ERDERA 2027 Joint Transnational Call – Supporting Research on Recently Identified Rare Diseases
Objectives
The European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA) has announced a new Joint Transnational Call (JTC) for 2027, entitled “Catalysing Collaborative Research for Recently Identified Rare Diseases.”
This call aims to support collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects focusing on recently identified rare diseases that remain scientifically underserved.
Despite advances in genetic sequencing and the identification of new rare diseases, scientific knowledge remains limited for some conditions, particularly regarding their natural history, pathophysiological mechanisms, associated biomarkers and the experimental models available to study them.
The objective of this call is to address these knowledge gaps by generating the fundamental scientific evidence needed to improve understanding of these diseases and lay the groundwork for the future development of therapeutic strategies.
Research areas
Proposals must address one or more rare diseases that meet the eligibility criteria of the call.
The disease must have been first reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature on or after 1 January 2010, including an association with a suspected causal mechanism, such as a gene–disease association. Applicants must provide the reference for the primary publication using its PubMed identifier (PMID) or DOI.
The disease must also be registered in Orphanet or be in the process of registration at the time of application.
Projects must address at least one of the following research areas:
- Natural history studies and patient registries, including studies designed to better characterise disease progression and support future clinical trial readiness.
- Identification and validation of biomarkers to improve understanding of disease pathophysiology or progression.
- Development of disease models, including in silico, cellular models — particularly patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and organoids — and animal models.
- Investigation of pathophysiological mechanisms to improve understanding of the biological processes underlying rare diseases.
Exclusions: Diseases for which animal models have already been developed and characterised in peer-reviewed scientific publications, as well as diseases for which clinical trials evaluating disease-modifying treatments are ongoing or have been completed, are excluded. Preclinical therapeutic development, the development of diagnostic tools intended for clinical use and interventional clinical trials are also outside the scope of this call.
Partners and consortium requirements
Subject to national and regional funding regulations, eligible organisations may include:
- Universities and research institutes;
- Hospitals, clinical centres and public health organisations;
- Enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
- Patient advocacy organisations (PAOs).
Consortia must include three to six eligible research partners from at least three different participating countries, with no more than two eligible partners from the same country.
Under specific conditions, consortia may include up to eight partners, subject to additional requirements concerning the participation of partners from underrepresented countries and/or early-career researchers.
The active involvement of patients and their representatives is expected from the early stages of project preparation. Patient partners are not counted towards the maximum number of research partners.
In France, the French National Research Agency (ANR) and the Foundation for Rare Diseases (FFRD) are listed among the prospective funding organisations. Their final participation and national funding arrangements remain subject to confirmation.
Preliminary timeline
The main indicative deadlines are as follows:
- 1 December 2026: Launch of the call;
- 14 December 2026: Information webinar for potential applicants;
- 1 February 2027: Deadline for pre-proposal submission;
- Mid-April 2027: Invitation of shortlisted teams to submit full proposals;
- Late April / early May 2027: Information webinar for teams invited to submit full proposals;
- 24 June 2027: Deadline for full proposal submission;
- Late October 2027: Expected notification of funding decisions.
Informations supplémentaires :
Read the official ERDERA JTC 2027 pre-announcement