Development of innovative antimicrobials against pathogens resistant to antimicrobials
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
An independent quality check has put this review on hold. The structured terms below are kept as history and are not cleared; read the official documents.
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds development of innovative treatments against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and fungi for scientific and clinical developers.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, research org, university.
- Amount
- €8M – €10M per projectTotal budget €44,200,000
- Deadline
- 17 Feb 2027 01:00 CETin 116 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 29 Oct 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:
• The scientific and clinical communities have a better understanding of and access to new and innovative products for the treatment of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and fungi, as well as for further clinical investigation.
• Candidate therapies are available to treat patients for antimicrobial resistant bacteria and fungi, increasing therapeutic options for clinical deployment in the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Scope:
The rapid rise of AMR presents a formidable threat to public health, challenging our ability to treat infections that were once easily managed with standard antimicrobials. As pathogens continually adapt and develop resistance to existing drugs, the efficacy of these treatments diminishes, leading to more severe and prolonged illnesses, increased healthcare costs and productivity losses, and higher mortality rates. This escalating crisis underscores an urgent need for viable therapeutic alternatives required to reduce the burden of diseases caused by antibiotic resistance. Innovative solutions are crucial to maintaining effective disease management and safeguarding public health.
Proposals should pursue the development of innovative and effective antibacterial and antifungal agents, including antibody-based therapies, which meet at least one of the four World Health Organization (WHO) innovation criteria[1], namely: i) new chemical class, ii) new target, iii) new mode of action and iv) no evidence of cross-resistance.
This topic contributes to strengthening the Research and Innovation ecosystem within the EU and supports the implementation of the European Medical Countermeasures Strategy[2] and the forthcoming Critical Medicines Act[3].
Proposals under this topic should not pursue the development of phage-therapies.
Applicants should explicitly state in their proposal which of the following pathogens is targeted and the proposed work should address only this specific pathogen. The proposed work should pursue the development of existing therapeutic candidates targeting exclusively one of the following pathogens:
• Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumanii (CRAB)
• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (C3GRE)
• Carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• (Drug)-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus
• (Drug)-resistant Candida spp
Identifying a specific pathogen does not preclude the exploration of these candidates' effects on other bacteria or fungi. Proposals should thus aim to accelerate testing of novel candidates in human trials, diversify and accelerate the global prophylactic and therapeutic research and development portfolio for AMR bacterial and fungal infections, and to strengthen the leading role of the EU in prophylactic and therapeutic research and development.
Proposals should address all the following areas:
• If necessary, finalisation of in-vivo tests in at least one animal model or, if available in humanised immune system animal models, to demonstrate the protective function of the therapeutics deemed sufficient for moving to first clinical trials.
• If requested by regulators as pre-requisite for clinical studies, in-vivo tests in a non-human primate model.
• Production of batches of the most promising antimicrobials candidates according to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)[4].
• In human clinical safety and efficacy studies, demonstrating a clear regulatory pathway for market authorisation. Attention should be paid to critical biological and social factors such as sex, age, ethnicity, disability and vulnerability.
Participation of third countries where AMR bacteria and fungi in the proposal are endemic or where outbreaks have occurred or are ongoing is encouraged.
The participation of start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)[5] is encouraged with the aim of strengthening their scientific and technological foundations, enhancing their innovation potential, and exploring possibilities for commercial exploitation.
All projects funded under this topic are expected to engage with regulatory bodies in a timely manner to ensure adequacy of the actions from a regulatory point of view.
Proposals should advance research by leveraging already existing and emerging state-of-the-art research initiatives such as the co-funded European Partnership on One Health Anti-Microbial Resistance (EUP OHAMR)[6].
Applicants should provide details of their clinical studies[7] in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. As proposals under this topic are expected to include clinical studies, the use of the template is strongly encouraged.
[1] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240093461
[2] https://health.ec.europa.eu/health-emergency-preparedness-and-response-hera/preparedness/medical-countermeasures-strategy_en
[3] https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-critical-medicines-act_en
[4] https://health.ec.europa.eu/medicinal-products/eudralex/eudralex-volume-4_en
[5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32003H0361
[6] https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101217154, https://ohamr.eu
[7] Please note that the definition of clinical studies (see introduction to this Work Programme part) is broad and it is recommended that you review it thoroughly before submitting your application.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Research org, University
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- —
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Antibacterial therapies
- Antifungal therapies
- Drug development
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Applicant restriction
- General Annex B restrictions apply, including the default exclusion of entities established in China from Health RIAs, participation of MIIT-supervised Chinese universities, EU restrictive measures, and the applicable Hungarian public-interest-trust restriction. Exceptions/changes require individual checking; the US funding exception does not waive other restrictions.
- Applicant type
- Legal entities subject to Horizon Europe Regulation, General Annex B and topic-specific conditions; participation does not itself establish eligibility for funding.
- Application restriction
- Full-stage Excellence, Impact and Implementation thresholds are4 each, cumulative12; these are evaluation points, not financial amounts or personnel counts.
- Application restriction
- Planned opening 2026-10-29; single-stage deadline 2027-02-17, 17:00 Brussels local time. Work Programme allows opening shifts and deadline delays; live acceptance is not verified.
- Consortium required
- Yes
- Eligible geography
- General Annex B funding-geography conditions apply, with the topic-specific exception allowing US legal entities to receive Union funding. Participation and funded status remain distinct; restrictive measures and applicant-specific conditions still apply.
- Eligible project scope
- Address all listed areas, with conditional preliminary tests where required, GMP batches and human clinical safety/efficacy plus regulator engagement.
- Eligible project scope
- Develop existing therapeutic candidates against exactly one listed resistant bacterial/fungal pathogen, meeting at least one WHO innovation criterion. Phage therapies are excluded. All listed research areas apply with the stated conditions, including GMP batches and human clinical safety/efficacy.
- Eligible project scope
- Target exactly one listed pathogen: CRAB; CRE/C3GRE; carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa; MRSA; resistant A.fumigatus; resistant Candida species. At least one WHO innovation criterion (new chemical class, target, mode of action, or no cross-resistance) is needed.
- Ineligible project scope
- Phage therapies are excluded.
- Other condition
- The exact topic adopts General Annex G, subject to its expressly listed exceptions. The signed grant fixes the final amount, eligible costs, model, duration and reporting arrangements.
- Other condition
- Project starting date and duration are fixed in the grant agreement. No numerical duration is asserted from the indicative funding table.
- Other condition
- The reviewed own-topic setup does not state a lump-sum exception. For actual-cost grants General Annex G provides a mixed budget reimbursing eligible actual costs with applicable unit/flat-rate categories; the operative grant controls the model.
- Other condition
- Own-topic overview plans an indicative 5 projects expected to be funded; not job headcount or consortium size. Dedicated numeric semantic proposal is supplied separately.
- Other condition
- The granting authority may object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to four years after action end, under the specific Annex5 provision.
- Other condition
- When satellite observation, positioning, navigation or related timing data/services are used, use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other services/data may be additional.
- Partner requirement
- At least three independent beneficiary legal entities in three different countries: at least one in an EU Member State and at least two others in different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count toward this minimum.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €44,200,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- General Annex G includes personnel costs, subcontracting and purchases among eligible budget categories subject to the grant agreement. Personnel may use applicable actual-cost or unit-cost forms. This is a cost category, not an advertised vacancy, mandatory hire, salary scale, headcount or FTE entitlement.
For the explicit lump-sum topic, eligible personnel estimates help establish the lump sum; salary reimbursement is not asserted.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100 percent of eligible costs
General Annex G maximum for the actual action type; signed-grant eligible-cost/model conditions apply. For lump sums the rate is part of amount setting.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €10,000,000
Indicative expected contribution range; requests for different amounts may be submitted and selected. Not a hard minimum/cap.
- Expected project funding, from
- €8,000,000
Indicative expected contribution range; requests for different amounts may be submitted and selected. Not a hard minimum/cap.
- Topic allocation
- €44,200,000
Indicative total topic budget; not an individual cap, guaranteed award or current remaining balance.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 29 Oct 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01 · Cluster 1 - Health (Single stage - 2027/1)
- Types of action
- HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
- Keywords
- Acinetobacter
- Bamanii
- Candida
- Carbapenem
- Enterobacterales
- MRSA
- anti-microbials
- antimicrobials
- aspergillus
- cephalosporin
- fumigatus
- methicillin
- pseudomonas
- resistance
- resistant
- staphylococcus
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 24 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 7 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Independent QA
- On hold
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.