A Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) is a European process by which Member States engage on a variable-geometry basis in defining, mapping, developing and implementing an agreed vision document with common Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) to address major societal challenges that no individual Member State is capable of handling independently.

A key step in the implementation of the Joint Programming Initiative "A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life" (JPI HDHL) Strategic Research Agenda is the development of joint research activities in the area of intestinal microbiomics with the aim to share and integrate data for performing meta-analyses and standardise methods to analyse and understand the human diet-gut microbiome interaction.

a. Objective

The main objective of the Joint Action "Intestinal Microbiomics" is to support multidisciplinary transnational research consortia using innovative and scientific approaches to increase knowledge on:

1. The short-term and long-term functional effects of diet, dietary patterns and dietary constituents on human intestinal microbiota.

2. The functional impact of diet-related variations in the intestinal microbiota on human health and/or the development of non-communicable chronic disease.

b. Vision

The overall vision is to develop dietary interventions or guidance for modulation of the intestinal microbiome to promote health and/or prevent the development of non-communicable chronic diseases. The program should generate new knowledge to support health maintenance and/or new treatments.

c. Research areas and activities

Multidisciplinary research consortia should submit research projects addressing:

Mechanistic research investigating causal relationships between diet, intestinal microbiota and health.

The functionality of the intestinal ecosystem, i.e., synergies between organisms and their metabolism and how the ecological metabolites affect host health.

A focus on health maintenance and/or optimisation is preferred, but projects using clinical samples or disease cohorts to study methods of preventing non-communicable diseases, at various life stages are also acceptable.

Methods that build on and have the potential to go beyond current best practice for standardisation.

Data sharing and data integration.

Capacity building is encouraged (PhD/postdoc research and research mobility).

d. Application details (Spain):

National funding organizations eligibility criteria for Spain (see ANNEX 1):

National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII):

- National eligibility criteria: Only research groups from a CIBER, CNIC or IIS are eligible to send an EoI. An additional statement declaring the eligibility and ensuring funding if awarded, signed by the Scientific Director and the Management Director of the CIBER, CNIC or IIS must be sent by each PI applicant to any of the ISCIII NCP´s and received prior to the deadline of the EoI closing. Proposals not accompanied by this statement will be considered ineligible.

- Eligible Costs: Research costs (e.g. staff and consumables); Travel costs; Communication & dissemination costs; Coordinators’ costs; Training & capacity building; Mobility.

- Anticipated amount of funding for this call: In-kind contribution (approximately €115.000). ISCIII is providing the institutional program funds for these in-kind distributions of the CIBER, CNIC and IIS.

Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO):

- National eligibility criteria:

Universities, Public Research Institutions, Technological Centers, and other Private non-profit Institutions performing RDI activities in Spain.

Eligible applicants must hold a Doctoral degree and have experience as principal investigators (PI) in projects funded by the Plan Nacional I+D+I 2008-2011 and/or the Plan Estatal I+D+I 2013-2016 in programmes managed by the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (DGICT), MINECO.

The projects mainly aimed at clinical or epidemiological research are not eligible for funding from DGICT.

Once the transnational evaluation procedure has been completed and the researchers involved have been notified, the Spanish applicants that are offered funding will be invited to formally apply to the call of Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (modality Acciones de Programación Conjunta Internacional APCIN 2016).

MINECO will avoid double funding and will not finance projects or parts of projects that have been funded through other national, ERA-NET, JPI or EU calls.

The same PI is not allowed to apply for funding in more than one proposal of this call, and will be allowed to submit only one proposal to the national APCIN 2016 call.

PIs granted through the APCIN 2015 call will not be allowed to apply for funding through the APCIN 2016 call, independently of the international programme in which the proposal is included.

PIs granted through APCIN 2016 will not be eligible to apply to another APCIN call, (or to the national instrument designed for funding international actions by the DGCIT), until two thirds of the project duration has been completed.

- Eligible Costs: Only additional (marginal) cost will be eligible. Direct costs: including personnel costs for temporary contracts (fellowships are not eligible) and other costs (consumables, small equipment, use of research infrastructures or services, travel and mobility costs, organization of consortium meetings, etc.; according to national call regulations. Indirect costs (overheads) are not eligible for funding in this programme.

- Anticipated amount of funding for this call: €700.000

- Max. funding per partner: Maximum requested funding is 150.000 € per partner (200.000 € per project coordinator). When more than one Spanish partner participate in the same proposal, the maximum funding of the Spanish part should not exceed 250.000 € per project. Important: Applicants must confirm their eligibility by sending their personal and institutional information to the NCP by 14th April 2015.

Eligibility: Only transnational projects will be funded: each consortium must involve research groups from at least three different countries that are participating in the call. Each consortium must involve a minimum of three partners and a maximum of eight partners. For reasons of transnational balance, no more than two partners from the same country are allowed to join the consortium.

Research groups from countries that do not participate in the Joint Action “Intestinal Microbiomics” (i.e., collaborators) may participate in projects if they are able to secure their own funding. They must state clearly in the proposal that funds are secured in advance of the project start. However, the majority of research groups in a consortium and the coordinator must be from countries participating in the Joint Action and the total number of partners in the consortium must not exceed eight. Each consortium should have the critical mass of different scientific disciplines to achieve ambitious scientific goals and the proposals should clearly demonstrate added value from working together. The project coordinator will be responsible for its internal management and will represent the consortium externally.

Funding modalities: projects can be funded for a period of up to three years. The eligibility of costs (e.g., personnel, material, consumables, equipment, travel expenses) are subject to the national regulations of the individual funding organisations and may therefore vary. Each partner is responsible for providing financial reports to its national funding organisation. Whilst applications will be submitted jointly by groups from different countries, individual research groups will be funded by the individual JPI HDHL national funding organisations.

e. Deadlines

Pre-proposal submission

- VHIR's deadline: April 21st, 2015

- Official deadline: April 28th, 2015 at 16:00 CET

Full-proposal submission (if invited)

- VHIR's deadline: August 25th, 2015

- Official deadline: September 1st, 2015 at 16:00 CET

f. Further information:

Call information: HERE

Access to submission system: HERE