The ERA4Health Partnership, co-funded under the Horizon Europe Program has launched its 8th Joint Transnational Call (JTC8) titled "Understanding and Preventing Overweight and Obesity (PREVENT-OO)". The call aims to support multinational research projects focusing on understanding the mechanisms of overweight and obesity onset and progression, as well as developing novel strategies for prevention during critical transitional periods in life. It encourages multidisciplinary collaboration to generate new knowledge and preventive/therapeutic strategies. Projects must cover only one of the two topics and address at least one of the specified subtopics (1a/1b or 2a/2b):

1. Understanding causes of obesity and overweight and its complications with mechanistic research:

1a) To investigate biological mechanisms (chronobiological, genetic, epigenetic) and secondary factors (living environment, lifestyle) underlying the onset and progression.

1b) To investigate how overweight and obesity contribute to clinical complications and affect the mechanism of action of therapeutics against other diseases.

2. Prevention and public health strategies for critical transitional periods of life: (Only for critical transitional periods: e.g., postpartum, menopause, retirement, etc.)

2a) To understand and address neglected determinants, including their interdependency.

2b) To develop novel tools or preventive strategies (including the assessment of economic impact).

📌 Phase 3 and 4 clinical trials and studies solely addressing target groups aged from 12 to 25 years are excluded.

📅 Call Timeline

• Call Publication: 13 November 2025
• Webinar Info Day: 18 November 2025 (12.00)
• Matchmaking Event (for Topic 2): 21 November 2025 (15.00)
• Stage 1 (Pre-proposal) Submission Deadline: 21 January 2026 (14.00)
• Stage 1 Result Notification: 13 April 2026
• Stage 2 Webinar: 14 April 2026
• Stage 2 (Full Proposal) Submission Deadline: 11 June 2026 (13.00)
• Notification of Results: End of October 2026
• Project Start: December 2026 – May 2027

✅ Eligibility

• Proposals must be submitted by transnational consortia comprising a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 eligible partners from at least three different countries participating in the call.
• The consortium must include at least two eligible partners from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
• The maximum number of partners can be increased to 6 or 7 if partners from specific underrepresented countries (Estonia, Slovakia, or Taiwan) are included.
• No more than 2 eligible partners from the same country are allowed.
• Academia (universities, research institutes), Clinical/public health sector, Enterprises (private companies), and Operational stakeholders (patient organizations, municipalities, NGOs, etc.) are eligible to apply.
• Partners applying from Türkiye will be funded by TÜBİTAK.

📌 Applications must be submitted via both the international system (PT-Outline) and the national system (TÜBİTAK PBS).

📂 Support Scope and Duration

• The project duration is 36 months.

💶 Funding Opportunities (TÜBİTAK)

• The total budget allocated for Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) is €600,000.
• Maximum funding per project:
  • Public Institutions / Universities / Training and Research Hospitals:€100,000.
  • Private Companies: €185,000.
  • Funding Rates: 60% for large companies, 75% for SMEs.

📌 Useful Links

• Call Website
• International Submission System (PT-Outline)
• National Submission System
• Call Text
• Guidelines for Applicants