New European Partnerships Strengthen Research on Brain Health and Pandemic Preparedness

The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is participating in two new European Partnerships focusing on key health challenges – from improving brain health to preparing for future pandemics. Coordinated transnational research will serve as a sustainable scientific basis for prevention, tratment, and crisis management.

January 15, 2026

Modell eines menschlichen Gehirns auf einem Ständer — The new European Partnership BrainHealth is dedicated to neurological research. © Unsplash+/Alex Shuper

European Partnership BrainHealth: Research on neurological disorders

The FWF is part of the European Partnership BrainHealth (EP BrainHealth), which aims to improve neurological health at all stages of life. The focus is on the prevention, understanding, and treatment of neurological and mental illnesses. 54 organizations from 33 countries are involved in the Partnership, which will generate research results on preventing and treating brain disorders and improve the well-being of patients in Europe and beyond.

The FWF is participating in call 2 of the Partnership, “Biological, social and environmental factors that impact the trajectory of brain health across the lifespan – in the field of neurodegeneration.” This is a two-stage call: Pre-proposals can be submitted until March 10, 2026, full proposals until June 30, 2026. The maximum funding amount for FWF principal investigators is €450,000.

European Partnership BE READY: Preparing for future pandemics

The European Partnership BE READY (European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness) addresses another key research area: The program was created in response to the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and recent outbreaks such as bird flu (H5N1) and Mpox, which have shown just how closely linked environmental, animal, and human health are when viewed from a “One Health” approach.

BE READY plans to establish a coordinated European research system that is optimally prepared for future health crises caused by infectious diseases and equipped to react quickly and efficiently. The Partnership’s first call opens on January 19, 2026. Pre-proposals can be submitted until April 13, 2026, full proposals until August 20, 2026. The topic of the call is "BE READY: Advancing knowledge of host and pathogen dynamics to better combat emerging diseases." Funding is available for innovative research projects on the pandemic potential of emerging and recurring pathogens and the pathophysiology caused by these pathogens, as well as on the development of new medical countermeasures. The maximum funding amount for FWF principal investigators is also €450,000.