatics/AI, molecular biology, omics technologies, microbiome research, regulatory science, clinical research. The topic explicitly requires cross-sector collaboration between health industry sectors (pharma/vaccines, biopharma, medtech including digital health and IVD), academia, research infrastructures, healthcare providers and patient organisations.

Project stage, expected TRL and results maturity

Project stage:research and innovation (pre-competitive); expected activities range from basic discovery (mechanistic studies) to translational validation, cohort establishment/observational clinical studies, biomarker validation and regulatory evidence generation. TRL: typically low-to-mid TRL research and validation (discovery to early translational/clinical validation). Projects are Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) rather than high-TRL demonstration or market uptake actions.

Funding amount and call budget

Funding amount:IHI JU budget mapping for the Call 13 package shows expected grants per specific topic action in the range: minimum contributions per selected grant reported in the IHI portal: approx. €9.2 million for the HORIZON-JU action. The IHI call page budget overview lists minimum and maximum indicative contributions for related actions (examples: min/max contributions noted: €9 200 000 for this topic). Exact grant size is determined by the consortium proposal and the budget encoded in Part A and Annex to the budget and type of participants. Applicants must complete the IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants at full-proposal stage to validate IHI-specific items (IKOP, IKAA, FC paid/received) and to confirm the 45% industry contribution threshold.

Indicative funding scale:Planned expected grant for this topic: approximately €9.2 million (single grant expected per topic line indicated) for the selected Research & Innovation Action; consult the Budget Overview on the topic page for exact planned grant and call-specific figures.

Application modalities, templates and submission process

Application type:two-stage open call (first stage short proposal, second stage full proposal). Submission mode: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Part A is generated in the Portal webforms; Part B must be uploaded as a PDF following the IHI-specific Part B templates for short and full proposals. Compulsory annexes: IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants (full proposals in single-stage calls and full proposals at second stage of two-stage calls); Declaration of in-kind contribution commitment (full proposals); Contributing Partner application letters (if the proposal includes contributing partners in single-stage calls); IKAA Annex (if IKAA are included); Essential information for clinical studies (if the proposal includes clinical studies). All templates are available in the submission system and on the IHI website.

Application templates and required annexes:Available application form templates: Horizon Europe Part A template (auto-generated); IHI JU Proposal Part B template (short and full proposal variants); IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants (Excel); IHI Annex: Declaration of in-kind contribution commitment (Word); IHI Annex: In-kind contributions to additional activities (IKAA) (Excel); IHI Annex: Type of participants (Stage 1 short proposal Excel); Annex: Essential information for clinical studies (compulsory where clinical studies are included); IHI evaluation forms and guidance documents. The IHI Guide for Applicants and IHI detailed annex instructions describe how to complete each annex and validate the 45% industrial contribution threshold.

Nature of support, co-funding and financial obligations

Nature of support:the JU provides monetary grant funding to eligible beneficiaries to reimburse eligible costs according to the Model Grant Agreement (HE-AG) rules. In addition, the JU recognises industry contributions as in-kind (IKOP and IKAA) and financial (FC) contributions that are required to meet the public-private partnership matching threshold (45% minimum). Co-funding requirement: the IHI-specific co-funding requirement is implemented as an obligation that a minimum percentage of the total action costs must be covered by contributions from private members/constituent/affiliated entities and/or contributing partners (45% of eligible costs plus IKAA). This is distinct from the general Horizon Europe grant funding model where the EU funds a share of eligible costs. Co-funding in the IHI JU context is mandatory (45% threshold), and proposals failing to reach it are ineligible.

