All information and documents concerning the Networking Support Call (NSC) 2025, including the call text outlining the aims and scope of the call and the application template, can be found here: https://www.eppermed.eu/funding-projects/calls/networking-support-call-nsc-2025/.

Aims:

The aims of the Networking Support Call 2025 (NSC2025) are:

1. To bring together diverse stakeholders to tackle translational challenges in personalised medicine (PM), thereby facilitating the acceleration of integration of research findings into everyday clinical practice.
2. To maximise the impact of prior investments in the framework of ERA/EP PerMed by building on the results of previously funded consortia, fostering deeper collaboration and inter-consortium synergy.

These aims must be met by organising a networking event (a workshop or conference), and thereby:

1. Connecting researchers who represent a previously funded ERA and/or EP PerMed project

and

1. Engaging with key translational stakeholders who bring expertise on advancing personalised medicine (PM) towards clinical implementation.

Practical information:

In NSC2025, applicants from previously funded ERA PerMed and/or EP PerMed projects, researchers from (inter) national projects related to health research towards PM approaches and translational stakeholders from countries participating in EP PerMed (see Annex 1 of the call text for eligible countries) are invited to apply for funding for a networking event. Applicants can apply for funding of up to €30,000 per networking event to organise a single transnational European/international event focused on translational aspects of personalised medicine.

Applicants can choose between a face-to-face meeting or a hybrid format. An application template must be completed in an electronic submission system in order to participate in this competitive call. The call is open from 15 May 2025 till 29 September 2025. Eligible applications are competitively evaluated by an independent Networking Evaluation Committee (NEC) based on predefined criteria, in accordance with the rules of the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

To connect to researchers from previously funded ERA PerMed and/or EP PerMed projects, these projects are presented in the EP PerMed project database: https://www.eppermed.eu/funding-projects/projects-results/project-database/.

The administrative management of the Networking Support Call 2025 is handled by The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), The Netherlands, NSCEPPERMED@zonmw.nl

Please note that the principal applicant will have to use different electronic systems during the funding process. One system for submitting the application (PT-Outline) as well as a system for granting and financial reporting (provided by ZonMw).

Submission:

A consortium that intends to submit an application for a networking event should first register at https://ptoutline.eu/app/EPPERMED_NSC2025 by clicking on “sign up” and following the provided instructions. The registration system will open mid May 2025.

The NSC uses a one-step submission and evaluation procedure. Each application must include two parts:

1. Application template: A Word document template where applicants describe the networking event (to be uploaded as PDF).
2. Electronic submission system: An online platform for entering individual partner information and financial plans. The application must be written in English and must adhere to the template's guideline, including the specified page and character limits for each section.

The application template can be downloaded from the EP PerMed website (https://www.eppermed.eu/funding-projects/calls/networking-support-call-nsc-2025/)

Applications that do not use this template will be deemed ineligible.

The application must be submitted as a digitally signed PDF or include a scanned version of the original signature page and must not exceed 8 Megabytes. Applications exceeding this limit will be automatically rejected by the online system. The application must be submitted by the principal applicant by uploading it into the electronic submission system (https://ptoutline.eu/app/EPPERMED_NSC2025).

Deadline: All NSC applications must be submitted electronically by September 29^th, 2025 at 14:00 CEST. After this deadline, it will no longer be possible to submit or amend the application or to add further documents.

Required Annex: The ethical self-assessment (mandatory) is included as annex in the application template and must be uploaded in one file with the application template via the electronic submission system.

