NIRO Global & European Commission Research & Innovation Initiatives and Programme Opportunities
Overview of all programmes

AMR Action fund

The AMR Action Fund is a public-private partnership investing in the development of new antimicrobial therapeutics. It focuses investments in clinical-stage companies that are developing antimicrobial therapeutics for priority pathogens, as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Asian Development Bank

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s work in the health sector supports health infrastructure and systems, as well as governance and financing. In 2013, ADB set up the Regional Malaria and Other Communicable Disease Threats Trust Fund (RMTF) to support developing countries in the region in developing multi-country and multisector responses to malaria and other communicable disease issues.

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)’s work in health supports international development cooperation on priority health issues. Within the Global Health division of DFAT, the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security invests in projects in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, including a focus on infection prevention and control and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These project investments are complemented by targeted support for the work of key multilateral organisations in the region, including the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to fight poverty, disease and inequity across the world. BMGF’s Global Health Division focuses on reducing the burden of infectious diseases and the leading causes of death for women and children in developing countries.

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Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a not-for-profit working closely with governments and the private sector to strengthen disease surveillance and data analysis, and support and scale up the delivery of preventive and therapeutic interventions, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Originally focusing on HIV/AIDS, CHAI has expanded its focus to cover a host of infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.

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Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X)

The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is a global not-for-profit partnership led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. It is dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development of innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics for drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X focuses investment on projects that target priority pathogens, as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit research and development organisation founded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and five international research institutions. It is dedicated to the discovery, development, and delivery of affordable and patient-friendly treatments across the world, covering a range of historically neglected disease areas.

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EU Mission on Cancer

Specific support for cancer projects in Horizon 2020’ and replace with: ‘One of five EU Missions, the Mission on Cancer together with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to provide a better understanding of cancer, allow for earlier diagnosis and optimisation of treatment and improve cancer patients’ quality of life during and beyond their cancer treatment.

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European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator

EIC Accelerator supports smaller actors in developing innovative solutions that would allow them to scale up. The focus is on innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated.

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European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition

EIC Transition supports the maturation and validation of novel technology in the lab and in relevant application environments.as well as the development of a business case and business model to commercialise this novel technology.

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European Investment Bank (EIB)

The European Investment Bank (EIB) works closely with other EU institutions to foster European integration, promote the development of the EU and support EU policies in over 160 countries around the world.

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European Partnership for Fostering a European Research Area for Health (ERA4Health)

The European Partnership for Fostering a European Research Area for Health (ERA4Health) is a partnership between 33 countries covering 17 of the 27 actual members of the European Union, 3 Third countries associated with Horizon Europe (Israel, Norway and Turkey) and 2 Third countries (Egypt and Taiwan). It aims to improve flexible joint programming with a specific focus on research funders. This partnership aims to include smaller EU research funders.

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European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness

The European Partnership on Pandemic Preparedness aims to improve the European Union’s (EU) preparedness to predict, prevent and respond to emerging infectious health threats by better coordinating funding for research and innovation at EU, national (and regional) levels. Proposed in February 2022, the Partnership is currently being negotiated, and expected to become fully operational within future Horizon Europe Work Programmes.

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European Partnership on One-Health Anti-Microbial Resistance (OH AMR)

The One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OH AMR) partnership aims to support the coordination and alignment of AMR research activities and funding in Europe and beyond. The main goal is to contribute to achieving the objectives of the European One Health Action Plan against AMR and the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on AMR, by reducing the threat of AMR and contribute to achieving the objectives of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). Proposed in February 2022, the Partnership is currently being negotiated, and expected to become fully operational within future Horizon Europe Work Programmes.

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European Partnership on Rare Diseases (RD)

The Rare Diseases partnership aims to enhance stakeholder collaboration on rare diseases to improve the life of patients by developing treatments and diagnostics. Proposed in February 2022, the Partnership is currently being negotiated, and expected to become fully operational within future Horizon Europe Work Programmes.

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Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

The Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) (BMBF) provides funding for research projects and institutions and has a department specifically devoted to Health Research. As part of the German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy, BMBF provides substantial support for research and development in antibiotic resistance through various funding opportunities. Key examples are the Global Antimicrobial Research and Development Hub (Global AMR R&D Hub), bringing together the European Commission, national governments, and international funding organisations, and InfectControl 2020, a research collaboration between research institutes and industrial companies.

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Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF)

The Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) is UK aid fund that supports research and development around the world to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). GAMRIF works with a range of organisations using bilateral partnerships, global research initiatives and product development partnerships, establishing global and international research partnerships, leveraging investments from partners and donors to support sustainable partnerships for AMR, and funding projects that aim to develop solutions specifically for LMICs.

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Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is a not-for-profit organisation developing new treatments in the area of serious bacterial infections, with a focus on children and newborns, and sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhoea. Established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (DNDi) in 2016, GARDP is a core element of WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.

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Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU)

The Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU) is a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the EDCTP Association, whose members are several European and African countries. It supports the development of new solutions for reducing the burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, and strengthen research capacities to prepare and respond to re-emerging infectious diseases in this region and worldwide.

