Understanding and Preventing Overweight and Obesity: Mechanisms of their onset and progression, neglected determinants and novel strategies for critical transitional periods in life - PREVENT-OO

The PREVENT-OO call, part of the ERA4Health initiative under Horizon Europe, offers funding for projects focused on understanding and preventing overweight and obesity. The total budget available is €18,940,000, with funding allocated through national or regional organizations rather than directly from the European Commission. Eligible applicants include academia, clinical/public health sectors, enterprises, and operational stakeholders, but eligibility criteria may vary by country.

A consortium is required, comprising 3 to 5 partners from at least three different countries participating in the call, with at least two partners from different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The project stages encompass both research and public health implementation activities, aiming to develop prevention strategies and tools based on mechanistic research and the evaluation of biological factors contributing to obesity.

Applications are managed through a two-stage submission process. The first stage involves submitting pre-proposals electronically, with selected applications advancing to the second stage for full proposal submission. Project proposals must address specified topics: understanding the biological mechanisms behind obesity and developing public health strategies for critical life transitions. The call emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, encouraging collaboration across diverse research environments and healthcare systems.

Eligible countries include Belgium, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Each partner must follow specific budget-setting procedures based on their national regulations. The selection process involves both scientific evaluations and ethical assessments to align projects with EU ethical standards.

This funding opportunity aims to tackle the pressing public health issue of obesity through collaborative research, emphasizing the importance of transnational cooperation. The deadlines for submissions are set for January 21, 2026, for pre-proposals and June 11, 2026, for full proposals. This initiative signifies a strategic investment in health research aimed at addressing obesity comprehensively and collaboratively across Europe and its partner regions.

The ERA4Health project, officially named "Fostering a European Research Area for Health Research," is offering funding to projects that address multidisciplinary research related to understanding and preventing overweight and obesity. The call, titled "Understanding and Preventing Overweight and Obesity: Mechanisms of their onset and progression, neglected determinants and novel strategies for critical transitional periods in life - PREVENT-OO," falls under the topic HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-03-01 - European partnership fostering a European Research Area (ERA) for health research. The grant agreement number is 101095426.

The total funding available is 18,940,000.00 EUR. The opening date for submissions was November 13, 2025. There are multiple cut-off deadlines: January 21, 2026, and June 11, 2026, both at 12:00 Brussels time.

Project proposals must address one of the following two main topics, and at least one of the specified subtopics within the chosen topic:

Topic 1: Understanding causes of obesity and overweight and its complications with mechanistic research.
Subtopic 1a: Investigate biological mechanisms, including chronobiological, genetic, and/or epigenetic mechanisms, underlying the onset and progression of overweight and obesity, and related diseases. Secondary factors with potential influence on the biological mechanisms such as the living environment, lifestyle, or psychological status should also be considered where relevant.
Subtopic 1b: Investigate how overweight and obesity contribute to the development of related clinical complications and/or affect the mechanism of action of therapeutics against other diseases/disorders.

Topic 2: Prevention and public health strategies for critical transitional periods of life.
Both subtopics 2a and 2b should be addressed for critical transitional periods of life only. The choice of the critical transitional periods of life to be studied must be clearly justified in the proposal. These periods should be due to biological changes (e.g., postpartum, menopause, andropause) or socio-environmental changes (e.g., period in between pregnancies, diagnosis of a chronic disease, recovering from disease, retirement, etc.).
Subtopic 2a: Understand and address neglected determinants, including their interdependency, in the onset and the progression of overweight and obesity in transitional periods of life.
Subtopic 2b: Develop novel tools or preventive strategies that can be implemented against the onset and the progression of overweight and obesity in transitional periods of life, taking into consideration physiological, pathophysiological, psychological, behavioral influences, and/or socioeconomic status of the citizens/patients. The proposal should present an assessment of the economic impact of the proposed tools or strategies on the healthcare system and issue orientations that will help policymakers define new regulations and guidelines to prevent overweight and obesity.

A two-stage submission procedure is in place. Pre-proposals and full proposals must be submitted electronically via the PT-outline online submission system (https://ptoutline.eu/app/ERA4HEALTHPREVENT-OO) using the ERA4Health templates. Proposals must be written in English. Applicants invited to stage 2 must submit a full proposal.

Participating countries include Belgium, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and Türkiye. Applications/documents may also need to be submitted on a national level, as detailed in Annex I of the call text on the ERA4Health website.

Eligible applicants fall into one of the following categories: Academia, Clinical/Public health sector, Enterprises, and Operational stakeholders. However, eligibility may vary by national/regional regulations, as specified in Annex I of the call text.

Consortium composition requirements:
The consortium must include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 eligible partners from at least 3 different countries participating in the call. At least 2 eligible partners must be from different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries participating in the call. No more than 2 eligible partners from the same country participating in the call will be accepted within one consortium. A maximum of 2 collaborators/associated partners per consortium is allowed. The maximum number of eligible partners can be increased to 6 or 7 if the consortium includes 1 or 2 eligible partners, respectively, from Estonia, Slovakia, and Taiwan.

Each principal investigator can submit one proposal as a project coordinator or up to two proposals as a simple partner. Additional national/regional rules may apply.