Eligibility criteria:

The criteria for eligibility are:

1. A consortium submitting an application must be transnational, involving a minimum of three applicants employed at different organisations from at least three different countries participating in EP PerMed (see Annex 1 of the call text) at the time of the application.
2. One of the minimum three applicants must act as principal applicant and the other as co-applicants.
3. The networking event must take place in one of the countries that are listed in Annex 1 of the call text.
4. The maximum budget that can be requested per NSC application is €30,000.
5. Requirements for the principal applicant (1 person):
6. The organisation of the principal applicant has to be a legal entity and established in a country listed in Annex 1 of the call text.
7. The principal applicant must be a researcher that is or was acting as a coordinator or partner in a project funded by ERA PerMed or EP PerMed.
8. The principal applicant must have an employment relationship with an organisation that meets the definition of a research organisation as referred to in EU state aid legislation (Framework for state aid for research and development and innovation (2014/C 198/01). Usually, this means that the principal applicant is employed at a university.
9. The principal applicant cannot participate in more than one application as principal applicant in the NSC2025 call.
10. Requirements for the co-applicants (2 – 7 persons):
11. At least one of the co-applicants (1 person) must be a researcher who is either a coordinator or a partner in a project previously funded by ERA PerMed or EP PerMed. This project must be different from the project of the principal applicant.
12. A maximum of 2 co-applicants can represent the same previously funded project.
13. The other co-applicant(s) can be:
14. A researcher from a country listed in Annex 1 of the call text who is involved in a (inter)national project related to health research towards PM approaches.
15. A translational stakeholder. The expertise of the translational stakeholder should facilitate the transition from research results into implementation in daily clinical practice. In this call, the translational expert can be a clinician or research nurse, healthcare provider, implementation specialist, Health Technology Assessment expert, citizen/patient advocacy organisation (PAO), regulator or policy maker. The role and added value of the translational stakeholder in the networking event must be described in the stakeholder analysis in the application form.

In the application form, a stakeholder analysis must be described. The goal of this stakeholder analysis is to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the organisation of the event or participate in the event. The stakeholders may be involved in the network as co-applicants but may also provide input as speaker or participant.

The number and type of stakeholders may be expanded in the course of organising the event, when additional input is necessary. However, the first version of the stakeholder analysis added to the application should identify the most important stakeholders related to the objectives of the networking event. The stakeholder analysis will be part of the evaluation process.

Role of (co)-applicants in the consortium

Principal applicant: The principal applicant will serve as the representative of the network, both externally and to the NSC Secretariat at ZonMw, The Netherlands. He/she will be the sole contact person on behalf of the network for communication with EP PerMed. The organisation of the principal applicant will receive the funding on behalf of the network and will be held accountable for the management of the expenses of the networking event.

The principal applicant has to communicate all relevant information from the NSC Secretariat to the co-applicants. The principal applicant is also responsible for submitting both the financial report and the scientific report of the networking event.

Please note: the principal applicant may only apply as principal applicant in one networking event in NSC2025.

Co-applicants: The co-applicants will organise the networking event together with the principal applicant. A maximum of 7 co-applicants are allowed.

The applying network should consist of partners who will develop the scientific programme of the networking event, the logistic organiser(s)/local organiser(s) of the networking event and/or partners involved in communication and/or finances. The division of this work for organising the networking event is the responsibility of the co-applicants together with the principal applicant. 

Time period for organisation of the networking event

The networking event should be organised within 12 months of the date the application is awarded. If the event is held more than 12 months after this date without justification, the NSC networking budget will be revoked.

Budget per networking event

The maximum budget is €30,000 for a single networking event, inclusive of any applicable VAT and regardless of the chosen format. Funding can be used to cover activities such as the organisation of a face-to-face and/or hybrid meeting or workshop/conference, as well as covering travel and accommodation costs for participants.

Please note that experimental research activities (e.g. costs for research equipment or consumables), salaries for scientific or other staff or student stipends are not eligible for funding.

Applicants must provide a detailed budget plan in the application template, specifying and justifying all expected costs. After the event all expenses documentation (including electronic invoices, tickets, etc.) must be compiled into a single electronic document and submitted to the NSC Secretariat for review. Expenses that cannot be justified will not be reimbursed.

Co-funding (e.g. through registration fees or financial contributions from industry partners) is permitted. However, making a profit out of the event is not allowed. In the case of co-funding by a private-for-profit organisation, the applicants of the Networking Support Call must ensure that the content of the event remains unaffected. 