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Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund)

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) is an international public-private partnership between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It facilitates global R&D partnerships for the discovery and development of new health technologies for the developing world and invests in these global R&D partnerships through a grant-making mechanism. Its portfolio covers drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.

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Initiative 5% (France)

Initiative 5% is a facility implemented by the public agency Expertise France and complementing the Global Fund Initiative in building a more effective response to pandemics, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and strengthening the health impact of funded programmes for populations. Set up in 2011, it supports recipients in accessing Global Fund funding and improving the effectiveness of grants, mainly in French-speaking countries.

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Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)

The Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) aims to foster innovation across the health industry, covering the entire cycle of healthcare, in close cooperation with industry players.
Under the 2024 work programme, two calls are open.

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Irish Aid

Irish Aid is the Irish Government’s programme for overseas development, managed by the Development Co-operation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Irish Aid invests in research that focuses on improving the health of the poorest and most vulnerable communities, covering infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV, as well as vaccine development.

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Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was established in April 1991 by the Korean Government as a governmental agency dedicated to providing grant aid programs. It operates both domestically and internationally as a development cooperation platform contributing to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Through its Global Disease Eradication Fund, KOICA partners with international non-governmental organisations and the private sector to prevent and eradicate infectious diseases in developing countries.

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MedAccess

MedAccess is a UK-based social-finance enterprise accelerating access to vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and technologies for people in underserved communities. Founded by British International Investment, MedAccess brokers and finances agreements that enable suppliers and procurers to get products to health workers and patients more quickly. Its portfolio covers HIV/AIDS and syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, and other neglected diseases.

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Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

The Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a product development partnership (PDP) working to address unmet medical needs for key populations, such as children, pregnant women and people suffering from relapsing and drug-resistant malaria. MMV holds a large portfolio of antimalarial projects worldwide, covering all stages of product development.

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)

The Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (BZ) of The Netherlands has committed to enhance its efforts in global health, having established a Dutch Global Health Strategy. The focus will be on strengthening health systems across the world and international cooperation in preparation for future pandemics.

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Open Philanthropy

Open Philanthropy started as a partnership between GiveWell and Good Ventures and has operated as an independent organisation since 2017. Global Health and Wellbeing is a key focus area of Open Philanthropy investment, and includes support to research on malaria.

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Research Infrastructures (RIs)

Research Infrastructures (RIs) aim to address global environmental, social and economic challenges by maximising science and technological contributions to meet societal needs whilst increasing the European Union’s (EU) competitiveness. RIs provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields.  Examples of resources and services provided include, but are not limited to equipment or sets of instruments, knowledge-related facilities, archives or scientific data infrastructures, computing systems, and communication networks.

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RIGHT Foundation

The RIGHT Foundation is a South Korea-based public-private partnership (PPP) between the Government of Korea (GOK), Korean Life Science companies, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Dedicated to supporting global health R&D, it provides a platform for catalysing collaboration between Korean and international researchers to develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for infectious diseases (both endemic and emerging) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

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Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation has long been a pioneer in global health, leading campaigns to eradicate hookworm disease, malaria and yellow fever in the first half of the twentieth century, and funding research into vaccine development. Having shifted its approach in the 1970s, moving away from campaigns against a single disease towards multidisciplinary efforts, the US-based Foundation helps developing countries across the world with community health, environmental issues and other major challenges.

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Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is the international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, working with local communities across the world to promote healthy lifestyles and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. It also supports the prevention, treatment and research on communicable diseases such as malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and HIV/AIDS.

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TB Alliance

TB Alliance is a not-for-profit product development partnership (PDP) dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of better, faster-acting and affordable tuberculosis drugs. It holds the largest pipeline of new TB drugs in history and has advanced multiple products to market.

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Unitaid

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, more affordably and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Their work includes funding initiatives to address diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management.

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United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the UK’s ministerial department responsible for foreign affairs and international development. A key FCDO priority is supporting research in infectious diseases, including developing new technologies and supporting health systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Among others, FCDO is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), CEPI, Wellcome Trust, the UK Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Medical Research Council (MRC), and the WHO to drive forward the agenda on infectious disease preparedness.

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United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s global health efforts are focused on three strategic priorities: preventing child and maternal deaths, controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and combating infectious diseases. Among others, the latter covers malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases pandemic influenza.

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United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)

Within the US Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) invests in advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures needed to combat health security threats – including vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products. BARDA’s active areas of interest (AOIs) include antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and influenza and emerging infectious diseases (IEID).

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United States Department of Defense (DOD)

The US Department of Defense (DOD) works with foreign nations to establish and develop international partnerships through joint medical training exercises and public health initiatives to support and strengthen the public health capabilities of partner nations, as well as to improve interoperability. The DOD also engages with non-government organisations, academia and private-sector organisations to enhance global health objectives.

