The European Partnership for Brain Health (BrainHealth) has opened its first Call: Biological, social and environmental factors in brain health. The focus is on how biological, social and environmental factors influence the course of neurological, mental and sensory disorders throughout life. New insights can contribute to better prevention, treatment and societal impact.
Brain disorders are among the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. They have a huge impact on people living with them, their environment, and on healthcare and the economy. Therefore, it is important to better understand which factors affect brain health at every stage of life, from pregnancy to old age, and how we can monitor and influence these factors for positive impact.
About BrainHealth
The European Partnership for Brain Health (EP BrainHealth) brings together 54 partners from 33 countries with the common goal of improving brain health for everyone by developing scientific knowledge as a basis for promoting brain health throughout life, preventing and curing brain diseases, and improving the well-being of people with neurological and psychiatric disorders in Europe and beyond.
Purpose of the Call
The EP BrainHealth invites researchers to combine a holistic approach to brain health with in-depth biological insight. The purpose of the Call is to facilitate multinational, collaborative and interdisciplinary research addressing critical transnational questions. The focus is on how biological, social and environmental factors influence the course of neurological, mental and sensory disorders throughout life. Funding for this Call is provided by NWO in collaboration with the Hersenstichting.
Applications must be interdisciplinary and relate to at least two of the three factors influencing brain health development:
- Biological factors – for example genetics, epigenetics, -omics, neuroplasticity, inflammation, infections, synaptogenesis, circuits, vascular factors, sensory impairments and comorbidities.
- Lifestyle and social factors – for example physical activity, nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, work and income, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sex and gender, education, safety, social interactions, access to healthcare, stress, trauma and migration.
- Environmental factors – for example pollution, urbanization, disasters, pandemics, war and conflicts, climate change, microbiota and nature.
Want to know more? Click the button below to read the Call for proposals.
Budget and deadlines
NWO and the Hersenstichting are making a total of 2 million euros available for this Call.
Within this Call, a maximum of 400,000 euros per project can be requested from NWO. The maximum project duration is three years. Available NWO budget modules are: Personnel (postdoc, Non-Scientific Staff, replacement subsidy), Equipment, Knowledge Utilization, Project Management.
Deadline for pre-registration (mandatory): March 10, 2026, 14:00 CET.
Deadline for full application: June 30, 2026, 14:00 CEST.
About NWO and European collaborations
NWO participates in various European Partnerships that are part of Horizon Europe (2021-2027), the European framework programme for research and innovation. These partnerships focus on complex societal challenges and strive for real impact on a large scale. BrainHealth is one of these partnerships.