EIC 2026 Pathfinder Open

ERC ADVANCED GRANTS is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Objectives and profile of the ERC Advanced Grant Principal Investigator The objective of the Advanced Grant is to support excellent Principal Investigators that are established research leaders. An ERC Advanced Grant Principal Investigator is expected to be an active researcher with a track record of significant research achievements. Size of ERC Advanced Grants Advanced Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of EUR 2 500 000 for a period of 5 years . The maximum amount of the grants is reduced pro rata temporis for projects of a shorter duration. Additional funding up to EUR 1 000 000 * can be requested to cover further eligible costs (e.g. start-up costs, major equipment, access to large facilities, major experimental and field work costs) when these are necessary to carry out the proposed work. The requests for additional funding must be duly justified in the proposal. Additional funding is not subject to pro rata temporis reduction for projects of shorter duration. * Except for Principal Investigators in Starting, Consolidator, or Advanced Grant re-locating to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere to take up their ERC grant. In this case, the maximum additional funding shall be EUR 2 000 000. The Advanced Grant is awarded as a single lump sum contribution for the entirety of the project (broken down by beneficiaries – where applicable) based on a realistic estimate of the actual cost of the project, and fully covering the work to be implemented in the proposed action. For further information, please see the ERC Work Programme 2026 . Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Excellent Science, European Research Council (ERC) Keywords: Advanced Grant, ERC, European Research Council, Excellent Science, Frontier Research

Enhancing integrated research and healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa through digital innovation and Artificial Intelligence is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Impact: Expected Impact The actions funded under this topic should contribute to strengthening clinical human capital base in R&I, enhancing talent retention, knowledge sharing of best practices within the research and innovation landscape, accelerate integration of digital tools into health systems, expand and scale up validated innovations with tangible implementation at national and/or sub-regional levels. Applicant consortium If requested by the applicant consortia, the EDCTP Association may offer technical support for the preparation of their proposal, in particular because of the lump sum nature of the Grant Agreement. The applicant consortia may also decide to include the EDCTP Association as coordinator. In that case, the applicant consortia should contact the EDCTP Association to obtain the estimated amount of the Association’s contribution as well as any other relevant information. The EDCTP Association will timely provide the necessary information to all potential applicants. Expected Outcome: Background Digital health has the potential to reshape and enable the implementation of integrated research and healthcare delivery across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), especially in communities that are underserved or hard to reach. With tools such as mobile health platforms, electronic health records, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), health services can become more efficient and accessible, responding to the needs of strengthening the research and development settings in SSA. Despite the ongoing rapid advances, SSA countries are still lagging behind, and there is an increasing gap with the developed world where digital innovation and machine learning is expected to deliver significant changes to healthcare. Digital tools currently in use are fragmented, incompatible with each other, and limited in their reach. In addition, the use of AI is creating more opportunities, but there is a need to ensure future technologies are based on models that include data from SSA countries. Recent strategies, including the WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020–2025), the African Union’s Digital Health Framework, and the Africa CDC’s Digital Transformation Strategy, call for urgent action. These frameworks emphasise the need to invest in people-focused, sustainable digital solutions that are locally informed and globally aligned. This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) focuses on addressing these disparities. It aims to bring together national governments, regional institutions, researchers, healthcare providers, and private sector partners to better coordinate efforts, share knowledge, and build the infrastructure needed to support inclusive, scalable digital health systems. By aligning with these strategic directions, this CSA promotes a shared vision: one where digital innovation strengthens local health systems rather than working in silos. The goal is not to create new technologies, but to make better use of what already exists by improving coordination, strengthening human capacity, and supporting evidence-based policies and investments that can unlock the true potential of digital health across the region. Expected Outcomes The proposals submitted under this topic should aim to deliver results contributing to at least two of the below: Scaled-up implementation of validated digital innovations at national or sub-regional level. Improved data interoperability and data harmonisation of electronic health records between different digital health systems according to international standards. Integrated comprehensive roadmap for the sustainable and scalable integration of digital health tools into clinical trials and public health systems in SSA, in line with international standards and local ethical standards, and in the context of sharing of best practices. Increased retention of skilled experts in digital health, epidemiology, bioinformatics, AI in SSA. Scope: Scope The proposals submitted under this topic s Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Health Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Big data, Bioinformatics, Data integrity, Digital data, Epidemiology, Global health, Health data, Healthcare system, Infectious diseases, Interoperability, Technological innovation, Africa, Africa CDC, Artificial Intelligence, Data harmonization, Data interoperability, Digital health, Digital health systems, Digital innovations, EDCTP, EDCTP3, Electronic health records, Global Health, Innovation networks, Public health, Public health workforce, Skilled personnel, Sub-Saharan Africa

