Features
The call for proposals titled “Andes Virus & ANDV-relevant Hantavirus Research” is part of ISIDORe II, an initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program to facilitate access to specialized research infrastructure and services for infectious diseases.
The main feature is that it does not provide a financial grant to the researcher or their institution. Instead, it funds access to specialized scientific services provided by the participating infrastructures, at no cost to the selected users.
Proposals must address the Andes virus (ANDV) or research on hantaviruses that is clearly related to it. Research on other hantaviruses without justifying that relationship falls outside the scope of this call for proposals.
Three priority areas are established:
- Evaluation of treatments and non-vaccine-based prophylaxis. Evaluation and characterization of antiviral candidates, antibodies, and other therapeutic or preventive strategies that already have a scientific basis.
- Diagnostics, assays, and reference materials. Development or adaptation of assays, evaluation of sensitivity and specificity, analytical validation, reagents, controls, and reference materials.
- Models and experimental systems. Use and characterization of models to study pathogenesis, viral tropism, host response, or the evaluation of medical countermeasures.
Services available:
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Analysis: RT-PCR design, NGS sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing of ANDV.
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Drug discovery: screening of antiviral compounds, validation of candidates, and characterization of monoclonal antibodies.
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Cell-based and ex vivo models: human organoids, lung, placenta, and endothelial models, and antiviral assays.
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In vivo models: preclinical efficacy studies and animal models, subject to applicable scientific and ethical requirements.
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Immunomonitoring and structural biology: cellular immunity assays, protein production and characterization, and advanced microscopy techniques.
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Regulatory and clinical support: guidance on preparing research studies and addressing ethical or regulatory issues.
The availability of a service in the general catalog does not guarantee that any use of that service is eligible: it must comply with the priorities and exclusions of this specific call for proposals.
Requirements
The call for proposals is open to researchers from universities, public research institutions, public health organizations, companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and other organizations that conduct research.
The main requirements and conditions are:
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Scientific scope: The proposal must address ANDV or an issue related to another hantavirus whose relevance to ANDV is clearly justified.
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Access to services: You must request one or more services included in the ISIDORe II catalog.
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Transnational dimension: Horizon Europe’s transnational access (TNA) rules apply. The principal investigator and the majority of users must meet the geographic access conditions with respect to the hosting facility. The location of the service is determined during the process.
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Priority: Preference will be given to applicants who did not receive funding in the first ISIDORe project.
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Ethics and security: Applicable requirements regarding ethics, biosafety, bioprotection, data protection, and the use of services must be met.
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Dissemination: The results must be disseminated, and ISIDORe’s contribution must be appropriately acknowledged.
At least 80% of access must benefit users from EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe; up to 20% may be allocated to international users who meet the relevant conditions.
The call for proposals guidelines state that the following are not included:
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Routine diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance.
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Clinical trials.
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Manufacturing and scaling of production processes.
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Wide-ranging screening campaigns without a specific hypothesis or need.
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Development of entirely new services that are not available in the current offering.
We are looking for a specific scientific need that can be addressed through specialized services available at the participating research infrastructures.
How to apply
The application consists of two phases: a preliminary application and a full application. It is important to review the full text of the call for proposals to verify scientific relevance and eligibility criteria. Applications are submitted through the application management system (Access Management System, AMS).
This link takes you to the services catalog, where you can view available infrastructure and services.