The Czech Ministry of Health and the Czech Agency for Health Research (AZV ČR) have joined the so-called Widening process following the first round of two European research partnerships – THCS (Transforming Health and Care Systems) and EP PerMed (European Partnership for Personalised Medicine). This opens up the opportunity for Czech researchers to join successful international project consortia even before the start of the 2nd evaluation round.
What is the Widening process?
The Widening Process is a mechanism designed to support the involvement of institutions from underrepresented countries in international research consortia. It allows Czech applicants to join projects that have successfully passed the first round of transnational calls, thereby strengthening the involvement of Czech institutions in the European Research Area.
The involvement of a Czech partner in the consortium is possible provided the following conditions are met:
- The Czech applicant must bring clearly defined added value to the project;
- The coordinator of the successful project consortium must agree to the partner’s involvement in the form of a Letter of Intent;
- The Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic must confirm the availability of funds to support the Czech participant.
Funding for the participation of Czech entities is therefore contingent not only on successful inclusion in the consortium, but also on confirmation of the financial allocation by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic / AZV ČR.
THCS Call: Access to Care 2026
The European THCS Partnership (Transforming Health and Care Systems) focuses on the transformation of health and social care systems in Europe. The „Access to Care 2026“ call supports projects seeking innovative approaches to improving access to healthcare, the efficiency of healthcare systems, and the quality of services provided. Emphasis is placed, for example, on equal access to healthcare, the organization of care, the integration of health and social services, and the use of innovations and digital tools. The project duration is 3 years. A project consortium may consist of up to 9 partners. Each partner must meet the eligibility criteria of their national funding agency.
Countries participating in the call: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
In Round 2, Czech researchers can join successful consortia from Round 1 via the Partner Search Tool, which is used to contact coordinators seeking new partners from widening countries.
The deadline for full proposals submitted for the 2nd evaluation round is June 30, 2026.
Detailed information on national eligibility criteria is provided in the document „Conditions for the participation of a Czech applicant in the call“ available on the AZV ČR website in the document 03_brochure_THCS_update-2025.pdf (starting on page 25).
The second opportunity is the EP PerMed (European Partnership for Personalised Medicine) and its call „Personalised Medicine for CARdiovascular, MEtabolic, and kidNey diseases (CARMEN 2026)”.
EP PerMed Call: CARMEN 2026
The call focuses on research in personalised medicine in the field of cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney diseases. Support is provided for projects aiming for more accurate diagnostics, individualized treatment, the use of biomarkers, genomics, data-driven approaches, or new therapeutic strategies with the goal of improving prevention and patient care. As with THCS partnerships, Czech applicants may join successful consortia after the first call provided they demonstrate added value, obtain the project coordinator’s consent, and receive confirmation of funding from the Czech Ministry of Health.& nbsp;The project duration is 3 years. Each partner must meet the eligibility criteria of their national funding agency.
To search for suitable consortia and establish cooperation, the B2Match platform is available, where project coordinators seek new partners from widening countries.
The deadline for complete proposals submitted for the 2nd evaluation round is June 9, 2026.
Detailed conditions for the participation of Czech entities are available in the document „Conditions for the participation of a Czech applicant in the call“ on the AZV ČR website in the document 03-prirucka_vyzva-PerMed_2025.pdf (starting on page 26).
Further information
Funding for the participation of Czech entities is linked to the Program to Support Applied Health Research for 2024–2030, specifically Subprogram 3: European Partnerships in Health. Only applied research is supported.
Current information on both partnerships, conditions for participation, and links to partner platforms are available on the official websites:
- THCS – Transforming Health and Care Systems
- EP PerMed – European Partnership for Personalised Medicine
- Czech Health Research Agency (AZV ČR)