A CALL FOR MECHANISMS AND MEASUREMENT OF DISEASE PROGRESSION IN THE EARLY PHASE OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

On January 4, 2024, the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) initiative launched a transnational call for mechanisms and measurement of disease progression in the early phase of neurodegenerative diseases.

It is known that the onset of neurodegenerative diseases occurs years before the appearance of the first clinical symptoms. However, our current understanding on the biological, psychological and social mechanisms that determine early disease progression as well as our ability to precisely monitor the course of the disease at pre-symptomatic stages is very limited. Delayed detection of disease progression may be the reason for the multiple failures observed in clinical trials during the past years. In this context, improving our understanding of the crucial biological mechanisms and psychosocial factors determining risk and resilience for neurodegenerative diseases is needed along with an enhanced measurability of disease progression through the establishment of advanced biological and psychosocial markers. Respective advancements may allow a more accurate identification of pre-symptomatic disease stages and a reliable monitoring of disease progression, thereby enabling a better prediction of disease trajectories and paving the way for new therapeutic and preventive approaches.

For this reason, JPND launches this joint transnational call with the aim of improving the understanding of disease mechanisms and advancing measurability of disease progression at early and pre-symptomatic stages of neurodegenerative diseases. Proposals to this call must be ambitious, innovative, multi-disciplinary and multi-national, i.e. include research teams from at least three different countries. They must be hypothesis driven and should have a strong focus on methodology.

Funding: The total made available for this call is about 18 million euros.

Participating JPND countries

The funding organisations that have agreed to fund this joint call for multinational research projects, with a view to adding value to their existing nationally funded activities, are listed below.

• Austria, Austrian Research Promotion Agency on behalf of BMBWF (FFG)
• Belgium, The Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS)
• Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Czech Republic, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS)
• Finland, Research Council of Finland (AKA)
• France, French National Research Agency (ANR)
• Germany, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
• Hungary, National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)
• Israel, Ministry of Health (CSO-MOH)
• Italy, Ministry of Health (MOH-IT)
• Latvia, Latvian Council of Science (LCS)
• Luxembourg, National Research Fund (FNR)
• Netherlands, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Dev. (ZonMw)
• Norway, The Research Council of Norway (RCN)
• Poland, National Science Centre (NCN)
• Slovakia, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (MESR)
• Spain, National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)
• Sweden, Swedish Research Council (SRC)
• Switzerland, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
• Turkey, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Deadlines

Pre-proposals must be submitted no later than 12:00h C.E.T. on March 5, 2024, via the electronic submission tool.

Please Note:

All information regarding future JPND call topics is subject to change. Final call information will be published on the JPND website (www.jpnd.eu).