EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) Joint Transnational Call (2023) “Large scale analysis of OMICS data for drug-target finding in neurodegenerative diseases”

TheEU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) has been established to better coordinate research efforts across countries and disciplines to more rapidly find causes, develop cures and identify better ways to care for people with neurodegenerative diseases.

The pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases remains elusive and not fully understood. It is becoming more evident from recent studies that diseases are complex and multifactorial which is a hurdle to discover novel therapies. Access to current data and biomaterials from animals and cellular models and patients and targeted acquisition of new data opens the opportunity to explore changes at epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic levels in a more comprehensive way. This can further elucidate the connection between the contributing factors and disease pathophysiology, ultimately enabling novel strategies for the validation of clinical therapeutic approaches.

Nineteen funding organisations from 18 countries have agreed to launch a Joint Transnational Call (JTC2023) for collaborative research projects on “Large scale analysis of omics data for drug-target finding in neurodegenerative diseases”.

Details of this scheme

Proposals must focus on one or several of the following neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease and PD‐related disorders, Prion diseases, Motor neuron diseases, Huntington’s disease, Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Proposals submitted under this call may include, but are not limited to, the following types of research:

Using the potential from existing animal and cellular models and cohorts, including available data and biomaterial, for conducting large-scale OMICS approaches to unravel the interplay and interactions of molecules from multiple molecular levels driving disease pathogenesis.
Better understanding the complex and multi-factorial mechanisms of disease onset and progression as well as the corresponding influencing factors.
Translating the findings from Big Data analysis and multi-OMICS approaches to existing animal and cellular models, thereby enhancing the potential of these models.
Identification of new drug targets or novel starting points for pharmacological interventions and prevention.
Sharpening the current understanding of disease definition, thus leading to enhanced sub-classification and better patient stratification.
Identification of novel and validation of already established biomarkers.

The following types of research projects are excluded for partners funded by the Health Research Board:

Proposals seeking to evaluate a pilot or feasibility study.
Proposals seeking to evaluate a definitive intervention.
Proposals involving basic biomedical research.
Research intended to create human embryos solely for the purposes of research or for the purposes of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Who can apply?

This is a joint transnational call: applicants must apply as part of a transnational consortium.

Researchers from Ireland can apply as coordinators or partners. If successful, researchers from Ireland will be funded by the Health Research Board up to the maximum amount for the call. Applicants applying for funding from Ireland must be based at an eligible HRB Host Institution.

Individual country partners/coordinators should confirm eligibility with their national funding organisation contact point.

Main Eligibility Criteria

Each proposal must involve a minimum of three and a maximum of six funded partners, including the coordinator, from at least three different countries participating in this call (see guidance). If the proposal involves at least one partner from an EU-13 country (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) or Turkey, the maximum number of partners is extended to seven.
For reasons of transnational balance, no more than two partners from the same country are allowed to join a proposal.
Collaborators bringing their own funding can be included and do not count towards the partner limit.

How to apply

Please review HRB’s guidance and FAQs on this page alongside the published text for full details of the aim, objectives and scope of the call: https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/initiatives/annual-calls-for-proposals/2023-research-call-on-large-scale-analysis-of-omics-data-for-drug-target-finding-in-neurodegenerative-diseases/

Apply for this award

There will be a two-stage application procedure for joined applications. One joint proposal document (in English) shall be prepared by the partners and must be submitted by the Coordinator via the electronic proposal system, https://ptoutline.eu/app/jpnd2022 .

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