BrainHealth Partnership: call for proposals

Brain disorders are a major global cause of disability and mortality. They pose profound challenges for those affected as well as for their families, communities, and both professional and informal caregivers.

The European Partnership for Brain Health (EP BrainHealth) brings together 54 partners from 33 countries. The common goal is to improve brain health for all by developing scientific knowledge as a foundation to promote lifelong brain health, to prevent and to cure brain diseases as well as to improve the wellbeing of people living with neurological and mental disorders in Europe and beyond. Swiss-based researchers can participate.

This call for proposals is focused on neurological, mental and sensory disorders. Applications must be interdisciplinary and address at least two of the three factors impacting brain health trajectories in the field of neurological, mental and sensory disorders:

• Biological factors, e.g. genetics, epigenetics, -omics, neuroplasticity, inflammation, infection, synaptogenesis, circuits, vascular factors, sensory impairment, co-morbidities

• Lifestyle and social factors, e.g. exercise/activity, nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, work (income, employment), socio-economic background/status, race/ethnicity, sex and gender, education, safety, social interactions (family/friends), access to healthcare, stress, trauma, migration

• Environmental factors, e.g. pollution/contaminants, urbanicity, disasters, pandemics, war/conflicts, climate change, microbiota, nature

In addition, applications must investigate at least two of the following aspects:

• Mechanisms of action of the identified factors

• Early recognition, diagnosis and prognosis linked to the identified factors

• Prevention/treatments/interventions/technological development/care and support linked to the identified factors

Furthermore, the following aspects are important in the context of this call:

• Applications should investigate how factors impact brain health trajectories across the lifespan.

• Outcomes benefiting the quality of life of patients and their carers are of special importance and should be explicitly defined and stated.

• Applications focusing on disability, gender, ethical, cultural and socio-economic aspects are encouraged.

• Approaches such as integration of multimodal data, use of accessible wearable technologies (e.g. mobile devices), artificial intelligence/digital twins and drug repurposing are particularly welcome.

The following topics/aspects are excluded from this call:

• Applications focusing on cancers

• Applications addressing predominantly research questions in the field of neurodegenerative disorders

These topic descriptions only provide a broad overview; for the full scope and detailed expectations, applicants should consult the official call document.

Timeline

The call entails a two-step submission process with the following submission deadlines:

• Pre-proposals: 10 March 2026

• Full proposals: 30 June 2026

Participation of Swiss-based researchers

Researchers based in Switzerland are encouraged to join international research consortia for this call and can participate on equal terms with teams from EU member states and other associated countries. To receive funding from the SNSF, Swiss partners must meet the SNSF Project funding eligibility requirements.

Applications must be submitted at two levels:

• Central submission: The project coordinator submits the pre-proposal and full proposal on behalf of the consortium via the Joint Call Secretariat’s online submission platform.

• National submission: Swiss partners requesting SNSF funding must also submit a separate administrative application through the SNSF’s mySNF platform.

The deadlines for both central and national submissions are the same, except that SNSF applications must be submitted no later than 17:00 (Swiss local time) on the day of the deadline. First-time applicants to the SNSF are encouraged to contact the SNSF Administrative Offices in advance for guidance and support.

Further information

Full details on eligibility, submission procedures and funding rules are available on the BrainHealth website and in the official call document.