Call: European Reference Networks (ERN) / Framework Partnership Agreements (FPA)

The EU is required by its founding treaty to ensure that human health is protected as part of all its policies, and to work with the EU countries to improve public health, prevent human illness and eliminate sources of danger to physical and mental health.

The 3rd Health Programme has 4 overarching objectives. It seeks to:

1. Promote health, prevent diseases and foster supportive environments for healthy lifestyles taking into account the 'health in all policies' principle,
2. Protect Union citizens from serious cross-border health threats,
3. Contribute to innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems,
4. Facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for Union citizens.

The third EU health programme is the main instrument the European Commission uses to implement the EU health strategy. It is implemented by means of annual work plans which set out priority areas and the criteria for funding actions under the programme. The total budget for the programme is € 449.4 million.

This Call for proposals aims at establishing multiannual framework partnerships by means of FPAs for a duration of 5 years (2017 to 2021), in view to provide financial contributions through subsequent specific grant agreements (SGAs) to ERNs. Signing an FPA does not guarantee annual co-funding. 

The actions to be funded are coordination, management and non-clinical activities of an approved ERN. Co-funding will be provided in the form of mono-beneficiary grants to the ERN Coordinator to run the ERN and implement all actions in order to fulfil the goals as provided for in the legal basis on ERNs:

• each ERN shall provide highly specialised healthcare for rare or low prevalence complex diseases or conditions;
• have a clear governance and coordination structure;
• have knowledge and expertise to diagnose, follow up and manage patients with evidence of good outcomes;
• follow a multi-disciplinary approach; (v) offer a high level of expertise and have the capacity to produce good practice guidelines and to implement outcome measures and quality control; 
• make a contribution to research; 
• organise teaching and training activities; and 
• collaborate closely with other centres of expertise and networks at national and international level.

The FPA proposal will present an action plan covering the period from 2017 to 2021 (5 years). This plan will include only those activities that are to be co-funded by the EU. Following an evaluation process, the successful applicants will be invited to sign the FPA covering that period. At that stage, signing an FPA will not result in a grant providing funding to the applicant's selected FPA proposal; it will be a legal commitment, serving as a basis for the partnership established between the successful applicant and Chafea for the next 5 years. Once the FPA is signed, it will make the signatory ERN eligible for receiving EU funding on the basis of an SGA proposal.

All projects should involve at least three partners (separate legal entities)  from different countries.