Application assessment, evaluation stages and success rates

Evaluation procedure:independent expert evaluation in three main phases: Phase 1 individual remote review (short proposals: excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of implementation), Phase 2 consensus (panel remote or in-person) and Phase 3 panel review to agree final ranking and moderation. For two-stage calls a first-stage short proposal evaluation applies (20-page short proposal limit for RIA stage 1), then the selected applicant (top-ranked short proposal per topic) will be invited to prepare a full proposal in cooperation with the pre-identified industry consortium for second-stage evaluation (50-page Part B limit at full proposal stage). Thresholds: default thresholds are a minimum score of 3/5 per criterion and an overall minimum sum of 10/15 (unless IHI Work Programme specifies otherwise). Success rates: IHI JU publishes an expected number of grants and indicative budget per topic; historically success rates vary strongly by call and competition. For this topic the Budget Overview lists one expected grant and an indicative contribution of around €9.2 million; success rates therefore depend on number and quality of submissions, typically single-digit percent in highly competitive topics. Applicants should assume low selection probability and plan accordingly.

Application stages (explicit):Two-stage call: Stage 1 short proposal submission (evaluation; 20-page limit for RIA short proposals). If your short proposal is the first-ranked in the topic, you will be invited to Stage 2. Stage 2 preparation and submission of a full proposal (50-page Part B limit for RIA full proposals). Successful full proposals progress to Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) where administrative and legal checks, budget checks and the Annex to the budget and type of participants are finalised before signature.

Success rates and evaluation thresholds

There is no preset public global success rate for IHI JU topics; success depends on competition. Evaluation thresholds: minimum 3/5 per criterion (excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of implementation) and minimum 10/15 total for short and full proposals by default; consult the IHI JU Call text and IHI Work Programme for call-specific thresholds. Proposals failing to reach threshold(s) are rejected. The IHI evaluation form and scoring guidance are available in the call documentation to support self-evaluation.

Co-funding and financial commitments (detailed)

Co-funding requirement (IHI-specific):The combined contribution from private members (their constituent/affiliated entities) and approved contributing partners must reach at least 45% of the action’s eligible costs plus costs for action-related additional activities (IKOP + IKAA + FC paid ≥ 45% of eligible costs + action-related IKAA). This is an eligibility condition for full proposals (single-stage) and for full proposals at the second stage of two-stage calls. Private members may provide in-kind operational contributions (IKOP), in-kind contributions to additional activities (IKAA) and financial contributions (FC). Contributing partners may provide IKOP and FC (not IKAA).

The IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants is compulsory at full proposal stage (single-stage calls and second stage of two-stage calls) and includes specific checks: it calculates IKOP, non-EU IKOP, IKAA, FC received and FC paid, and verifies 45% threshold and non-EU IKOP limits. The Annex also requires the Declaration of In-Kind Contribution Commitment (signed) for private members/contributing partners committing to reach the 45% threshold. Proposals that do not reach the 45% co-contribution threshold are ineligible.

Templates: how the application forms look and structure guidance

IHI uses the Horizon Europe application structure:Part A (administrative web forms in Funding & Tenders Portal) and Part B (technical narrative). Part B templates are IHI-specific and provided for both short and full proposals (RIA SP and RIA FP templates). Part B structure follows the three evaluation criteria: Excellence (objectives, ambition, methodology), Impact (pathways to impact, D&E plan including 3A requirements where applicable), and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (work plan, work packages, milestones, deliverables, risks, consortium capacity and resources). IHI provides specific annex templates: Annex — Type of Participants (Stage 1 short proposal required), Annex — Budget & Type of Participants (full proposal), Annex — IKAA plan (if IKAA included), Declaration of in-kind contribution commitment (signed by private members/contributing partners), Contributing partner application letter (for single-stage calls where contributing partners join applicant consortia).

1. 1Part B short proposal (stage 1 two-stage): 20-page limit for RIA short proposals; follow IHI short proposal Part B template.
2. 2Part B full proposal (stage 2 or single-stage): 50-page limit for RIA full proposals; follow IHI full proposal Part B template including detailed work package tables, deliverables and budget tables.
3. 3Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants (Excel): compulsory at full proposal stage; required to demonstrate 45% threshold and report IKOP, IKAA and FCs.
4. 4Declaration of In-Kind Contribution Commitment (Word): compulsory at full proposal stage for proposals involving private members/contributing partners.

Application stages: number and process overview

Application stages:two-stage calls involve 2 application stages (short proposal then full proposal) plus GAP and evaluation steps; single-stage calls have 1 application stage (full proposal). The evaluation process involves three expert phases (individual evaluation, consensus, panel). GAP includes administrative and legal checks and completion of Annexes before grant signature.

Success rate guidance and funding likelihood

Success rates:cannot be guaranteed; topic budget is limited and competition is expected to be high. IHI JU topics sometimes expect to fund a single large grant per topic (for this topic one expected grant is listed); therefore success is contingent on scoring above thresholds and ranking highly. Applicants should plan realistic alternative funding strategies and ensure the IHI-specific eligibility requirements (45% industry contribution) are fully documented in the Annex to the budget and type of participants.

Practical checklist and points to remember

1. 1Register organisations early in the Participant Register to obtain PICs and have LEAR/LSIGN/FSIGN roles defined.
2. 2Confirm eligibility to receive funding for each participant (Member State/associated country/low- and middle-income rules; turnover rules for two-stage calls).
3. 3Plan industry contributions early and secure signed commitment letters from private members/contributing partners to meet the 45% threshold; prepare the Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants in the full proposal.
4. 4Prepare Part B following the IHI templates and page limits (short proposal 20 pages; full proposal 50 pages for RIA).
5. 5Address regulatory, ethics and data governance elements early (EHDS alignment, AI Act compliance, ethics review).
6. 6Document sustainability and data/sample stewardship plans for after project end.
7. 7Allow time to prepare the required Annexes (IKAA, Type of Participants, Declaration of In-Kind Contribution Commitment, Essential Information for Clinical Studies where relevant).
8. 8Consider non-EU IKOP limits and programme-level constraints; check call-specific limits early.
9. 9Submit at least 48 hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute problems; contact Funding & Tenders Portal IT Helpdesk for technical issues.

Footnote:the IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants contains automated checks for the 45% industry contribution threshold, non-EU IKOP percentage and the IKAA programme guidance; it must be completed for full proposals and is a compulsory validation during grant preparation ¹.

Comprehensive summary: what this opportunity is about

This IHI JU two-stage Research and Innovation Action topic (Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases) targets late-onset immune-mediated diseases and the immunosenescence/inflammaging processes that drive disease onset and exacerbation in older adults. It seeks consortia able to integrate multi-omic, immunological, microbiome and clinical data from existing and new observational cohorts, to develop and validate predictive biomarkers, ageing clocks and digital biomarkers, and to use artificial intelligence and computational modelling to define disease-agnostic and disease-specific immunosenescence pathways. The action requires public-private collaboration with industry contributions (in-kind and/or cash) that meet the IHI co-contribution (45% minimum) threshold, comprehensive ethical and regulatory strategies, and plans for sustainability of data and samples. The expected output is an integrated, data-driven platform and evidence base that supports personalised prevention, diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for elderly-onset immune diseases, establishes regulatory pathways for novel biomarkers including digital biomarkers, and strengthens EU competitiveness in healthy ageing solutions.

Footnotes

1. 1See the IHI Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants guidance and instructions on the IHI website and the Funding & Tenders Portal for the Excel annex template and the automated verification checks.

Key Opportunity Details

Call Reference and Timeline

This opportunity is part of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) JU Call 13, specifically topic HORIZON-JU, titled 'Decode the Immunoscience of age-related diseases' [[1]] [[5]]. The call is a two-stage Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with the first stage deadline on 8 October 2026 and the second stage deadline on 21 April 2027 [[1]] [[5]]. The official launch is expected in Summer 2026, with draft texts published to allow early consortium building [[1]] [[5]].

Total Funding per Grant:The expected grant contribution for this specific topic is €9,200,000 (min and max) [[Budget Overview]].