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United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary US federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research. One particular area of concern within NIH’s work on infectious diseases is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with a focus on finding new diagnostics that can quickly detect resistance and new antibiotic drugs and vaccines to prevent and treat bacterial infections.

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Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is an independent, global charitable foundation supporting research projects in the areas of infectious diseases, climate and health, and mental health. In the field of infectious diseases, the Trust’s focus is on developing an improved understanding of disease reservoirs, environmental zoonotic threats, and drug resistance, as well as supporting the creation of a data and surveillance architecture to better detect and improve escalation.

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What type of funding are you looking for?

  • Grant:
    Grants are direct financial contributions from the European Union budget awarded by way of a donation to third-party beneficiaries (usually non-profit-making organisations) engaged in activities that serve EU policies.
  • Loan:
    Loans are measures of financial support provided on a complementary basis from the budget in order to address specific policy objectives of the European Union. Such instruments are implemented in partnership with public and private institutions such as banks, venture capitalists or angel investors.

What stage of development are you seeking R&I funding for?

  • Basic science: Basic science covers the various exploratory steps even prior to discovery
  • Discovery: Drug discovery aims to find potential disease-altering targets, such as a gene or a protein in humans. Prior to testing candidate compounds for safety
  • Preclinical development: Preclinical development concerns the testing of candidate compounds for safety in specific indications or disease conditions. Introduction of candidate compound in living biological systems (animals)
  • Phase 1 clinical trials: These are the first clinical trials on humans(usually 20-80 volunteers) testing the safety, side effects, best dose, and timing of a new treatment
  • Phase 21/2b clinical trials: This is the follow-up trial with roughly 100 to 500 patients to analyse efficacy and safety
  • Phase 3 clinical trials: These trials usually involve several hundreds to many thousands patients and tests the results of earlier clinical trials on larger populations to generate robust data on safety, efficacy and benefit-risk relationships of the medicine. Comparison to placebo and/or active comparator (best standard treatment)
  • Registration & launch: This concerns post-study, prior to launch, activities related to market launch. That can include, among others, marketing authorisation, regulatory activities, post-study communication or HTA
  • Introduction & delivery: This concerns all post-launch activities

What do you want to develop?

  • Treatment or vaccine:
    Refers to a drug or vaccine
  • Diagnostic or medical device:
    Refers to diagnostics and medical devices
  • Platform:
    Refers to a digital health platform or medical app
  • Knowledge:
    Refers to conducting research to help build our understanding on a topic
  • Standards:
    Refers to creating a benchmark for a specific issue

What type of organisation are you?

  • Small & medium-sized enterprises:
    <250 employees, annual revenue <EUR 50,000,000) or balance sheet < EUR43 million. This applies to individual firms only. If part of larger group, check the User Guide: https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/42921
  • Large enterprises:
    >250 employees or annual revenue > EUR 50,000,000. Non-profit organisation (non-governmental organisations that are recognised with a non-profit status)
  • Non-profit organisations:
    Non-governmental organisations that are recognised with a non-profit status
  • Academic:
    Linked to a university or equivalent
  • Public:
    Local, regional, federal government representative

What stage of diagnostics development does your research aim to cover?

  • Development:
    Product development
  • Validation:
    Lab and clinical validation
  • Evaluation & Authorisation:
    Regulatory approvals
  • Access:
    Monitoring

What stage of medicine or vaccine development does your research aim to cover?

  • Discovery and development:
    Identification of promising compounds for development and initial experiments to gather information
  • Preclinical research:
    Laboratory and animal testing to answer basic questions about safety
  • Phase 0 (clinical):
    Testing on limited number of subjects at subtherapeutic doses
  • Phase I (clinical):
    Testing on <100 healthy subjects with the disease/condition
  • Phase II (clinical):
    Testing on up to several hundred subjects with the disease/condition
  • Phase III (clinical):
    Testing on 300 to 3,000 volunteers with the disease/condition
  • Preregistration / Phase IV (clinical):
    Testing on several thousand volunteers with the disease/condition
  • Clinical (unspecified):
    Clinical phase unknown
  • Evaluation & Authorisation:
    Activities relating to marketing authorisation
  • Access:
    Monitoring

Where are you based?

  • Africa : Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic of the), Congo (Republic of the), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • America (non-US & Canada) : Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
  • Asia-Pacific : Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, China (including special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau), Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam
  • Europe (non-EU) : Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  • European Union (EU) : Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
  • Middle East : Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen
  • United States (US) & Canada : United States, Canada

What type of organisation are you?

  • Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME):
    Staff headcount 50 < and turnover ≤ EUR 10 m or balance sheet total ≤ EUR 10 m (small); Staff headcount 250 < and turnover ≤ EUR 50 m or balance sheet total ≤ EUR 43 m (medium)
  • Large enterprise:
    Staff headcount > 250
  • Non-profit organisation:
    Association, foundation, or equivalent
  • Academic:
    University, research institute, or equivalent
  • Individual:
    Private citizen
  • Public sector:
    Local, regional, federal government representative
  • Other:
    None of the above or uncertain