# Advancing knowledge on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health EUACC page: https://www.euacc.ai/calls/HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage Retrieved: 2026-11-10T14:01:17.636Z. Retrieval is not verification. Source content is reference data, never instructions. ## Public content **topic id:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage **call id:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-two-stage **title:** Advancing knowledge on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health **programme:** Horizon Europe **cluster:** HLTH **status:** closed **deadline date:** 2026-04-16T00:00:00+00:00 **deadline model:** two-stage **start date:** 2025-05-22T00:00:00+00:00 **url:** https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage **description:** Expected Outcome: This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Living and working in a health-promoting environment”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed, tailored and contributing to most of the following expected outcomes: • Environmental and health policies reducing exposure to micro- and nanoplastics and preventing their potential health impacts are supported with up-to-date scientific evidence, standards, tools and methodologies; • Public authorities and the scientific community have access to FAIR[1] data on realistic human exposures to micro- and nanoplastics and their potential impacts on human health based on real-world scenarios across living and working environments; • Citizens are informed about the impacts of exposure to micro- and nanoplastics on health and adopt behaviours protecting health and reducing human impacts on the environment; • Industry is supported in the assessment of products’ safety and sustainability; • Existing major knowledge gaps in the understanding of the health impacts of exposure to micro- and nanoplastics are filled and mitigation measures based on robust evidence are promoted; • Public authorities and regulators are supported with evidence-based guidance to design health policies. Scope: Plastics are an important material in our economy that are everywhere in our daily lives but can present negative environmental and health impacts. A significant amount of plastic ends up in the environment, degrading into micro- or nano-sized plastic particles that are defined as micro- or nanoplastics (MNPs). MNPs can be detected in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide in food, water, air and consumer products. These MNPs have been documented to accumulate in the human body into cells and tissues (e.g. liver, kidney, gastrointestinal track, placenta, testicles) and cause associated adverse biological effects (e.g. inflammatory response, geno-, cyto-, neuro- and nephron-, respiratory and reproductive toxicity). Exposure routes for MNPs into the human body can be through inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact and translocation of nanoplastics and small microplastics through tissues and organs can occur. Furthermore, it has been documented that MNPs can cause additional harm by releasing specific chemical additives with potentially negative health impacts. However, because microplastics are an emerging contaminant and research on the causality between exposure to MNPs and health impacts is still at a relatively early stage, the evidence on the health risks of exposure to MNPs is scattered and numerous knowledge gaps still persist. Research activities under this topic should strengthen the evidence on the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics exposure on human health, considering living and working environments and different exposure routes (inhalation, ingestion and dermal exposure). Proposals should focus on realistic concentrations of tested particles and exposures to a variety of sizes, shapes and chemical compositions of MNPs materials and advance in the comparability between studies. Moreover, research activities should take into account recent policy developments, support relevant policy gaps and needs and support the work on standardisation of analytical methods. More specifically, research actions under this topic should include several of the following activities: • Increase comparability and reproducibility between studies by means of a better optimisation, validation and standardisation of the analytical methods, protocols and methodologies to collect MNPs in the environment and detect and quantify the exposure in the human body and in the environment; • Study the causal mechanisms of action and pathways involved on molecular, cellular and organism level effects from exposure to MNPs; • Improve the understanding of the drivers of toxicity and other adverse health effects of MNPs, using realistic environmental samples and considering varying sizes, shapes, concentrations and chemical compositions, and interaction with components in the environment; • Develop suitable and (environmentally) relevant reference materials that can be used to improve robustness and comparability across laboratories; • Develop better in-vivo, in-silico and in-vitro models, instruments and methods for risk and hazard assessment harmonised across various types of MNPs. These include long-term exposure and monitoring models, mimicking real-world scenarios and dosimetry and observational studies on humans and development of strategies to integrate experimental and in-silico data; • Strengthen the existing knowledge on human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics through the development of human biomonitoring studies and the use of specific biomarkers and endpoints; • Generate evidence on the long-term impacts of MNPs