OPEN CALL
Open Call for Bottom-Up Stakeholder Engagement in Cancer Research & Care Initiatives
Content
- Overview of the call
- Why this call matters
Periformance Open Call webinar
From Idea to Submission: Final Guidance for Applicants
With the application deadline approaching, a practical webinar on the PERIFORMANCE Open Call for Bottom-Up Stakeholder Engagement in Cancer Research & Care Initiatives was celebrated to help to finalize applications for funding of up to €10,000 for local or regional engagement activities.
This webinar was designed to help organisations submit strong applications quickly and confidently.
What was covered:
- Who can apply
- What types of activities are eligible
- How to complete the application form
- Practical tips for a strong proposal
- Frequently asked questions
- Live Q&A
Overview of the call
The PERIFORMANCE consortium is launching an Open Call to support innovative and pioneering “engagement strategies” within the fields of cancer research, care, and survivor support networks, among others.
This initiative is a key milestone in the project, designed to ensure that scientific and technological progress in the field of cancer remains aligned with societal values, fairness and public trust.
Why this call matters
The project aims to move beyond traditional science communication by promoting active and meaningful public engagement. It specifically addresses how major developments, such as the EU AI Act and the European Health Data Space (EHDS), shape cancer research. The goal is to ensure these advancements are accompanied by:
- Transparency and accountability.
- Equity and access across all communities.
- Citizen involvement, including actors who are traditionally excluded from the research ecosystem.
Scope and key characteristics
The call seeks proposals for the design and implementation of local or regional bottom-up engagement activities across Europe. Initiatives should be context-sensitive and tailored to regional needs while contributing to the following objectives:
Co-creation
Facilitating meaningful stakeholder engagement in cancer research and care ecosystems.
Inclusivity and diverse participation
Developing participation models that involve vulnerable and underrepresented groups
Societal value
Increasing awareness of the importance of infrastructures and regulations associated with cancer, and building trust in areas such as biobanks, donations and the use of health data by AI.
Governance
Strengthening ethics and citizen involvement in cancer research and data sharing practices.
Empowerment
Enhancing patient empowerment and participation.
Strategic objectives: The Open Call is built upon three core pillars:
- Enhancing engagement practices: ensuring innovation aligns with the complex needs and values of society.
- Assessing technologies: analysing how emerging regulatory frameworks (like the EHDS and EU AI Act) affect equitable access to care.
- Locally grounded innovation: improved engagement models that integrate social and ethical analysis, as well as local context and needs.
Further information regarding eligibility criteria, scope, timeline, and application procedures are available in the “OPEN CALL GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS”.
This call represents a major step in advancing towards a socially robust European cancer research landscape.
Scope and key characteristics
The call seeks proposals for the design and implementation of local or regional bottom-up engagement activities across Europe. Initiatives should be context-sensitive and tailored to regional needs while contributing to the following objectives:
Co-creation
Facilitating meaningful stakeholder engagement in cancer research and care ecosystems.
Inclusivity and diverse participation
Developing participation models that involve vulnerable and underrepresented groups
Societal value
Increasing awareness of the importance of infrastructures and regulations associated with cancer, and building trust in areas such as biobanks, donations and the use of health data by AI.
Governance
Strengthening ethics and citizen involvement in cancer research and data sharing practices.
Empowerment
Enhancing patient empowerment and participation.
Strategic objectives: The Open Call is built upon three core pillars:
- Enhancing engagement practices: ensuring innovation aligns with the complex needs and values of society.
- Assessing technologies: analysing how emerging regulatory frameworks (like the EHDS and EU AI Act) affect equitable access to care.
- Locally grounded innovation: improved engagement models that integrate social and ethical analysis, as well as local context and needs.
Further information regarding eligibility criteria, scope, timeline, and application procedures are available in the “OPEN CALL GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS”.
This call represents a major step in advancing towards a socially robust European cancer research landscape.
The amount of funding and use
The maximum amount that can be requested for each proposal is €10.000. PERIFORMANCE has a total budget of €150.000 that is reserved for providing funding to 15 engagement activities.
It is very important that all of the costs are proven with original invoices or internal documentation so that the reimbursement can take place once the engagement is concluded and the report of engagement is approved.
Why participate?
PERIFORMANCE seeks to strengthen the Mission’s impact through active and meaningful public engagement. By participating, you contribute to:
- Transparency and accountability: ensuring technological advancements are accompanied by citizen involvement.
- Equity and access: fostering engagement practices that reflect Europe’s diversity and regional needs.
- Inclusivity: moving beyond traditional science communication to include actors who are often excluded from the research ecosystem.
Examples of initiatives that may be submitted could include (not exhaustive list):
Participatory Design and Co-creation
These include workshops, co-design sessions, community dialogues, focus groups, surveys, citizen juries, town hall events, hackathons, and citizen labs.
Cultural, Artistic, and Creative Engagement
This category covers pop-up exhibits, creative works such as literature, visual arts, and cinema, as well as exhibitions and other works of artistic creation.
Communication, Dissemination, and Public Outreach
Innovative digital content is highly eligible, including podcasts, videos (specifically those tailored for children), and simulation activities such as escape rooms or virtual reality experiences. It also includes video games and other interactive games.
Educational and Capacity-Building Actions
Proposals can involve school programs, gamification of learning, seminars, courses, and specific training workshops.
Guidance, Standards, and Practical Resources
This includes the development of how-to guidelines, manuals, tools for multi-stakeholder collaboration, websites, digital applications, software, and the creation of platforms or networks.
Research and Validation
Eligible initiatives also include publications, conceptual frameworks, and the application or validation of new techniques, methodologies, or prototypes.
How the process works
Following the workflow established by PERIFORMANCE, the application process will follow these stages:
- Call announced: 17 March 2026
- Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2026
- Individual evaluations completed: 5 Jun 2026
- Panel meeting(s): 8–12 Jun 2026
- Ethics Advisor check (if necessary after panel meeting): 15–19 Jun 2026
- Award notice: 29-30 Jun 2026
- Final report of engagements due: 31 Aug 2027
- Payment: 100% within 3 weeks after final-report approval
How the process works
Following the workflow established by PERIFORMANCE, the application process will follow these stages:
- Call announced: 17 March 2026
- Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2026
- Individual evaluations completed: 5 Jun 2026
- Panel meeting(s): 8–12 Jun 2026
- Ethics Advisor check (if necessary after panel meeting): 15–19 Jun 2026
- Award notice: 29-30 Jun 2026
- Final report of engagements due: 31 Aug 2027
- Payment: 100% within 3 weeks after final-report approval
Submission of the proposals
Proposal submissions take place online via e-mail and in English. The applicants should download the application form including the budget template.
The application is submitted via e-mail by sending the completed application form to the opencall.periformance@bbmri-eric.eu with the subject “Open Call Submission: [Submitting organization’s name]”.
Applicants will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt within 48 hours.
If multiple institutions take part in the proposal, the communication must be made through the coordinating institution and only the coordinating institution submits the application. It is highly recommended not to wait until the submission deadline.
Submission of the proposals
Proposal submissions take place online via e-mail and in English. The applicants should download the application form including the budget template.
The application is submitted via e-mail by sending the completed application form to the opencall.periformance@bbmri-eric.eu with the subject “Open Call Submission: [Submitting organization’s name]”.
Applicants will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt within 48 hours.
If multiple institutions take part in the proposal, the communication must be made through the coordinating institution and only the coordinating institution submits the application. It is highly recommended not to wait until the submission deadline.
What we will measure:
When preparing a proposal for the PERIFORMANCE Open Call, applicants should focus on several key areas that align with the evaluation criteria used by the selection panel. The application form specifically instructs candidates to structure their descriptions based on these categories to ensure they cover the basis for selection.
The following aspects are the most critical to highlight in your proposal:
1. Relevance to the EU Mission: Cancer
To demonstrate relevance to the EU Cancer Mission, proposals must establish a clear connection to Mission Cancer or an explicit link between their proposed engagement activity and at least one of the Mission’s four strategic objectives: understanding cancer, prevention and early detection, diagnosis and treatment, or improving the quality of life for patients and their families.
Furthermore, the activity should explicitly address a local or regional need, explaining how the proposed engagement responds to the specific context of the community.
2. Innovation and Design Quality
The evaluators look for innovative approaches or substantial improvements to previous initiatives that represent a quantifiable enhancement to the current state of the art. Key highlights should include:
- Methodological Appropriateness: Clearly defining why the chosen engagement format (e.g., workshops, hackathons, artistic creation, or digital content) is right for the proposed aim.
- Feasibility: A realistic plan that identifies potential risks and includes a detailed mitigation strategy for ethical, societal, or physical risks.
- Timeline: Confirmation that the activity can be completed in time to submit a final report by 31 August 2027.
3. Inclusivity and Bottom-Up Engagement
A central pillar of the call is promoting bottom-up participation rather than traditional top-down communication. Proposals should highlight:
- How stakeholders (patients, researchers, policymakers, etc.) are involved in the process.
- Specific strategies to involve vulnerable or underrepresented groups, such as minors, rare-disease communities, or ethnic minorities.
- Consideration of potential biases related to gender, sex, or ethnicity in the engagement design.
4. Strategic Thematic Areas
While the call is open to various engagement strategies, initiatives covering the following areas will be particularly valued:
- Advanced Technologies: Societal trust, transparency, and public understanding regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
- Biobanking: Increasing awareness of the role and societal value of biobanks in cancer research.
- Data Governance: Citizen involvement in health data sharing practices and patient empowerment.
5. Ethics and Data Protection
Applicants must demonstrate a strong safety and ethical perspective. This includes:
- Ethics: Providing either current ethics approval, a commitment to acquire one, or a justification as to why it is not required by national laws.
- Data Privacy: Careful attention to data protection needs, such as how personal data, recordings, or photos will be handled during the activity.
6. Commitment to Social Science Research
Selected proposals must confirm their readiness to collaborate with the PERIFORMANCE social sciences team. This may involve researchers observing the activity or conducting interviews with organizers to produce knowledge on engagement practices.
Additional information
Please read the User Guidelines Open Call.
For more information on our call, please check the FAQs and application form, or write to opencall.periformance@bbmri-eric.eu.
For proposal submission follow the instructions and send your proposal before the 31 May 2026, writing to opencall.periformance@bbmri-eric.eu.
Information sessions will be held over the next few weeks to explain the call for proposals and answer questions. More details will be posted on our social media channels and in the news section of this website.