Request for Proposals: Advanced Biomaterials for the Health Care (IA)

Scope

Proposals should address at least four of the following activities:

• To enable a fast development of new advanced novel injectable biomaterials, digital tools such as modelling, simulation and characterisation techniques (including those provided by analytical infrastructures) assisted by advanced methods e.g. physics-based methods, machine learning or artificial intelligence.
• The innovation market of medical applications is fast growing and dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected. The 4D materials will change their 3D structures after external impact such as thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment.
• Proposals shall demonstrate new engineering strategies that present functional characteristics beyond bio-compatibility, and express properties that can be used to control the physiological environment (shape-memory, self-healing properties) and induce a response.
• Proposals shall address biomaterials with antibacterial properties contributing to the widespread bottleneck of antimicrobial resistance often encountered in clinical care.
• Demonstrate the scaling of injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.
• The design for circularity has to develop, when relevant, bio-degradable or bio-absorbable biomaterials that are gradually eliminated by the body after fulfilling a purpose.

Funding Information

The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:

• public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
• cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).

Expected Outcome

• This topic refers to the innovation market for Healthcare and Medicine, which affects many citizens and their needs. Several materials specifications and related innovations needs will support this topic such as renewable and recyclable materials, alternative active ingredients, design for circularity, lightweight materials. The topic should address several key policies of the European Union such as Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Chemicals strategy.
• Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
  • Develop the swiftly growing innovation market of medical applications, which is dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected, including 4D materials that change their 3D structures following external impact (e.g. thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment).
  • Medical and/or surgical procedures will benefit from injectable materials for non-invasive surgical procedures.
  • Some of their advantages include easy deliverability into the body, increased implantation precision, controllable release of therapeutic agents, antimicrobial properties and the possibility of monitoring or stimulating biological events.
  • Medical suppliers can commercialise injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities eligible to participate
  • Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
  • A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
  • Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submitting their application, in order to get a participant identification code (PIC) and be validated by the Central Validation Service before signing the grant agreement. For the validation, they will be asked to upload the necessary documents showing their legal status and origin during the grant preparation stage. A validated PIC is not a prerequisite for submitting an application.
• Entities eligible for funding
  • To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding.
  • To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
    • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
    • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States: Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
    • countries associated to Horizon Europe; Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Specific cases:
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call conditions provide otherwise. Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding.

For more information, visit European Commission.