EFSA has launched two thematic grant calls for proposals in the areas of allergens and airborne plant pathogens. The thematic grant scheme aims to facilitate scientific cooperation in the EU, boost innovation and support the exchange of expertise and best practice in areas relating to EFSA’s work.
Both calls aim to encourage scientific cooperation among the Member States through the formation of consortia. EFSA is looking for innovative projects in the following two areas:
- Detection and quantification of allergens in foods and minimum eliciting doses in food allergic individuals.
- Smart monitoring of airborne plant pathogens: advances in aerobiology, and molecular diagnostics and remote sensing to support risk-based plant health surveillance in the EU.
Eligible applicants from the list of competent organizations designated by the Member States are welcome to submit their proposals by 25 October 2017.
What are thematic grants?
The thematic grants scheme is one of the several grants schemes at EFSA. How does it differ from the other grants? When awarding grants to scientific institutions or consortia, EFSA typically identifies the scientific area and expected outcomes. With thematic grants, EFSA indicates broad themes in key scientific areas identified by the Member States. This approach allows applicants to define and develop the specific scope of a project in line with the research interests of their own institutions.
For an overview of EFSA’s grant schemes please see our infographic.
Previous calls
Over the past two years, has EFSA awarded a total of five grant agreements as a result of thematic grant calls. The 2015 pilot call attracted interest from six consortia, comprising 34 organizations from 15 countries.
The second call, launched in April 2016, attracted similarly high interest and led to the award of grants worth roughly €1 million to three innovative research projects on methodology development in risk assessment.
Information on the awarded projects, the amounts awarded for each project and the consortia composition is available at EFSA’s website.
Calls for proposals:
