Rare diseases are life-threatening and chronically debilitating diseases. They are a priority of research funding in the European Union. In the European Union, a disease is considered rare when it affects not more than 1 person in 2000. More than 1 billion euro has been made by FP7 and H2020 to more than 200 collaborative projects related to rare diseases. More about their investment activity can be found here.
New funding opportunities by ERA-Nets
E-Rare posted information about new funding opportunities for rare diseases researchers. There are five calls for projects that were recently launched or are planned in the fields of cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and personalized medicine. More about those five projects can be found here.
Horizon 2020 project
The European Commission and the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) recognise the major medical need of people affected by a rare disease, who currently lack treatment options. The number of patients that are or will be affected by a rare disease in Europe is growing. Within the Horizon 2020 programme, the European Union (EU) has allocate funds towards high-quality projects with an international scope, leveraging both research and industry developments directed specifically at rare disease treatment. Also to incentivize the development of treatment options for rare diseases the EU has reduced the regulatory burden. More information about Horizon 2020 program can be found here.