Development of novel small molecule antiviral therapeutics for pathogens with epidemic potential

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-05 focuses on developing novel small molecule antiviral therapeutics for pathogens with epidemic potential. This call encourages diverse applicants, particularly start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, research institutes, and legal entities from the United States. It emphasizes participation from third countries where specific viruses are endemic or outbreaks have occurred.

The funding type is a grant under the Horizon Research and Innovation Action (RIA), with a total budget of €44.2 million allocated to support approximately five projects. The funding range for individual grants is between €9 million to €11 million. The projects are expected to cover a range of activities from early-stage discovery through to clinical validation, with a focus on antiviral drug development for multiple identified viral pathogens such as Junin, Lassa, Hantaan, and several others.

The call opens on February 10, 2027, and the submission deadline is April 13, 2027. It follows a single-stage application process. The evaluation criteria emphasize excellence, impact, and implementation, with a cumulative threshold for success. While there is no explicit co-funding requirement, additional contributions from beneficiaries may enhance project competitiveness.

In conclusion, this call represents a significant commitment to pandemic preparedness and the development of antiviral therapeutics, aiming to bolster the EU's research and innovation landscape while fostering international collaboration in addressing viral threats.

This is a summary of several Horizon Europe funding opportunities related to health research, specifically focusing on tackling diseases and reducing disease burden. The opportunities are all single-stage HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) or Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) with a planned opening date of February 10, 2027, and a deadline of April 13, 2027, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The general conditions for all opportunities include:

1. Admissibility Conditions, proposal page limit and layout: Described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

2. Eligible Countries: Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.  The United States of America is specifically mentioned as eligible for Union funding.

3. Other Eligibility Conditions: If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Other eligibility conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: Grants will be awarded to proposals that are the highest ranked within different viruses/groups of viruses targeted, provided that the proposals attain all thresholds. Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes: The thresholds for each criterion will be 4 (Excellence), 4 (Impact) and 4 (Implementation). The cumulative threshold will be 12. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. Legal and financial set-up of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

The application and evaluation forms and additional documents include:

Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreement (MGA)
HE MGA
Call-specific instructions
Information on clinical studies (HE)
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 4. Health
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
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
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Here's a breakdown of the specific funding opportunities listed:

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 38,000,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 8,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-05: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 44,200,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 11,000,000, with an indicative number of 5 grants. This specific topic, "Development of novel small molecule antiviral therapeutics for pathogens with epidemic potential," aims to support activities that contribute to tackling diseases and reducing disease burden. It seeks to improve the understanding of and access to experimental antivirals and to make candidate antiviral therapies available for emerging and re-emerging viral infections. The scope includes the development of antiviral prophylactics and therapeutics, excluding antibodies and antibody-derived proteins. Applicants must specify which virus/group of viruses is targeted from the following list: Junin mammarenavirus and/or Lassa mammarenavirus, Tick-borne encephalitis virus and/or Japanese encephalitis virus, Andes virus and/or Hantaan virus and/or Sin Nombre virus, Hendra virus, Enterovirus D68, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Research areas include discovery and selection of candidate antivirals, optimisation of candidates, in-vitro and in-vivo characterisation, GMP production, and first-in-human clinical safety studies.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-06: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 37,300,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-07: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 37,300,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-08: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 44,200,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 8,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, with an indicative number of 5 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-10: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 11,800,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000, with an indicative number of 3 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-ENVHLTH-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 45,000,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 10,000,000 to EUR 11,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-ENVHLTH-MISSCLIMA-03: HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement with a budget of EUR 20,000,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 5,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-IND-01: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 24,500,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 6,000,000 to EUR 8,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants.

HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-STAYHLTH-01: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 39,300,000. Indicative grants range from EUR 6,000,000 to EUR 8,000,000, with an indicative number of 5 grants.

In summary, these Horizon Europe calls aim to bolster research and innovation in the health sector, with a particular emphasis on developing medical countermeasures against infectious diseases and supporting the European Medical Countermeasures Strategy. The calls encourage participation from various entities, including SMEs and those from third countries affected by the targeted diseases. The funding supports a range of activities, from basic research and drug discovery to clinical studies and pre-commercial procurement, all geared towards improving health security and reducing the burden of disease in the EU and globally.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types for this opportunity include startups, micro enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and any legal entity established in the United States of America. Participation of third countries where viruses addressed in the proposal are endemic or where outbreaks have occurred or are ongoing is encouraged. The general annexes should be consulted for further eligibility conditions.

Funding Type: The funding type for this opportunity is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP) under the Horizon Europe program. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to allow for both single applicants and consortia, although the encouragement of SME participation and the nature of research activities suggest that consortia are more likely.

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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. In recognition of the opening of the US National Institutes of Health’s programmes to European researchers, any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding. Participation of third countries where viruses addressed in the proposal are endemic or where outbreaks have occurred or are ongoing is encouraged.

Target Sector: The target sector for this program is health, specifically focusing on the development of novel small molecule antiviral therapeutics for pathogens with epidemic potential. This includes research and innovation actions related to infectious diseases, medical countermeasures, and pandemic preparedness.

Mentioned Countries: The United States of America is explicitly mentioned as eligible for funding. Third countries where the targeted viruses are endemic or where outbreaks are ongoing are encouraged to participate. The EU is also mentioned as the location of the Research and Innovation ecosystem.

Project Stage: The project stage spans from discovery and selection of candidate antivirals to first-in-human clinical safety studies, covering research, development, and validation stages. This includes in-vitro characterization, in-vivo testing, GMP production, and clinical studies.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €3,000,000 to €11,000,000. For example:
HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02: €8,000,000 to €10,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-05: €9,000,000 to €11,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-10: €3,000,000 to €4,000,000
HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-ENVHLTH-MISSCLIMA-03: €4,000,000 to €5,000,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some context. For example, topics like HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-05 and HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-08 indicate 5 grants, while HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-10 indicates 3 grants.

Co-funding Requirement: The information provided does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. Applicants should refer to the general annexes and specific conditions of the work program for detailed financial and legal setup requirements.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to bolster the EU's preparedness for future viral epidemics and pandemics by supporting the development of novel antiviral therapeutics. The focus is on small molecule antivirals targeting specific viruses or groups of viruses with epidemic potential, excluding antibodies and antibody-derived proteins. The program encourages participation from various entities, including startups, SMEs, and international collaborations, particularly from countries where the targeted viruses are endemic. Projects should cover the full spectrum of antiviral development, from initial discovery and optimization to preclinical and clinical studies, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and leveraging existing research infrastructures. The funding is provided through HORIZON-RIA and HORIZON-PCP grants, with varying budget ranges depending on the specific topic. The application process is a single-stage submission, and successful projects are expected to contribute to a more robust understanding of viral infections and the availability of effective antiviral therapies.