Eligibility check and evaluation of applications

The Networking Evaluation Committee (NEC) is a panel of independent experts installed by EP PerMed. The NEC is responsible for the evaluation of the submitted applications. NEC members sign a confidentiality agreement and agree to the EP PerMed declaration of conflicts of interest.

Eligibility check: The NSC Secretariat will check the applications to ensure that they meet the call’s eligibility criteria. Applications that do not meet these criteria will be rejected without further review.

Evaluation of applications: After passing the eligibility check, each eligible application will be sent to at least three independent members of the Networking Evaluation Committee, considering their expertise on the topic. These members of the NEC will assess if the application fits the aim and the scope of the call and will make an evaluation based on the criteria described below. The NEC will meet in an evaluation meeting to discuss all applications, to produce a joint assessment report for each application and a ranking list of applications recommended for funding.

Applications will be assessed by the NEC according to specific evaluation criteria using an NSC specific evaluation form. A scoring system from 0 to 5 will be used to evaluate the applications performance with respect to the main evaluation criteria.

Scoring system:

0: Failure. The application fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed due to missing or incomplete information.

1: Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, or there are serious inherent weaknesses.

2: Fair. The application broadly addresses the criterion, but there are significant weaknesses.

3: Good. The application addresses the criterion well, but a number of shortcomings are present.

4: Very Good. The application addresses the criterion very well, but a small number of shortcomings are present.

5: Excellent. The application successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor.

Evaluation scores will be awarded for the three main evaluation criteria (Excellence, Impact, Quality and efficiency of the implementation) as described below. The three main evaluation criteria are weighted equally. The maximum total score that can be achieved for the main evaluation criteria is 15 points. Each application must at least have a score of 3 for each individual main evaluation criterion and a total score for all main evaluation criteria of at least 10 to be eligible for funding. All applications will be ranked according to the overall score in a ranking list.

Evaluation criteria:

1.    Excellence:

a. Clarity and relevance (in relation to the aims of the call) of the objectives of the networking event;

b. Clear definition of the aim and expected outcome of the networking event;

c. Feasibility of the networking event (adequacy of time schedule and planning, location and requested resources).

2.    Impact:

a. Potential of the expected outcome to improve the translation of PM research into healthcare, clinical applications and prevention;

b. Added value of the multidisciplinary and transnational aspects of the collaboration, including appropriate consideration of inclusivity and equity (e.g. gender balance, involvement of early career researchers and patient advocacy organisations); 

c. Meaningful participation/engagement of stakeholders and end-users as shown in a stakeholder analysis.

3.    Quality and efficiency of the implementation:

a. Appropriateness of the proposed network meeting draft agenda, procedures and management of the event in relation to the planned objectives and risks;

b. Justification and adequacy of the requested budget;

c. Appropriate plans for dissemination of outcome and results.

Ethical clearance – Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) evaluation

It is mandatory for applicants to complete an “Ethical self-assessment” (attached to the application form). According to Horizon Europe rules, an ethical assessment is required for ensuring that European projects are ethics-compliant, also when personal data are processed. Therefore, the applicants are responsible for following these rules. Personal data should be processed properly (including contact details of participants of the networking event in registration forms). No personal data should be disseminated in the presentations shown in the networking event. Participants of the networking event have to be aware for which purpose their contact details are used and have to be informed upfront (e.g. by the text “Your contact details are solely processed for the purpose of this workshop and its proceedings”). If the contact details will be used for other purposes (e.g. sending newsletters, or sharing with others), the principal applicant needs the consent of the participants. In addition, it is relevant for the ethics assessment whether patients are invited to join the network meeting and if the meeting is held partially online.

Ethics experts will be part of the NEC. During the NEC meeting the ethics experts will verify alignment of the applications with ethical norms and regulations. The ethics experts may put forward additional conditions that need to be fulfilled by the applicants. Only those applications approved by both the scientific evaluation and ethical assessment and complying with the central Horizon Europe and regional/national ethical requirements will be funded.

Final decision on funding

Selected applications will be funded based on the ranking list established by the NEC and based on available funding. The budget per NSC round is €500,000.

