The first period of the EU research programme ends this year. There are new calls for proposals and new opportunities for research funding on the horizon. Work is fully under way within the health cluster to finalise the calls for proposals that will be launched before the end of the year. The first calls for proposals will have an application deadline of April 2023. We also expect that new partnerships will be established within the health field next year.
New calls for proposals within health
The External Funding Office has recently received an updated draft of the calls for proposals expected in 2023 and 2024. The work programme includes calls for proposals relating to personalised health services and the prevention of disease, the health impact of climate and environmental changes, preparedness and response in the event of pandemics, brain research, mental health and several other subjects that should be of interest to researchers at the Faculty. Please contact med-funding@medisin.uio.no to request a copy of the calls for proposals or simply for an enthusiastic chat about EU funding.
In addition to the calls for proposals in the health cluster, there will be additional calls for proposals announced in “Mission cancer”. Subject areas in 2023 include the prevention of cancer, quality of life for paediatric cancer patients and relatives and tumour-host interactions.
Health partnerships
The EU is set to establish at least nine health partnerships. Most of these are still in the making but, over the coming two-year period, these health partnerships will provide even more opportunities for funding applications. Many of the partnerships will be co-funded and the Research Council of Norway will fund participation for Norwegian partners. Stay up-to-date with current calls for proposals in partnerships through the Faculty newsletter “Funding opportunities” and the RCN newsletter relating to Horizon Europe.
The fourth EU Health Programme
EU4Health, the EU’s fourth health programme, will run in parallel with Horizon Europe. The Health Programme also includes calls for proposals that may be of interest to you. “Action grants” are calls for proposals that are similar to the EU projects. There will also be tendering processes that will, among other things, include investigations and compilation of knowledge within the health field. Norwegian participation in EU4Health is managed by The Norwegian Directorate of Health.
Tips for success
A strong EU application takes a lot of work. But if the application is successful, an EU project will undoubtedly open new doors and expand the researchers’ horizons. MED News has asked the research advisers to provide some tips on what they believe is important when it comes to succeeding with EU applications:
- Start early, ideally before the call for proposals is officially published. Establishing a strong consortium can take time, as can application development and agreeing on an appropriate division of labour. Feel free to contact us at the Division for External Research Funding to receive information about future calls for proposals.
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Set aside the time. Thematic EU applications are extensive and project managers need to invest adequate time during the application phase. An early start also ensures that you can fully utilise the support system at the University of Oslo and the support schemes available to EU applicants.
- Remember to be strategic when choosing research partners. It might be OK to base an application around an existing network, but you should be prepared to include partners you have not previously collaborated with.
- Ensure that your research concept is suitable and in line with the underlying funding purpose in the call for proposal.
- Thoroughly analyse the call for proposals. The call for proposals sets out the framework for the content of the research project. Make sure that you include all requested activities/objectives. Be critical when it comes to including research that does not specifically respond to the call for proposals.
- Establish a small but dedicated group of writers.
- Do not wait to get started on the budget. Contact the financial adviser early on to start budgeting and obtain academic approval from your manager as early as possible to ensure that you can apply. Ensure that there is some funding set aside for distribution if it later turns out that there are challenges associated with distributing the budget across all partners.
- Everyone at the Division for External Research Funding is here to help. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you are thinking about applying to a call for proposals. We can help you find relevant information, involve the support schemes at the University of Oslo and provide consultancy services and administrative support during the application process.
- Take advantage of the courses and webinars offered by the RCN or other advisory institutions. These can provide excellent advice about developing consortiums and gaining an overview of what the EU expects from an application.
- Build experiences and adopt a long-term perspective. We recommend that researchers have experience as partners before assuming the coordinator role. Participation in international projects or COST networks can be great starting points for participating in successful EU applications.