The FIGHT KIDS CANCER 2026–2027 Competitive Call supports ambitious clinical and translational research projects across all areas of pediatric and adolescent cancer. The program aims to accelerate innovative treatments, improve survival, reduce treatment toxicity, and strengthen collaborative pediatric oncology research across Europe.
Three funding mechanisms are available, ranging from €250,000 for clinical trial preparation to €5 million for clinical trials. The Expression of Interest deadline is October 13, 2026 at 16:00 CEST.
Eligibility Criteria
- The lead institution must be an eligible research organization located in an eligible country listed in Annex A of the official guidelines.
- Project partners must generally operate as not-for-profit organizations.
- An investigator may serve as PI on only one competing proposal in the current call.
- The same investigator may serve as PI on one proposal and as Co-PI on another.
- Funding supports new research projects only and cannot retrospectively fund work already completed or underway.
- Proposed work must focus on children and adolescents with cancer.
- Applications must be submitted in English through the dedicated electronic submission system.
Funding Details
- Clinical Trials: Up to €5 million for up to 5 years.
- Clinical Trial Preparation Grants: Up to €250,000 for up to 2 years.
- Translational Research Projects: Up to €2 million for up to 4 years.
Deadline
- Call opened: September 1, 2026.
- Expression of Interest deadline: October 13, 2026 at 16:00 CEST.
- Shortlisting meeting: January 7, 2027.
- Invitations to submit full proposals: January 14, 2027.
- Full proposal deadline: February 26, 2027 at 16:00 CET.
- Award notification: June 2027.
- Earliest project start: January 2028.
Further Information
- High-risk/high-gain research with strong potential patient impact is encouraged.
- Clinical trial proposals require patient involvement and quality-of-life components at full application stage.
- Applications are evaluated on scientific excellence, quality and efficiency of implementation, and potential impact.
- Official program page: View the official FIGHT KIDS CANCER call
- Official guidelines: View the 2026–2027 guidelines