Applicants will be funded by their relevant national/regional funding organization. Eligible costs, funding rules, and allowed study types vary between funding organizations, as described in Annex I of the call text. Each project partner should define its budget according to the funding rules of their country/region. Applicants are strongly advised to contact their relevant funding organization contact person before applying; this may be mandatory for some countries/regions.

The evaluation process is in two stages. The Joint Call Secretariat (JCS) checks pre-proposals and full proposals for formal eligibility criteria (submission date, number/category of participating countries, inclusion of necessary information in English, length limits). National/regional funding organizations also check for compliance with national/regional regulations.

In stage 1, each eligible application is evaluated by three evaluators. Conflicts of interest are considered during evaluator allocation. Evaluators complete a written evaluation form with scores and comments for each criterion. A ranking list is established based on the scores. The Call Steering Committee (CSC) decides which pre-proposals to invite for full proposal submission, aiming for a balance across topics and national/regional budgets.

In stage 2, each application is assessed by three reviewers based on evaluation criteria in the call text. Coordinators have the opportunity to comment on reviewer assessments (Rebuttal). Evaluators discuss proposals and produce two ranking lists, one for each topic, recommending projects for funding. Selected projects undergo ethics screening and assessment by ethics experts for alignment with EU ethical norms and regulations (EU Regulation 2021/695). Only proposals approved by both scientific evaluation and ethical assessment, complying with Horizon Europe and regional/national ethical requirements, will be funded.

A redress procedure is available for appeals demonstrating a procedural irregularity, factual error, manifest error of assessment, misuse of powers, or a conflict of interests. The appeal must be submitted by the coordinator via email within 7 calendar days, including the call name, proposal acronym, title, and a description of the alleged shortcomings of the evaluation procedure.

In summary, this call for proposals under the ERA4Health project seeks to fund multidisciplinary research projects focused on understanding and preventing overweight and obesity. The call is structured around two main topics: mechanistic research into the causes and complications of obesity, and the development of public health strategies for prevention during critical transitional periods of life. The application process involves a two-stage submission and evaluation, with consortia required to meet specific criteria regarding the number and origin of partners. Funding is provided by national/regional organizations, and projects must undergo both scientific and ethical evaluation to be approved. The call aims to foster collaboration across Europe and associated countries to address the growing challenge of overweight and obesity.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are Academia, Clinical/Public health sector, Enterprises, and Operational stakeholders. Eligibility may vary based on national/regional regulations, so applicants should consult Annex I of the call text for specific funding organization requirements.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant. Applicants will be funded by their relevant national/regional funding organization.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The consortium must include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 eligible partners from at least 3 different countries participating in the call. At least 2 eligible partners must be from different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries participating in the call. No more than 2 eligible partners from the same country participating in the call will be accepted within one consortium. The maximum number of eligible partners can be increased up to 6 or 7 if they include 1 or 2 eligible partners, respectively, from Estonia, Slovakia, and Taiwan. A maximum of 2 collaborators/associated partners per consortium is allowed.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes the following participating countries: Belgium, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and Türkiye. In addition, at least 2 eligible partners must be from different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries participating in the call.

Target Sector: The target sector is health, specifically focusing on understanding and preventing overweight and obesity. This includes mechanistic research, biological mechanisms, public health strategies, and the development of novel tools and preventive strategies.

Mentioned Countries: Belgium, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Türkiye, EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage encompasses research, development, and potentially validation, as the call aims to understand causes, develop tools, and implement preventive strategies.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €18,940,000.00. The funding amount for individual projects will vary depending on the national/regional funding organization.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a two-stage submission procedure. Pre-proposals and full proposals must be submitted electronically via the PT-outline system. There are multiple cut-off deadline dates.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money through grants, funded by their relevant national/regional funding organization.

Application Stages: There are two application stages: pre-proposal and full proposal.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned, but applicants will be funded by their relevant national/regional funding organization, and eligible costs, funding rules, and the type of studies allowed will vary between the different funding organizations. Applicants should consult Annex I of the call text and contact their relevant funding organization for specific requirements.

This opportunity is a Joint Transnational Call under the ERA4Health project, aimed at fostering European research in health, specifically addressing the understanding and prevention of overweight and obesity. The call invites multidisciplinary research proposals focusing on two main topics: (1) Understanding causes of obesity and overweight and its complications with mechanistic research, including investigations into biological mechanisms and the contribution of overweight and obesity to related clinical complications; and (2) Prevention and public health strategies for critical transitional periods of life, focusing on neglected determinants and the development of novel tools and preventive strategies.

The call employs a two-stage application process, requiring electronic submission of pre-proposals and, upon invitation, full proposals through the PT-outline system. Consortia must be formed by eligible entities from at least three different participating countries, with specific rules regarding the number of partners from EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and specific countries like Estonia, Slovakia, and Taiwan.

Funding will be provided by the national/regional funding organizations of the participating countries, and applicants are advised to consult the specific rules and regulations of their respective funding organizations. The evaluation process involves eligibility checks by the Joint Call Secretariat and national/regional funding organizations, followed by evaluation by external reviewers. Ethical considerations are also a key part of the evaluation, with selected projects undergoing ethics screening and assessment.

The call provides a significant opportunity for researchers and stakeholders in the health sector to contribute to the understanding and prevention of overweight and obesity through collaborative, transnational research projects. The focus on mechanistic research, neglected determinants, and the development of practical tools and strategies highlights the call's potential to impact public health policies and guidelines.