The ERA-NET NEURON Cofund will coordinate and align European and international research funding programmes in the area of brain-related diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Key activity is the implementation of an EC co-funded joint transnational call for research proposals. The mission of NEURON is based on the fact that disorders of the brain are the major cause for impaired quality of life, and they are a heavy burden not only for patients, their families and carers, but also a socioeconomic problem for society. By improving collaboration and by implementing a variety of additional activities (such as further joint transnational calls and support of early-career scientists) NEURON Cofund will decrease fragmentation of research programmes and improve the funding situation for neuroscience researchers thereby strengthening the search for novel therapeutic approaches to fight brain disease; NEURON Cofund will also develop and provide concrete plans for (i) expanding data sharing, (ii) promoting common data elements for the establishment of patient registries, and (iii) involving stakeholders and relevant existing initiatives such as patient organizations. The aforementioned challenges will be addressed in a network of 22 funding organizations across 14 European Member and Associated States and Third countries.

Rare diseases (RD) are diseases that affect not more than 5 per 10 000 persons (according to the EU definition). 7000 distinct rare diseases exist, affecting between 6% and 8% of the population (about 30 million EU citizens). The lack of specific health policies for rare diseases and the scarcity of the expertise, translate into delayed diagnosis, few medicinal products and difficult access to care. That is why rare diseases are a prime example of a research area that strongly profits from coordination on a European scale. At present only few European countries fund research on rare diseases through specific dedicated programmes. Therefore, the funding of transnational collaborative research is the most effective joint activity to enhance the cooperation between scientists working on rare diseases in Europe and beyond. The E-Rare consortium was built to link responsible funding bodies that combine the scarce resources and fund rare disease research via Joint Transnational Calls (JTCs). The current E-Rare-3 project proposal will extend and strengthen the transnational cooperation by building on the experience and results of the previous E-Rare-1&2 programmes. The consortium comprises 26 institutions from 17 European, Associated and non-European countries. Its international dimension will be directly translated into close collaboration with IRDiRC and other relevant European and international initiatives. IRDiRC guidelines and policies will be implemented in the four JTCs and representatives of the IRDiRC Scientific Committees will be invited to join the Advisory Board of E-Rare-3. Members of the EUCERD group will be involved in identifying rare disease research needs. Patients’ organizations from Europe (represented by EURORDIS) and beyond will be invited as a key partner towards collaborative efforts for research promotion and funding. The collaboration with European Research Infrastructures will be consolidated to enhance efficient and participative research.

Brain-related diseases affect millions of people in Europe and worldwide, with increasing trends. They impose a societal and economic burden on patients, families and carers, and healthcare systems. Tackling them requires collaboration and concerted interaction among all relevant players. Based on a longstanding tradition, NEURON Cofund2 aims to align national and regional funding programmes and to build a basis for a global brain research area. It aims to advance research into the brain and nervous system diseases and ultimately alleviate the burden of disease. To this end, 27 partners from 22 countries across and beyond Europe will join forces with the European Commission and commit to invest 65-75 m€ over 5 years for translational research into mental disorders, neurological conditions (except neurodegeneration) and sensory disorders. To support brain research, annual joint calls for transnational interdisciplinary research consortia will be launched. The co-funded call in 2021 will tackle neurodevelopmental disorders, which originate in the particularly vulnerable group of children and adolescents and often persist throughout life. The joint commitment to this call is around 23-26 m€. The following calls will address other fields of nervous system disorders, and neuroethics. For additional support and improvement of research structure, the ERA-NET NEURON will cooperate with professional societies, pertinent other projects, patients and their representatives and stakeholders. On structural levels NEURON will enhance quality of research by reinforcing highest possible scientific standards of research approaches. This will include e.g. sharing of resources and data, and linking with ESFRI infrastructures. In particular, early career investigators will profit from networking activities and enabling measures for the interdisciplinary neuroscience community. The outcomes of the ERA-NET will be communicated on conferences, the NEURON website, and social media.

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to medicine and healthcare. The field takes advantage of the physical, chemical and biological properties of materials at the nanometer scale to be used for a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of diseases at the molecular level, leading to new targets for earlier and more precise diagnostics and therapeutics. Nanomedicine, rated among the six most promising Key Enabling Technologies, is one of the most important emerging areas of health research expected to contribute to one of the strategic challenges that Europe has to face in the future: Provide effective and affordable health care and assure the wellbeing of an increasingly aged population. EuroNanoMed III (ENM III) builds on the foundations of ENM I & II, which launched 7 successful joint calls for proposals since 2009, funded 51 transnational research projects involving 269 partners from 25 countries/regions, and allocated € 45,5 million to research projects from ENM funding agencies. ENM III consortium, reinforced with 12 new partners from Europe, Canada and Taiwan, is committed to fostering the competiveness of European nanomedicine actors taking into account recent changes in the landscape and new stakeholders and challenges, as identified in the SRIA in nanomedicine. The first joint call for proposals will be co-funded by ENM III partners and the EC. After the co-funded call, three additional joint transnational calls will be organized and strategic activities will be accomplished in collaboration with key initiatives in the field. ENM III actions focus on translatability of project results to clinical and industry needs.