EP ERA4Health: call for randomised interventional clinical trials coming soon!

Fostering a European Research Area for Health (ERA4Health): a partnership that aims to create flexible and efficient coordination between European Research Area (ERA) research funding organisations in priority areas addressing European public health needs, will launch a joint transnational call for clinical trials entitled "Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials in Cardiovascular, Autoimmune and Metabolic diseases " (Trials4Health 2026)" in early November 2025 .

The aim of the call is to:

  • Support randomised interventional clinical trials initiated by investigators from multiple countries, designed as pragmatic studies comparing efficacy and/or studies focusing on new uses of medicines;
  • Promote and facilitate transnational collaboration between clinical and public health research teams (hospitals, public health facilities and other healthcare organisations) conducting international studies comparing the effectiveness of treatments or studies on new uses of medicines.

Projects should take into account the following aspects: 

  • The proposed study must be a pragmatic study comparing the efficacy of the treatment and/or a study aimed at a new use of the medicinal product, designed as a randomised phase III intervention study.
  • Comparative effectiveness studies compare the use of currently approved or existing health interventions used in clinical practice in Europe, either with each other or with the current standard of care.
  • In the case of comparative effectiveness studies, existing approved health interventions should be taken into account, which may include, but are not limited to, diagnostic, screening, preventive and therapeutic interventions. Interventions may be pharmacological or non-pharmacological, such as well-defined, reproducible and targeted nutrition and lifestyle interventions, surgical interventions, prognostic methods, use of medical devices, nano and advanced health technologies, eHealth, digital interventions and other health interventions.
  • For studies on new uses of medicines, the aim is to explore new indications for approved medicines As this call is publicly funded, clinical studies with a commercial purpose are excluded, so only studies on new uses of medicines whose patent protection has expired are allowed.
  • Proposed studies must address at least one of these specific diseases or conditions:
    • cardiovascular disease,
    • metabolic disorders,
    • autoimmune diseases (not only autoimmune diseases based on antibodies, but also other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases).

Project proposals must clearly demonstrate the potential health and/or economic impacts as well as the added value of transnational clinical collaboration, and must use validated tools and methods to determine the burden of disease and to evaluation the effects of interventions, where they exist. 

Clinical trials conducted for direct commercial purposes and/or in medical fields other than those mentioned above are not covered by this call.

The Ministry of Health / Agency for Health Research ČR will participate in this call!

Currently, national rules and conditions for Czech applicants are being prepared, which will be based on the Programme for the Support of Applied Health Research for 2024-2030: Subprogramme 3: European Partnerships in Health, and will be published on the website of AZV HealthAZV ofČR CzechČR AZV azvcr.cz) by the date of the call announcement.

The MoH will support ČR applicants through the national budget allocation. The total amount for the call will be EUR 500 000. 

Only transnational projects will be funded. The call will be a two-round call. 

Provisional timetable of the call:

  • 6.11.2025: launch of the call
  • 13 November 2025: Information day for potential applicants
  • 30.11.2025: Deadline for informing ECRIN about the upcoming project proposal and expressing interest in cooperation
  • 27 January 2026 (16:00 CET): Deadline for submission of pre-proposals
  • 17.4.2026: Communication of the results of the pre-proposals to the applicants and invitation to submit full proposals
  • 17 June 2026 (16:00 CEST): Deadline for submission of full proposals
  • end of August 2026: Rebuttal stage
  • End of August 2026: Interviews to assess the feasibility of the study
  • End of October 2026: Announcement of the funding decision
  • Start 2027: Expected start of projects (subject to national/regional conditions)

More information on the objectives of the call, the themes, the countries that have expressed interest in participating in the call; the national contact points as well as other specific conditions is available on the official ERA4Health website and in the call background document, which can be downloaded here.