Virtual Human Twin (VHT) Models for Cancer Research

The Horizon Europe call identified as HORIZON-MISS focuses on developing Virtual Human Twin (VHT) Models for Cancer Research, as part of the EU's Cancer Mission. It aims to improve cancer treatment by leveraging technology and collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The application is open to eligible entities within EU Member States, EEA countries, and associated nations, involving a mix of medical professionals, researchers, AI experts, and SMEs. The funding mechanism is a grant under the HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), with a budget of €35 million for the year 2026. Each project can receive between €8 million and €9 million, with approximately four grants anticipated. The call operates as a single-stage open call, meaning applicants can submit complete proposals directly within a defined timeline, which opens on February 10, 2026, and closes on September 15, 2026. Successful projects should expect to make innovative contributions in cancer onset understanding, individualized treatment models, and validation through real-world patient data. The call specifically encourages addressing cancers with unmet medical needs and the integration of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. Consortiums are a requirement, consisting of legally distinct organizations across various sectors. Applicants must demonstrate operational capabilities, and they may need to provide a co-funding contribution of 30% of eligible costs, as the EU typically covers 70% of project expenses. The initiative aims at enhancing the capability of VHTs to model cancer dynamics, potentially through advanced AI and machine learning, enabling clinical applicability and accessibility for healthcare providers. It promotes open access to data and models via established platforms, encouraging collaboration among research teams for knowledge sharing and innovative research development. Overall, this opportunity represents a significant commitment to advancing cancer research in Europe, inviting collaborative proposals that can usher in innovations in personalized medicine and cancer treatment.

This is a Horizon Europe call supporting the implementation of the Cancer Mission, specifically focusing on Virtual Human Twin (VHT) Models for Cancer Research. The call, identified as HORIZON-MISS, is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 10 February 2026, and the deadline for submission is 15 September 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The overall budget allocated to this topic is €35,000,000 for the year 2026. The expected contribution per project is between 8,000,000 to €9,000,000, and it is anticipated that approximately 4 grants will be awarded.

The expected outcomes of successful projects should include:

Researchers of different disciplines use advanced multiscale Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) to expand the knowledge and understanding of cancer onset and progression.

Healthcare professionals and researchers have access to advanced VHT-based solutions that model cancer onset and progression over time, contributing to improve personalised treatments.

Researchers, healthcare professionals, innovators and citizens have access to cancer VHTs through the UNCAN.eu and the advanced Virtual Human Twin platforms.

The scope of the call is centered around the development and application of Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) in cancer research. VHTs are defined as digital representations and in-silico models of an individual’s health and disease at different levels of the human anatomy (e.g., cells, tissues, organs, or organ systems) for the prevention, prediction, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of a disease, as well as the selection and personalisation of intervention options. The call aims to improve the accuracy of dynamic and multiscale VHTs to better understand cancer onset, predict progression, and develop personalized treatments, contributing to the EU Cancer Mission objectives.

Particular interest is given to cancers with limited treatment options or unclear biological mechanisms, refractory cancers, rare cancers, early-onset cancers, cancer types with low five-year survival rates, or paediatric and adolescent cancers.

Applicants are encouraged to leverage technological advances in AI tools to collect, combine, and analyse large datasets of diverse types, including multi-omics patient data, tumour molecular profiles, immune profiles, medical images, and real-world data. Age, sex, and gender differences should be duly considered. Proposals should build on current approaches, standards, and data repositories, utilizing modelling assets provided by the future Advanced VHT Platform, the European Open Science Cloud, the European €1M+ Genomes initiative, and the European Cancer Imaging initiatives.

Applicants should address the following activities:

Develop innovative, dynamic multiscale VHTs for advancing the mechanistic knowledge and understanding of cancer onset and progression and develop or improve innovative personalised treatments. VHTs should integrate AI tools for the analysis of large volumes of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) multimodal data, increasing their predictive capability and, when appropriate, utilise IT solutions for model visualisation via Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality.

Update and validate VHTs with longitudinal newly collected or existing FAIR patient data and generate evidence that VHT models can deliver clinically meaningful observations to improve treatment of the studied cancer type, demonstrating VHT accessibility and usability for clinical uptake. The use of data and services provided by ESFRI research infrastructures in the life science domain should be considered when appropriate.

Enrich and make available data and model assets in the UNCAN.eu research platform and in the Advanced VHT Platform following the principles of open science. Newly collected patient datasets must be described with metadata records in the EU dataset catalogue of the European Health Data Space.

Collaboration among different scientific disciplines, including healthcare professionals and patients throughout all stages of VHTs development is envisaged. Successful proposals will be asked to join the 'Understanding' project cluster of the EU Cancer Mission and should include a budget for networking, attendance at meetings, and joint activities. The Commission will facilitate coordination of this activity. Collaboration is encouraged also with Horizon Europe projects supporting the VHT initiative.

Applicants envisaging to include clinical studies should provide details in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system.

The general conditions for this call include:

Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Eligible Countries:Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions:Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. The thresholds for each criterion (Excellence, Impact, and Implementation) will be 4, with a cumulative threshold of 12. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms and the model grant agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 12. Missions

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

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

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the Portal. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ provides answers to frequently asked questions on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management.

For further support, applicants can contact the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, the IT Helpdesk, the European IPR Helpdesk, and the CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment provide general principles and requirements for researchers. Partner Search tools are available to help find partner organizations for proposals.

This funding opportunity aims to advance cancer research by utilizing virtual human twins, integrating AI, and promoting collaboration to improve personalized treatments and understanding of cancer. It seeks to bring together diverse stakeholders to contribute to the EU Cancer Mission and make data and models accessible through open science principles.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types for this opportunity include a mix of stakeholders from various disciplines and sectors, including but not limited to medical doctors, patient representatives, health-IT experts, researchers, AI-experts, solution providers, academia and research institutes, EU research infrastructures, and SMEs.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism used in this program is a grant, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe program.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Proposals should include an appropriate mix of stakeholders from various disciplines and sectors.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU and non-EU/non-Associated Countries. 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.

Target Sector:The program targets the health sector, specifically cancer research, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, and related technologies.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity is open to EU member states and associated countries, as well as non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity includes research, development, validation, and demonstration. The call aims to develop innovative VHTs, validate them with patient data, and demonstrate their accessibility and usability for clinical uptake.

Funding Amount:The funding range varies depending on the specific topic within the call:

HORIZON-MISS:€8,000,000 to €9,000,000 (4 grants)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-02:around €15,000,000 (1 grant)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-03:€7,000,000 to €8,000,000 (3 grants)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-04:around €5,000,000 (3 grants)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-05:around €7,000,000 (1 grant)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-06:around €5,000,000 (1 grant)

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-07:€5,000,000 to €6,000,000 (5 grants)

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 activities.

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 each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.

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

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, "Virtual Human Twin (VHT) Models for Cancer Research," aims to improve the accuracy of dynamic and multiscale VHTs to better understand cancer onset, predict progression, and develop personalized cancer treatments. The call is part of the EU Cancer Mission and seeks to leverage technological advances in AI and data analysis to create digital representations of an individual’s health and disease. Eligible applicants include a diverse range of stakeholders such as medical doctors, researchers, AI experts, and SMEs. The funding is provided through Horizon Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with varying budgets and a single-stage application process. Successful projects will be asked to join the 'Understanding' project cluster of the EU Cancer Mission and are expected to collaborate and share data through platforms like UNCAN.eu and the Advanced VHT Platform. The call encourages the integration of FAIR data principles, the use of AI tools, and collaboration across scientific disciplines to advance cancer research and personalized treatments.