Global Call Budget:The total budget allocated for Call 13 in 2026 is €53,200,000, covering three topics including this one [[Budget Overview]].

Who Should Apply and Eligibility

Target Consortia Composition

Applicants must form cross-sectoral consortia including public research institutions (universities, research centers), healthcare operators (hospitals), and industrial partners (pharmaceutical, biotech, medical technology, digital health) [[1]] [[5]]. Patient associations and healthcare professional organizations are also encouraged to participate [[1]].

Eligible Countries:Legal entities based in EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe are eligible, including Canada, Switzerland, the UK, and South Korea [[1]] [[5]].

Critical Industry Requirement:A mandatory condition for eligibility is that IHI private members and/or contributing partners must collectively provide at least 45% of the action's total eligible costs through in-kind contributions (IKOP, IKAA) and/or financial contributions (FC) [[2]] [[Additional deep scraping context]].

Scientific Scope and Objectives

Focus on Elderly-Onset Immune Diseases

The project must focus on immune-mediated diseases with a peak onset in elderly patients, specifically: gastroenterological diseases (IBD like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease), and rheumatoid diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell arteritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, Sjögren's disease, SLE) [[Opportunity Metadata]].

1. 1Understand molecular and clinical differences between younger adult-onset and elderly-onset diseases
2. 2Identify specific cellular and molecular drivers of elderly-onset immune diseases
3. 3Characterize factors driving disease exacerbations with ageing
4. 4Evaluate biological age as a driver of disease and distinguish it from chronological ageing
5. 5Identify common immunosenescence signatures across elderly-onset immune diseases
6. 6Perform AI/ML-assisted pathway identification and validation of biomarkers

Key Activities and Methodologies

Consortia must leverage existing cohorts and establish a new targeted observational cohort with appropriate age ranges and disease onset groups [[Opportunity Metadata]]. Activities include deep molecular profiling of bio-specimens (blood, stool, saliva, tissue) using RNASeq, scRNASeq, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics [[Opportunity Metadata]].

The project must integrate multi-omics data with electronic health records using AI-driven approaches to identify disease-agnostic senescence pathways [[Opportunity Metadata]]. Digital health technologies (wearables, in-soles, hand grip) must be used to assess physical function and correlate with molecular markers [[Opportunity Metadata]].

Expected Impacts and Outcomes

Strategic Health Impacts

The action aims to accelerate EU access to cost-effective interventions for ageing populations by identifying personalized treatment approaches for elderly-onset immune diseases [[Opportunity Metadata]]. It seeks to decrease disease risk later in life through prevention strategies based on ageing biomarkers and risk factors [[Opportunity Metadata]].

Key outcomes include defining precise risk profiles for age-associated immune disease onset, developing new early detection strategies, and repurposing or developing novel therapies for ageing populations [[Opportunity Metadata]]. The project will also support regulatory pathways for novel intervention strategies and biomarkers, enabling faster clinical development of drugs [[Opportunity Metadata]].

Regulatory Alignment:The action supports EU policy priorities including the European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS) and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act [[Opportunity Metadata]].

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Two-Stage Submission Process

The first stage requires a short proposal (RIA) limited to 20 pages, focusing on the concept and consortium [[Topic Conditions]]. The second stage requires a full proposal (RIA) limited to 50 pages, including detailed methodology, budget, and ethics [[Topic Conditions]].

1. 1First Stage Deadline: 8 October 2026
2. 2Second Stage Deadline: 21 April 2027
3. 3Official Launch: Summer 2026
4. 4National Info Day: 6 July 2026 (Rome and online) [[1]]

Required Annexes:Full proposals must include the 'Annex to the Budget and Type of Participants' (Excel) and the 'Declaration of in-kind contribution commitment' (Word) to prove the 45% industry contribution [[Additional deep scraping context]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official IHI Call 13 draft topics and future opportunities are available at IHI Future Opportunities.
2. 2Detailed budget templates and guidance for IHI contributions can be found at IHI Budget Annex.