Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications

The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02 focuses on "Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications." This initiative falls under Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) with a budget of €38,000,000, aiming to fund approximately four grants, each between €8,000,000 and €10,000,000.

Eligible applicants include universities, research organizations, hospitals, healthcare providers, companies of all sizes, and public-private partnerships across EU Member States, associated countries, and the United States. The call is open for applications from February 10, 2027, with a submission deadline of April 13, 2027.

Projects must address the incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) especially in older patients experiencing polypharmacy. The application process is a single-stage evaluation, which emphasizes the need for consortia to bring together diverse expertise in pharmacogenomics, clinical pharmacology, and technology integration.

The expected outcomes involve improved safety and health outcomes from medication use, cost savings for healthcare systems, revised clinical guidelines, and educational programs for healthcare providers and patients. Projects should explore biomarker identification, leverage electronic health records and artificial intelligence, and address ethical and regulatory challenges in integrating personalized medicine into practice.

Co-funding is not explicitly required, but standard practices typically apply, wherein Horizon Europe generally covers 80% of eligible costs. The success rates for similar funding opportunities typically range from 10% to 39%, influenced by the competitiveness of the proposals and the quality of the consortia.

This call represents a strategic investment into minimizing ADRs through innovative solutions that utilize new technologies and personalized care practices to enhance medication management and improve overall health outcomes across European populations.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call for proposals under Cluster 1 Health (Single stage 2027/1) with topic ID HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02, titled "Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications". It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 10 February 2027, and the deadline date is 13 April 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this topic are:
1.  Patients benefit from decreased incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) caused by the administration of multiple medications (three or more medicinal products) and enhanced health outcomes by ensuring safer and more effective use of medication.
2.  Healthcare professionals can adopt adverse drug reactions prevention and reduction strategies to integrate genetic and other biomarker information into clinical decision-making to optimise the use of medication, especially in situations of comorbidities.
3.  Healthcare systems benefit from cost savings thanks to reduced hospital admissions and other costs associated with ADRs related to the intake of multiple medicines.
4.  Clinical and regulatory guidelines and policies for medication management in case of multiple medications can be revised supported by robust evidence.
5.  Educational programs for healthcare providers and patients benefit from improved awareness and management of polypharmacy and ADRs.

The scope of this topic includes:
* Addressing the high incidence and costs associated with ADRs, especially in older patients taking multiple medications.
* Research to identify and prevent prescription cascades, leveraging technology and data analytics, including Electronic Health Records (EHR) and decision support systems.
* Identifying and validating relevant biomarkers for better patient stratification to decrease the risk of ADRs and enable early countermeasures.
* Using biomedical strategies for patient stratification, including in-vitro or in-silico models, imaging biomarkers, drug-drug/drug-gene/drug-food interactions, therapeutic dose reduction, pharmaco-exposomics, and de-escalation studies.
* Ensuring the robustness of proposals to examine differences across various populations and considering sex differences in drug reactions.
* Data sharing with relevant stakeholders and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the adoption of deprescribing or adjusted-prescribing guidelines.

Applicants are encouraged to follow relevant guidelines in scientific fields, including:
* Joint EMA/Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA)/EC Workshop recommendations on pharmacogenomics in medicines regulation and on implementation into clinical practice.
* Pharmaceutical development of medicines for use in the older population, Scientific guideline from the EMA.
* Guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC guidelines).

Proposals funded under this topic should address all the following aspects:
* Leverage the role of pharmacogenomics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in predicting and preventing adverse drug reactions in situations of multiple medications (three or more drugs administered concomitantly), and propose personalised medicine approaches, such as targeted therapies and biomarker-driven treatment strategies, to reduce the rate of adverse drug reactions and limit multiple medications.
* Maximise the use of technology, such as electronic health records, artificial intelligence and clinical decision support systems, to support safe medication use and prevent adverse drug reactions.
* Address the ethical, regulatory, and implementation challenges associated with integrating personalised medicine into clinical practice to address adverse drug reactions due to the administration of multiple medications.
* Generate evidence on the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of treatment guided by pharmacogenomics and other relevant biomarkers-based approach, for single drugs and for combinations of drugs.
* Develop and implement strategies, including regulatory science approaches, for efficient integration of project results into daily healthcare.
* Align with similar work in other EU-funded projects or partnerships, such as the co-funded European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, the co-funded European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care System etc. while avoiding any potential overlaps.

The participation of start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is encouraged. Applicants should provide details of their clinical studies in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system.

The budget for this topic is EUR 38,000,000, with contributions ranging from EUR 8,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000 per grant. The indicative number of grants is 4.

Admissibility conditions are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Other eligibility conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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 form templates include: Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) and Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance documents include: HE Programme Guide and Model Grant Agreement (MGA). Call-specific instructions include: Information on clinical studies (HE). Additional documents include: 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

This Horizon Europe call aims to fund research and innovation actions that address the critical issue of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) arising from the use of multiple medications, particularly in older adults. The goal is to develop personalized approaches that leverage pharmacogenomics, biomarkers, and advanced technologies like EHR and AI to predict, prevent, and manage ADRs more effectively. The call encourages projects that not only generate robust evidence on the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of personalized medicine strategies but also tackle the ethical, regulatory, and implementation challenges associated with integrating these strategies into routine clinical practice. By fostering collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, SMEs, and regulatory bodies, this initiative seeks to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and inform clinical guidelines and educational programs related to polypharmacy and ADR management. The ultimate aim is to ensure safer, more effective, and sustainable healthcare for all European citizens, especially those most vulnerable to the risks of multiple medication use.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include start-ups, micro enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and any legal entity established in the United States of America. The participation of start-ups and SMEs is particularly encouraged. Other eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, and 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.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) grant, with a budget-based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement. There is also a HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP) funding type mentioned.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to allow for both single applicants and consortia, as it refers to "applicants" in the plural and encourages alignment with other EU-funded projects or partnerships.

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 focusing on personalized medicine, pharmacogenomics, health technologies, data analytics, electronic health records (EHR), clinical decision support systems, and the prevention and reduction of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to multiple medications.

Mentioned Countries: United States of America, EU, non-EU countries, non-Associated Countries, third countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity includes research, development, and clinical studies. The call aims to generate evidence on the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of treatment approaches, suggesting a focus on validation and implementation stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €3,000,000 to €11,000,000. For the specific topic "Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications" (HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02), the contributions range from €8,000,000 to €10,000,000.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their research and innovation actions.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the "Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications" topic is 4.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, specifically topic HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-CARE-02, focuses on "Personalised approaches to reduce risks from Adverse Drug Reactions due to administration of multiple medications." It aims to fund research and innovation actions that will decrease the incidence of adverse drug reactions in patients taking multiple medications, enhance health outcomes through safer medication use, enable healthcare professionals to integrate genetic and biomarker information into clinical decision-making, and generate cost savings for healthcare systems. The call encourages the use of pharmacogenomics, advanced technologies like EHR and AI, and the development of personalized medicine approaches. The geographic scope includes EU member states, associated countries, and the United States. The funding range for this specific topic is €8,000,000 to €10,000,000, with an indicative number of 4 grants to be awarded. The call is a single-stage open call, and the application deadline is April 13, 2027. The overall goal is to improve the safety and effectiveness of medication use, particularly in elderly patients and those with comorbidities, and to provide robust evidence for revising clinical and regulatory guidelines. The participation of SMEs and start-ups is highly encouraged.