European Partnership ERDERA for Rare Diseases Research

Little research is being done on rare diseases and care for the afflicted is still in need of improvement. As part of the new European Partnership ERDERA, the FWF will will be funding projects that contribute to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of rare diseases.
September 23, 2024
A doctor looking at an X-ray image
The FWF is joining the new European Partnership ERDERA to intensify transnational research into rare diseases. © Getty Images/Unsplash

They’re not as rare as you might think: More than 30 million people in Europe suffer from rare diseases. In the EU, a disease is considered rare if no more than 500 out of 1 million people are affected. Over the last ten years, considerable progress has been made in rare disease research. Together with European partner organizations, the FWF is now going one step further: In order to better support research on these diseases throughout Europe, the new European Partnership ERDERA (European Rare Diseases Research Alliance) will offer researchers additional opportunities to study rare diseases.

The partnership was created to promote cross-border cooperation between excellent researchers in and outside of Europe in the field of rare diseases. The aim is to continue the previous activities of the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD).

More information on the first call for proposals and funding requirements will be made available in late 2024.