User Profile
Corporate
Careers
FAQ
Blog
Pricing
Social
General Modals
Advanced Modals
Search
Wizards
FORCE – Joint Call for Proposals 2027
In this context, the first FORCE call for projects aims to support international pragmatic clinical trials designed to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients with rare and/or hard-to-treat cancers, while strengthening the integration of robust, decision-relevant evidence generation across heterogeneous clinical settings. Particular emphasis is placed on the systematic incorporation of quality of life as a central component of trial evaluation.
Supported projects are expected to:
Evaluate interventions already established in clinical practice, including approved or repurposed medicines, radiotherapy and surgery.
Address practical questions not resolved by traditional regulatory trials, such as dose optimization, treatment duration, sequencing or combination strategies, de-escalation approaches, streamlined care pathways, patient stratification, or reduction of treatment burden while maintaining clinical outcomes.
Be designed according to principles of pragmatism, including:
- broad and representative eligibility criteria,
- recruitment in usual care settings,
- delivery of the intervention under real-world clinical conditions,
- minimal additional burden for patients and clinicians,
- use of routine care data when appropriate.
Integrate patient-centred endpoints, including prespecified and methodologically robust PROs assessing health-related QoL, symptoms, functioning, and treatment burden.
Demonstrate active patient involvement throughout the research process, including identifying unmet needs, assessing the relevance and importance of the research question for patients, informing trial design, evaluating and minimizing the burden of study participation, contributing to trial conduct, participating in the interpretation of study findings, and contributing to dissemination activities.
Provide a clear implementation plan outlining how the trial results could be rapidly adopted within European healthcare systems and inform clinical practice, guidelines, and policy.
Total budget
The estimated total budget for the FORCE first call is approximately 13 million EUR, provided by 11 funding organisations of the FORCE consortium. No maximum budget per trial is defined. The requested budget should be determined by the scientific and medical needs of the proposed trial and must be clearly justified. The FORCE consortium aims to fund around three to four clinical trials through the first FORCE Call. Applicants need to plan their budget in line with the strategic priorities of the call. As all participating funding organisations are charitable foundations, applicants are expected to propose a cost-conscious budget and ensure that all requested costs are necessary, proportionate, and clearly justified in relation to the patient needs, study design, and scientific objectives of the requested funding.
AI Based Application Success Predictor
1. Scientific Excellence (Highest Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
This is the most important evaluation criterion.
Competitive proposals demonstrate:
- Excellent scientific quality
- Novel research questions
- Clear objectives
- State-of-the-art knowledge
- Strong conceptual framework
- Appropriate methodology
Reviewers assess whether the project advances beyond the current state of the art and addresses important scientific or technological challenges.
2. Expected Impact (Highest Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
The EU places exceptional emphasis on impact.
Competitive proposals clearly explain how the project will contribute to:
- Improved health
- Economic growth
- Competitiveness
- Innovation
- Public policy
- Sustainability
- Climate goals
- Digital transformation
- Societal benefit
Applications must describe both the expected outcomes during the project and the longer-term impacts beyond it.
3. Excellent implementation plan (Highest Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Implementation is a formal evaluation criterion.
Competitive proposals include:
- Well-structured work packages
- Clearly defined milestones
- Deliverables
- Risk management
- Governance structure
- Project management plan
- Realistic timeline
A scientifically strong project can lose points if the implementation plan is weak.
4. Strong alignment with the specific Horizon Europe call (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Every Horizon Europe topic contains:
- Expected outcomes
- Expected impacts
- Scope
- Destination
- Policy objectives
Successful proposals directly address all elements of the published call text.
Poor alignment with the call is one of the most common reasons for rejection.
5. High-quality multidisciplinary consortium (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Most Horizon Europe collaborative projects require international consortia.
Competitive consortia typically include:
- Universities
- Hospitals
- Research institutes
- SMEs
- Industry
- Government organizations
- NGOs
- Patient organizations
- End users
Reviewers evaluate whether each partner contributes complementary expertise.
6. Innovation beyond the current state of the art (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Competitive projects demonstrate:
- Breakthrough concepts
- New technologies
- Novel methodologies
- Digital innovations
- AI applications
- Advanced therapeutics
- Platform technologies
Incremental improvements are generally less competitive unless explicitly requested by the call.
7. Strong dissemination, exploitation, and communication plan (Very High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
A distinctive feature of EU funding is the requirement for a comprehensive strategy covering:
Dissemination
- Scientific publications
- Conferences
- Open science
Exploitation
- Commercialization
- Clinical implementation
- Policy uptake
- Patents
- Licensing
Communication
- Public engagement
- Stakeholder outreach
- Media
- Social media
These activities are evaluated explicitly.
8. Capability of investigators and institutions (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)
Reviewers assess:
- Scientific expertise
- Previous achievements
- Leadership
- Infrastructure
- Project management experience
- Complementary skills
The consortium should collectively demonstrate the ability to deliver the project successfully.
9. Open Science, FAIR data, and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)
The EU strongly encourages:
- Open access publications
- FAIR data principles
- Data management plans
- Research integrity
- Gender equality
- Ethics
- Public engagement
- Responsible innovation
These aspects are integrated into Horizon Europe evaluation and project implementation.
10. Realistic budget and efficient resource allocation (High Predictor ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆)
Competitive proposals justify:
- Personnel costs
- Equipment
- Travel
- Subcontracts
- Infrastructure
- Cost-effectiveness
Reviewers evaluate whether the requested resources are appropriate for the planned work.
Specialties
Eligibility Requirements
The clinical study must be designed, initiated, conducted, and sponsored under the full responsibility of a non-industrial, non-profit sponsor, irrespective of its legal status (organised under public or private law). Trials sponsored by industry are not eligible.
The host institution (legal entity) is the official recipient of FORCE funding and will be the contracting party. Project Leaders and National Coordinators must be affiliated with an eligible institution and have the authority and capacity to ensure appropriate conduct of the study (if needed differentiate between requirements on international and national level) Funding may be granted to the following types of institutions:
Public research institutions
Non-profit organisations
Hospitals or other healthcare providers (organised under public, private or non-profit law)
Cooperative research groups: As a general principle, cooperative groups may participate in FORCE
-funded projects either as beneficiaries or as collaborators. Following exceptions apply:
- Cooperative research groups in Spain are not eligible as direct beneficiaries and therefore cannot act as Project Leaders or National Coordinators. They may, however, participate as collaborators. Funding is then allocated to an eligible host institution (e.g. hospital or research institution), which enters into the funding agreement and collaborates with the cooperative group.
For cooperative groups in the Netherlands, the national budget guidelines of KWF apply. (See section 5.5)
Costs are considered eligible if they:
are necessary to answer the research question, and
would not have been incurred in the absence of the trial. All costs must be reasonable, proportionate to the planned work, and in line with national standards.
Eligible Countries:
Sponsor Details
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Union
Sponsor Type: Government/Federal
Address: Berlaymont Building, Rue de la Loi 200, 1040 Brussels
Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer
Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.
Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.
Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.
Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.
Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.
Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.
Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.
Grant
Letter Of Intent Deadline:
Sep 21, 2026
Final Deadline:
Sep 21, 2026
Funding Amount:
$14,792,960
13 million EUR
Host Details
Affiliation: European Union
Address: Berlaymont Building, Rue de la Loi 200, 1040 Brussels
Website URL: https://force4cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FORCE-Joint-Call-2027.pdf
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.
Invite Gmail Contacts