Opportunities for vaccine research in Europe

Figures & data

Table 1. FP7 and Horizon 2020 instruments for research funding

Name	Description
Research & Innovation actions	Activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. For this purpose they may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing and validation on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment. Projects may contain closely connected but limited demonstration or pilot activities aiming to show technical feasibility in a near to operational environment.
Coordination and support actions	Accompanying measures such as standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogs and mutual learning exercises and studies.
Grants of the European Research Council (ERC)^Citation9 to support frontier research	Starting Grant - support up-and-coming research leaders who are about to establish a proper research team and to start conducting independent research in Europe. The scheme targets promising researchers who have the proven potential of becoming independent research leaders. It will support the creation of excellent new research teams. For researchers of any nationality with 2–7 y of experience since completion of PhD (or equivalent degree) and scientific track record showing great promise. Consolidator Grant - support researchers at the stage at which they are consolidating their own independent research team or program. The scheme will strengthen independent and excellent new individual research teams that have been recently created. For researchers of any nationality with 7–12 y of experience since completion of PhD (or equivalent degree) and scientific track record showing great promise. Advanced Grant – for exceptional established research leaders of any nationality and any age to pursue ground-breaking, high-risk projects that open new directions in their respective research fields or other domains. The ERC Advanced Grant funding targets researchers who have already established themselves as independent research leaders in their own right. Proof of Concept Grant - open to researchers who have already been awarded an ERC grant. ERC grant  holders can apply for this additional funding to establish the innovation potential of ideas arising from  their ERC-funded frontier research projects. Synergy grant - to enable a small group of researchers and their teams to bring together complementary  skills, knowledge, and resources in new ways, in order to jointly address a research problem.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA)^Citation10	Individual Fellowships Innovative Training Networks Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes
SME instrument^Citation12	Phase 1 Feasibility study verifying the technological/practical as well as economic viability of an innovation idea with considerable novelty to the industry sector in which it is presented. The activities could, for example, comprise a business plan, risk assessment, market study, user involvement, intellectual property management, innovation strategy development, partner search, feasibility of concept and the like. Phase 2 Innovation projects that demonstrate high potential in terms of company competitiveness and growth underpinned by a strategic business plan. Activities should focus on innovation activities such as demonstration, testing, prototyping, piloting, scaling-up, miniaturisation, design, and market replication but may also include research.
Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI)^Citation5	Calls for proposals aim at supporting prospective, pre-competitive pharmaceutical research and development. Stage 1: An open Call for proposals is published on the IMI website, where all interested parties from academia, SMEs, patient organisations, regulatory agencies, and large non-EFPIA companies are invited to form Applicant Consortia and to submit an Expression of Interest in response to the Call. Stage 2: Following the first stage peer review, the Applicant Consortium of the best Expression of Interest, and the EFPIA consortium already associated to the topic, are invited to form a full project consortium. IMI projects receive funding from the EU, matched by mostly in-kind contributions of EFPIA members present in the consortium. Exception: The recently published “Ebola and other filoviral hemorrhagic fevers” call for proposals is a single stage, fast track procedure. It includes 5 topics: Vaccine development phase I, II, and III; Manufacturing capability; Stability of vaccines during transport and storage; Deployment and compliance of vaccination regimens and Rapid diagnostic tests.
European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)^Citation6	Funding of projects focusing on validation of the clinical performance and/or implementation of new or improved diagnostic tools and technologies for detection of any of the poverty-related diseases, including as co-infections. EDCTP also supports training for researchers from low- and middle-income countries who are involved in clinical research projects to develop skills for conducting clinical trials outside of an academic or public sector setting.

Figure 1. (A) Sum of EU contribution (in €million) per participants organization type (%) in FP7 collaborative vaccine projects for infectious diseases. Legend: HES, higher or secondary education; REC, research organization; PRC, private for profit (excluding education); PUB, public body; OTH, others. (B): Number of participants per country in 43 FP7 collaborative vaccine projects for infectious diseases.

Zerhouni EA, Potocnik J. European union and NIH collaborate (Letters). Science 2008; 322:1048; PMID:18974314; http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1167667

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

The European Research Council. Funding and grants. [Internet] 2014- [cited 2015 June 17] Available at: http://erc.europa.eu/funding-and-grants.

 Google Scholar

Home - Research Participant Portal - European Commission [Internet]. Brussels (BE): funding opportunities-horizon 2020 manual. 2014- [cited 2015 June 17]. HORIZON 2020 DEDICATED SME INSTRUMENT. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/calls/h2020-smeinst-2-2014.html.

 Google Scholar

The Innovative Medicines Initiative. [Internet] 2010-[cited 2015 June 17]. Available at: http://www.imi.europa.eu.

 Google Scholar

EDCTP: Home. The European & developing countries clinical trials partnership [Internet] 2014- [cited 2015 June 17]. Available at: http://www.edctp.org.

 Google Scholar