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Virtual Human Twin (VHT) Models for Cancer Research

European Commission

Proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed and tailored towards and contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

Researchers of different disciplines use advanced multiscale Virtual Human Twins (VHTs) to expand the knowledge and understanding of cancer onset and progression
Healthcare professionals and researchers have access to advanced VHT-based solutions that model cancer onset and progression over time, contributing to improve personalised treatments
Researchers, healthcare professionals, innovators and citizens have access to cancer VHTs through the UNCAN.eu and the advanced Virtual Human Twin platforms

Scope:

Virtual human twins (VHTs) are digital representations and in-silico models of an individual’s health and disease at different levels of the human anatomy (e.g. cells, tissues, organs or organ systems) for the prevention, prediction, screening, diagnosis and treatment of a disease, as well as the selection and personalisation of intervention options[1].

The proposed topic will contribute to the EU Cancer Mission objectives by improving the accuracy of dynamic and multiscale VHTs to better understand cancer onset, predict progression and develop personalized treatments. Of particular interest for this topic are cancers with limited treatment options or unclear biological mechanisms, refractory cancers, rare cancers, early-onset cancers, cancer types with low five-year survival rates, or paediatric and adolescent cancers[2].

Applicants should take advantage of technological advances in AI tools which open new opportunities to collect, combine and analyse large datasets of diverse types, including multi-omics patient data, tumour molecular profiles, immune profiles, medical images and real word data. Age, sex and gender differences should be duly considered. When relevant, proposals should build on current approaches, standards, data repositories and use modelling assets including but not limited to those provided by the future Advanced VHT Platform[3], the European Open Science Cloud[4], the European 1M+ Genomes[5] and the European Cancer Imaging initiatives[6].

The applicants should address all of the following activities:

To develop innovative, dynamic multiscale VHTs for advancing the mechanistic knowledge and understanding of cancer onset and progression and develop or improve innovative personalised treatments. VHTs should integrate AI tools for the analysis of large volumes of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) multimodal data, increasing their predictive capability and, when appropriate, utilise IT solutions for model visualisation via Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality.
To update and validate VHTs with longitudinal newly collected or existing FAIR patient data and generate evidence that VHT models can deliver clinically meaningful observations to improve treatment of the studied cancer type, demonstrating VHT accessibility and usability for clinical uptake. The use of data and services provided by ESFRI research infrastructures in the life science domain[7] should be considered when appropriate.
To enrich and make available data and model assets in the UNCAN.eu research platform and in the Advanced VHT Platform following the principles of open science. Newly collected patient datasets must be described with metadata records in the EU dataset catalogue of the European Health Data Space.
Collaboration among different scientific disciplines, including healthcare professionals and patients throughout all stages of VHTs development is envisaged[8].

Successful proposals will be asked to join the 'Understanding' project cluster of the EU Cancer Mission[9] and should include a budget for networking, attendance at meetings and joint activities[10]. The Commission will facilitate coordination of this activity. Collaboration is encouraged also with Horizon Europe projects supporting the VHT initiative[11], as appropriate.

Applicants envisaging to include clinical studies should provide details in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

All Horizon Europe proposals are scored on three decisive pillars:

✔️ Excellence

Clear, innovative idea beyond state-of-the-art
Strong methodology and scientific credibility
Well-defined, measurable objectives

✔️ Impact (most decisive in practice)

Demonstrated societal, economic, or environmental impact
Strong dissemination & exploitation plan
Alignment with EU priorities (Green Deal, digital, SDGs)

✔️ Quality & Efficiency of Implementation

Realistic work plan, timeline, and deliverables
Clear governance and task distribution
Feasible and justified budget

👉 Proposals must meet minimum thresholds (≈10/15 total) and ≥3 per criterion to be fundable

🧠 2. Consortium Strength (Top Empirical Predictor)

From large-scale studies of EU Framework grants:

Key factors:

Prior EU funding experience (very strong predictor)
High scientific reputation / excellence of partners
Strong existing collaborations (network familiarity)
High “network visibility” in EU research ecosystem

Structural advantages:

Balanced consortium (academia + industry + SMEs)
Inclusion of well-established Western EU institutions
Application-oriented collaborations perform better

👉 This is one of the most consistently proven predictors across studies

🌍 3. Strategic Consortium Composition

Successful proposals often show:

Multidisciplinary & cross-sector teams
Inclusion of:
- Universities
- Industry/SMEs
- Public or non-profit organizations
Alignment of partner roles with project objectives

👉 “Triangular collaboration” (academia + industry + research orgs) is common in funded projects

📊 4. Strong Alignment with Call Topic

Precise match with call scope and expected outcomes
Explicit referencing of:
- Work Programme priorities
- EU missions / policy goals
Avoid “generic” proposals

👉 Misalignment is a major reason for rejection (even for strong science)

📑 5. Proposal Quality & Compliance

Critical but often underestimated predictors:

Full compliance with:
- Formatting rules
- Page limits
- Mandatory annexes
Clear, readable, structured writing
Inclusion of ethics, gender, and data management plans

👉 Administrative errors can lead to automatic rejection

💰 6. Budget Credibility

Budget must be:
- Realistic
- Justified per work package
- Linked to outputs

👉 Weak or inflated budgets reduce evaluation scores

⏳ 7. Preparation Time & Proposal Development

Successful consortia typically:
- Start 6–8 months in advance
- Iterate drafts and internal reviews
Proposal preparation often requires 2–3 person-months effort

📈 8. Experience with Evaluation Process

Understanding scoring system and evaluator mindset is crucial
Key predictors:
- Prior submissions (even unsuccessful ones)
- Use of experienced coordinators or consultants

👉 Studies show success depends on both:

Excellent idea
Understanding evaluation system

📉 9. Success Rate Context (Competitiveness)

Average success rate ≈ 16% in Horizon Europe

👉 Meaning: even strong proposals fail → optimization of all predictors is essential

🧩 Summary: Most Important Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

Strong consortium (experience + reputation)
Clear impact (policy + societal relevance)
Excellence of idea

Moderate but critical:
4. Implementation quality
5. Call alignment
6. Budget credibility

Supporting factors:
7. Proposal writing quality & compliance
8. Early preparation
9. Familiarity with EU evaluation process

💡 Practical Insight

The biggest shift from Horizon 2020 → Horizon Europe is:

👉 Impact is now as important (or more) than scientific excellence

Specialties

Cancer

Others

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Commission

Sponsor Type: Government/Federal

Address: Berlaymont Building, Rue de la Loi 200, 1040 Brussels

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