The final decision of the evaluation will be communicated by the NSC secretariat by e-mail solely to the principal applicant. The co-applicants should be informed by the principal applicant. The funding decision is expected around January 2026.

Redress procedure

The principal applicant may submit a request for redress within 7 calendar days of receiving the notification of the final evaluation decision. A request for redress can be made if the principal applicant/applying network believes there has been a procedural shortcoming in the way their application was evaluated that may have affected the funding decision.

The redress procedure only addresses the procedural aspects of the call and does not call into question the scientific or technical judgement of the experts / evaluators.

Admissibility of appeals: For an appeal to be admissible the following conditions must be met:

1. The appeal must be submitted by the principal applicant of the application to which the appeal relates;
2. Only one appeal per application will be considered;
3. The appeal must be submitted via email within a seven (7) calendar days deadline. The appeal must contain the following minimum information:
4. The name of the call for applications;
5. The title of the application;
6. A description of the alleged shortcomings of the evaluation procedure.

The appeal must demonstrate a procedural irregularity, factual error, manifest error of assessment, misuse of powers, or a conflict of interests. Appeals that do not meet the above conditions, or do not deal with the evaluation of a specific application or express mere disagreement with the result or the reasoning of the evaluation will be judged as not suitable for redress.

Procedure: Upon receipt of an appeal, an acknowledgement of receipt will be sent by the NSC secretariat within seven (7) calendar days. The acknowledgement shall report the redress process and the anticipated date by which a decision on the appeal will be communicated to the appellant.

The decision will be communicated to the appellant by the NSC secretariat within fourteen (14) calendar days from the deadline for submitting the appeals.

Financial and legal issues

Submission of the selected application to ZonMw system: The principal applicants of selected applications have to download their application as a PDF from the PT Outline online submission system and upload it to electronic submission system of ZonMw. In addition, several questions need to be answered in the ZonMw submission system. Failure to complete this step will result in the application not being funded.

Funding: For this Networking Support Call, ZonMw will send a letter containing the grant decision, obligations and applicable terms and conditions in relation to the performance of the proposed activities. This letter will be sent as an email to the principal applicant. The principal applicant is solely responsible towards ZonMw for fulfilling all the conditions described in the grant decision letter and will be the only contact person for the NSC secretariat.

The funding is awarded in the form of a guarantee budget up to the maximum amount of the granted project as indicated in the decision letter. The principal applicant is accountable for the expenses of the networking event. The principle applicant will receive up to 80% of the granted project budget by the NSC secretariat before the networking event takes place. Within 2 months after the event has taken place the principle applicant has to send a final report describing the outcomes of the networking event as well as the financial report containing relevant supporting documents (electronic invoices, tickets, etc.) to the NSC secretariat. The final financial settlement by the NSC secretariat follows afterwards.

Changes to the consortium composition or changes in the requested budget cannot occur, unless agreed upon by the NSC secretariat. The principal applicant must inform the NSC secretariat of any minor or major change of the event that might affect the implementation of the event.

Reporting requirements and Open Access to publications

On behalf of all participating applicants, each principal applicant must submit a report on the outcomes of the networking event within two months after the event has taken place. A report template will be provided by the call secretariat stating the results, outcomes, and the goals that have been met.

Upon notification, principal applicants are required to deliver an abstract of the networking event suitable for communication and dissemination purposes. The public lay summary of the outcomes will be published in the database on the EP PerMed website.

In addition, the funding recipient is expected to participate in and contribute to any communication activity or evaluation survey initiated by EP PerMed during the funding period (mandatory) and beyond.

Each applicant must ensure Open Access (free of charge, online access for any user) to all peer-reviewed scientific publications relating to its results according to EC regulations. Networking events funded through EP PerMed are eligible to publish on Open Research Europe (ORE), an open access publishing platform of the EC.

Importantly, all funding recipients must ensure that all outcomes (publications, etc.) of transnational EP PerMed-funded events include proper acknowledgement of EP PerMed: “This event was supported under the frame of the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine, EP PerMed, (GA N° 101137129)."