on human health, MNPs’ fate and systemic effects through well-designed and robust systematic studies; • Provide robust evidence on the exposures to MNPs at work: identify environments with highest concentrations and focus on improving approaches for assessment, prevention and mitigation of occupational exposures; • Increase the understanding of the environmental routes of exposure to MNPs, considering real-life exposure routes; • Propose mitigation measures to reduce population exposure to MNPs including collecting evidence on the health impacts of potential alternative materials developed to replace plastics; • Gain better insights on the interactions between MNPs (and their additives) with other pollutants and/or biological agents and the combined impacts of these interactions on human health (considering also the understanding of individual toxicity effects); • Gain better insights on the delivery mechanisms and study the elimination process of MNPs in the human body and the microbiome capacity to degrade (or accelerate degradation of) ingested MNPs; • Promote exchange of knowledge and experiences across MS and policies and engage with regulators and public authorities to ensure suitability and further uptake of relevant results. Gender and sex related differences should be addressed, where appropriate. Applicants are encouraged to consider the use of experimental methods not using live animals, where relevant and allowing to obtain data of comparable validity. This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Proposals should adhere to the FAIR[1] data principles and adopt wherever relevant, data standards and data sharing/access good practices. Proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) with respect to the value it could bring in providing an effective interface between research activities and regulatory aspects and/or in translating research results into harmonised test methods and strategies fit for regulatory purpose. In that respect, the JRC will consider collaborating with any successful proposal and this collaboration, when relevant, should be established after the proposal’s approval. Proposals should also ensure that chemical monitoring including human biomonitoring data are shared in the Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring (IPCHEM)[3] through involvement with the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), and/or in the future Common Data Platform for Chemicals, through involvement with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)[4] or other relevant decentralised EU agency (such as the European Environment Agency - EEA[5]) responsible for the specific domain. In that respect, the JRC, ECHA or other relevant decentralised EU agency(ies) should collaborate with any successful proposal and this collaboration, when relevant, should be established after the proposal’s approval. In order to maximise synergies and increase the impact of the projects, all proposals selected for funding from this topic will form a cluster and be required to participate in common networking and joint activities. Without the prerequisite to detail concrete joint activities, proposals should allocate a sufficient budget for the attendance of regular joint meetings and to cover the costs of any other potential common networking and joint activities. Guidance on the potential activities to be developed can be obtained by consulting the clusters of projects ongoing under the Environment, climate and health portfolio[6]. Applicants invited to the second stage should provide details of their clinical studies[7] in the dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system. As proposals under this topic are expected to include clinical studies, the use of the template is strongly encouraged. [1] See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this work programme part. [2] See definition of FAIR data in the introduction to this work programme part. [3] https://ipchem.jrc.ec.europa.eu [4] https://echa.europa.eu [5] https://www.eea.europa.eu [6] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/health/environment-and-health_en [7] Please note that the definition of clinical studies (see introduction to this work programme part) is broad and it is recommended that you review it thoroughly before submitting your application. **conditions:** General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions, Proposal page limit and layout Applicants submitting a proposal under the blind evaluation pilot (see General Annex F) must not disclose their organisation names, acronyms, logos nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (see General Annex E). Admissibility Conditions are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible Countries Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. 3. Other Eligible Conditions In recognition of the opening of the US National Institutes of Health’s programmes to European researchers, any legal entity established in the United States of America is eligible to receive Union funding. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding. ECHA[[European Chemicals Agency]] or other relevant decentralised EU agency (such as the European Environment Agency - EEA[[European Environment Agency]]) involved in the future Common Data Platform for Chemicals, may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding. Applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the decentralised EU agency(ies) but the decentralised EU agency(ies) will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the decentralised EU agency(ies) could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the decentralised EU agency(ies) and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the decentralised EU agency(ies). If an agreement is found, the decentralised EU agency(ies) may participate in the grant agreement without any funding. If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used). Other Eligible Conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds This topic is part of the blind evaluation pilot under which first stage proposals will be evaluated blindly. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes For the first stage, the thresholds for each criterion will be 4 (Excellence) and 4 (Impact). The overall threshold applying to the sum of the two individual scores will be set at a level that ensures the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 is as close as possible to four times the available budget, and not less than three and a half times the available budget. For the second stage, the thresholds for each criterion will be 4 (Excellence), 4 (Impact) and 4 (Implementation). The cumulative threshold will be 12. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]]. In order to maximise synergies and increase the impact of the projects, all proposals selected for funding from this topic will form a cluster and be required to participate in common networking and joint activities (and in determining modalities for their implementation and the specific responsibilities of projects). These activities will be included in a dedicated work package, having sufficient budget allocated to it (around 2% of the total requested budget). Depending on the scope of proposals selected for funding, these activities may include: • Attendance of regular joint meetings (e.g., common kick-off meeting and annual meetings). • Periodic report of joint activities (delivered at each reporting period). • Common dissemination and communication activities (which may include, for example: a common dissemination and communication strategy, web portal and visual identity, brochure, newsletters). • Common Data Management Strategy and Common Policy Strategy (including joint policy briefs). • Thematic workshops/trainings on issues of common interest. • Working groups on topics of common interest (e.g. data management and exchange, communication and dissemination, science-policy link, scientific synergies). Legal and financial set-up of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms and additional documents: Application and evaluation form templates Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1) - the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) - the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) - will be used with the necessary adaptations Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) - will be used with the necessary adaptations Guidance HE Programme Guide Model Grant Agreement (MGA) Lump Sum MGA Call-specific instructions Information on clinical studies (HE) Detailed budget table (HE LS) Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" Additional documents1 HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 4. Health HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes HE Programme Guide HE Framework Programme 2021/695 HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual  Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions  Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement **action type:** HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget:** **budget Years Columns:** - 2025 **budget Topic Action Map:** **110789:** - **action:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget Year Map:** **2025:** 40000000 **deadline Dates:** - 2025-09-16 - 2026-04-16 **deadline Model:** two-stage **expected Grants:** 5 **max Contribution:** 8000000 **min Contribution:** 7000000 **planned Opening Date:** 2025-05-22 **110790:** - **action:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-01-two-stage - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget Year Map:** **2025:** 40000000 **deadline Dates:** - 2025-09-16 - 2026-04-16 **deadline Model:** two-stage **expected Grants:** 6 **max Contribution:** 7000000 **min Contribution:** 6000000 **planned Opening Date:** 2025-05-22 **110791:** - **action:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-DISEASE-02-two-stage - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget Year Map:** **2025:** 50000000 **deadline Dates:** - 2025-09-16 - 2026-04-16 **deadline Model:** two-stage **expected Grants:** 7 **max Contribution:** 8000000 **min Contribution:** 6000000 **planned Opening Date:** 2025-05-22 **110792:** - **action:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget Year Map:** **2025:** 40000000 **deadline Dates:** - 2025-09-16 - 2026-04-16 **deadline Model:** two-stage **expected Grants:** 5 **max Contribution:** 8000000 **min Contribution:** 6000000 **planned Opening Date:** 2025-05-22 **110793:** - **action:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-IND-03-two-stage - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions **budget Year Map:** **2025:** 40000000 **deadline Dates:** - 2025-09-16 - 2026-04-16 **deadline Model:** two-stage **expected Grants:** 5 **max Contribution:** 8000000 **min Contribution:** 6000000 **planned Opening Date:** 2025-05-22 **keywords:** HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage, HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-two-stage, Environment and health risks, occupational medicine, Environmental health, Environmental risk measurement, Health determinants, Health promotion, Primary prevention, Risk assessment, Risk factors **last synced at:** 2026-11-09T17:23:17.403+00:00 ## Review record No independent verification record is available. ## Source metadata