Training and innovation networks for sustained capacity development related to ethics, regulatory, pharmacovigilance, and related digital regulatory platforms is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Impact: Expected Impact Through strategic capacity building, digital transformation, and cooperation in SSA, the actions funded under this topic should contribute to the establishment of a resilient and future-ready ethics, regulatory and PV environment. Applicant consortium If requested by the applicant consortia, the EDCTP Association may offer technical support for the preparation of their proposal, in particular because of the lump sum nature of the Grant Agreement. The applicant consortia may also decide to include the EDCTP Association as coordinator. In that case, the applicant consortia should contact the EDCTP Association to obtain the estimated amount of the Association’s contribution as well as any other relevant information. The EDCTP Association will timely provide the necessary information to all potential applicants. Expected Outcome: Background Ethics bodies, regulatory agencies, and pharmacovigilance (PV) systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continue to face significant challenges that hinder effective provision of healthcare services, safety reporting and timely regulatory approval for clinical trials, and marketing authorisation of products. These challenges are largely attributed to limited resources, limited training provision and access to mentor expertise, governance constraints, disparities in digital infrastructure, and limited regional and international regulatory alignment. In response, initiatives such as the African Vaccines Regulatory Forum (AVAREF), the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Programme and most recently the African Medicines Agency (AMA) have been launched to address these gaps. International bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), along with partnerships in SSA, have contributed to bridge the gap by offering technical support, training, and resources to strengthen ethics, regulatory and PV capacities. Public-private partnerships have further supported ethics and regulatory capacity strengthening, safety monitoring systems, including the development and integration of digital health technologies to enhance adverse event monitoring and reporting, and to accelerate the regulatory submission and assessment processes through collaborative or joint reviews. As per the WHO publication of October 2025 [1] , eight SSA National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs)—Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and Zimbabwe—are classified by WHO as Maturity Level 3 (ML3), indicating reasonably established and functioning regulatory systems. Nevertheless, major hurdles remain, such as the lack of harmonised regulatory standards and timelines, underfunded research ethics committees (RECs) and NRAs, disparities in institutional and digital capacity and sustainability of the systems set up. These issues hinder the timely and consistent evaluation of research protocols and/or applications for marketing authorisation for diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines across the region. Despite the increasing participation of SSA countries in the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring (WHO PIDM), PV systems in many SSA countries remain underdeveloped and insufficiently integrated into national healthcare systems. This is reflected on both pre- and post-authorisation safety monitoring, where systems are weakened by poor digital infrastructure, limited laboratory capacity for confirmation of suspected events, weak reporting tools for data capture and interpretation, and a shortage of trained personnel. This limits the region’s ability to ensure effective PV and safety of medicinal products. Building on the progress made through previous EDCTP initiatives [2] , this call aims to scale and sustain these efforts by establishing training, twinning, and innovation networks, leveraging existing networks where applicable that will bolster workforce capacity in ethics, regulatory, and PV and harmonisation of processes and timelines. Central to this approach is the develop Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Health Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Big data, Digital Services and Platforms, Digital transformation, Epidemiology, Ethics in medical sciences, Global health, Health data, Health sciences, Medical biotechnology related ethics, Medical ethics, Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory affairs, eInfrastructure, Africa, Africa CDC, Artificial Intelligence, Digital health, Digital health systems, Digital innovations, EDCTP, EDCTP3, Global Health, Innovation networks, Public health, Public health workforce, Regulatory platforms, Skilled personnel, Sub-Saharan Africa, Trainings, Twinning

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting applications for the Public Scholars program. The purpose of this program is to support the creation of well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public by offering grants to individual authors for research, writing, travel, and other activities leading to publication. The program is intended both to encourage non-academic writers to deepen their engagement with the humanities by strengthening the research underlying their books, and to encourage academic writers in the humanities to communicate the significance of their research to the broadest possible range of readers. Funding Opportunity Number: 20200205-FZ. Assistance Listing: 45.160. Funding Instrument: G. Category: HU. Award Amount: $30K – $60K per award.

Brown Girl Jane x SheaMoisture Grant is a grant from SheaMoisture and Brown Girl Jane that funds Black and woman-owned beauty and wellness businesses in the United States. Part of SheaMoisture's broader commitment to addressing racial inequality through its $1 million annual giving fund, this program specifically supports founders at the intersection of Black and women-owned entrepreneurship in the beauty and wellness sector. Applicants must be based in the U.S. and have operated their business for at least one year. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. Check the SheaMoisture Fund website for the current open cycle, as deadlines vary by cohort.