Health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals: bridging science-policy gaps by addressing persistent scientific uncertainties

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Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Horizon Europe (2021-2027)

Programme Description

Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-HLTH-2023-ENVHLTH-02-03

Call

Health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals: bridging science-policy gaps by addressing persistent scientific uncertainties

Summary

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are of increasing importance in chemical regulations in the European Union. This approach would aim at, inter alia, minimising overall exposure of humans and the environment to endocrine disruptors, paying particular attention to exposures during important periods of development of an organism, such as foetal development and puberty, possibly integrating a life course approach, as well as accelerating the development of a thorough research basis for effective and forward-looking decision-making. This includes research for the further management of chemicals (including multi-constituent chemicals as well as chemical mixtures), the understanding of the mechanistic effects of endocrine disruptors and their dose-response relationships (including at the molecular and cellular level through the use of new approach methodologies, such as ‘multiomics’, cheminformatics, in vitro 2D and 3D models, in vivo models and computational approaches), and the collection, sharing, harmonisation and combination of robust data sources.

Detailed Call Description

Bringing together, inter alia, (molecular) epidemiologists, exposure scientists, toxicologists, endocrinologists, health care practitioners and risk assessors, research actions under this topic should focus on the understanding of the impact of exposures at critical life stages as regards development of diseases later in life, focusing on the several health endpoints for which there is currently less information available. The nature of the dose-response relationships and whether effects are threshold-dependent should be addressed in the study designs. Similarities between endocrine systems and certain health outcomes across species should be exploited to improve understanding of functioning of the endocrine system. Finally, research should attempt at identifying predictive biomarkers (e.g. from liquid biopsies such as saliva, urine, blood) that would allow the tracing of endocrine disrupter-mediated health effects in a shorter period of time than normally would be required for epidemiological studies.

Research actions under this topic should provide forward-looking mechanistic information on potential hazards and health risks of exposures to EDCs, through innovative molecular epidemiological, multifactorial models and systems biology approaches, exploiting the use of state of the art non-animal methodologies when relevant, and should include several of the following activities:

  • Studying the impact of EDCs on target organs and in multi-organ models, and physiological barriers, such as the placenta, the blood-brain barrier, the blood-saliva barrier, intestinal, pulmonary and immune cells as well as their interaction with microbiota. This should include the provision of a thorough understanding of dose-response relationships;
  • Elucidating health endpoints for which insufficient data exist, such as disturbances in the development and functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the immune system, bone development and disease, obesity, diabetes, hormone-dependent cancers and fertility (e.g. minipuberty, prepuberty and puberty);
  • Providing better biological and imaging biomarkers to predict EDC-mediated health outcomes, including the quantitative probabilities of having an adverse effect based on such biomarkers;
  • Gaining better insights into the developmental origins of health and disease, especially for those where less data are available. Assessing the occurrence and relevance of multi- and transgenerationally inherited effects, including molecular and epigenetic mechanisms that drive multigenerational effects;
  • Gaining better insights into the most sensitive windows of susceptibility, during which exposure are of particular importance for health effects;
  • Better understanding of the effects of chemicals and chemical mixtures on the underlying mechanistic crosstalk between endocrine axes, endocrine pathways and other key biological systems, including immune, neurological and metabolic functions;
  • Improving the understanding of chemical mixture effects, including with other toxins and at low doses. The role of the microbiome in the activation or detoxification of these chemicals should be explored where relevant.
  • Investigating biological effects of realistic mixtures to get a more detailed understanding of the endocrine effectome, taking advantage of computational toxicology and development of up-to-date models;
  • Performing comparative analysis between species, assessing similarities to human endocrine system and health outcomes and exploiting non-mammalian species as test organisms, e.g. non-mammalian vertebrates and invertebrates to predict effects or raise concern about potential effects in humans or vice versa;
  • Exploiting systems biology approaches in order to understand how exposure to an EDC results in an altered phenotype, a process that implies complex interactions across multiple levels of biological organisation.

Call Total Budget

€40,00 million

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

100%

Contribution per project: between €6,00 and €7,00 million

Depending on the scope of proposals selected for funding, these activities may include:

  • Attendance of regular joint meetings (e.g., common kick-off meeting and annual meetings).
  • Periodic report of joint activities (delivered at each reporting period).
  • Common dissemination and communication activities (which may include, for example: a common dissemination and communication strategy, web portal and visual identity, brochure, newsletters).
  • Common Data Management Strategy and Common Policy Strategy (including joint policy briefs).
  • Thematic workshops/trainings on issues of common interest.
  • Working groups on topics of common interest (e.g. data management, communication and dissemination, science-policy link, scientific synergies).

Thematic Categories

  • Health
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

  • Associations
  • Central Government
  • Employers
  • International Organisations
  • Local Authorities
  • NGOs
  • Non Profit Organisations
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Semi-governmental organisations
  • State-owned Enterprises

Eligibility For Participation Notes

In recognition of the opening of the US National Institutes of Health’s programmes to European researchers, any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding.

  • Public authorities
  • Scientific community
  • Employers
  • Citizens

Call Opening Date

12/01/2023

Call Closing Date

13/04/2023

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation

29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia
P.O.Box 23422, 1683 Nicosia

Telephone: +357 22205000
Email Address: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/

Contact Persons:
George Christou

Scientific Officer
Email: gchristou@research.org.cy

Ioannis Theodorou
Scientific Officer
Telephone: +357 22 205 038
Contact Email: itheodorou@research.org.cy

(Publish Date: 09/02/2023-for internal use only)

EU Contact Point

European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact