Deadline: 07 April 2026
The Networking Support Scheme (NSS) within ERDERA invites the rare disease and rare cancer community to unite across borders, disciplines, and sectors through collaborative networking events that foster knowledge sharing and research partnerships.
The focus of this scheme is to support the organisation of transnational networking events that promote knowledge sharing, research uptake and collaborations among clinicians, researchers, and patients/patient advocacy organizations (PAOs). These events will strengthen new or expanding research networks on rare diseases and rare cancers in general and promote the inclusion of typically underrepresented countries (UCs) in European rare diseases and rare cancers networks in particular.
With funding of up to €30,000 per networking event, the scheme has been open since May 2025, providing a flexible framework for building essential connections that advance meaningful knowledge exchange in rare disease and rare cancer research. The initiative focuses on uniting the scientific and clinical community while empowering patient groups to participate in transnational cooperation.
The Networking Support Scheme is open to applicants based in most ERDERA participating countries. Eligible applicants include researchers, including early-career researchers, clinicians, research managers, and representatives of patient and patient advocacy organisations. Each proposed networking event must have a clear focus on rare disease or rare cancer research while addressing the two main aims of the call: promoting knowledge exchange and supporting greater inclusion of underrepresented countries.
For this call, underrepresented countries (UCs) include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Türkiye. Events must include participants from at least three different eligible countries and can be held either in-person or in a hybrid format, allowing broad participation and accessibility.
By enabling cross-border engagement, the NSS aims to strengthen the European rare disease and rare cancer research landscape, encouraging long-term collaboration and the integration of less-represented regions into major research efforts.
For more information, visit ERDERA.