OUR ACTIONS
Funding of scientific projects
Our calls for projects (AAPs)
The Foundation For Rare Diseases supports excellent research to understand the causes and pathophysiological mechanisms of rare diseases, to develop new treatments, and to improve the lives of patients.
The Foundation has an active scientific policy and launches 4 to 6 calls for projects per year. It offers funding to winning research teams and access to innovative technologies such as new generation sequencing (exomes, whole genomes and new technologies of interest in this field), the development of animal models, and high-throughput screening of molecules with therapeutic potential. Expertise in these new technologies is provided by specialized technology platforms.
A registry of award-winning projects since 2012 is available
Current calls for projects
PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals "RNA interference and rare diseases" award
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals renews its confidence in the Fondation Maladies Rares to organize a research prize for an innovative project using interfering RNA technology applied to rare diseases. The winner will receive a prize of 20 000 € to continue his or her research work.
The prize will be awarded to an innovative research project in the field of rare diseases, focusing on one of the following themes
- Translational research developing an RNA interference approach using an animal or cellular model.
- Innovative vectoring of interfering RNA targeting an organ or tissue.
The prize will be awarded to an established researcher, scientific leader of a team attached to a French research organization, whose research has contributed to major advances in the field of rare diseases.
Prize amount: 20 000 €
Deadline: February 6, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
JOINT CALL FOR PROJECTS
ARAMISE call for projects - Multi-system atrophy
Because of the specificities of the field of rare diseases, the ARAMISE Association and the Fondation Maladies Rares have agreed on a partnership to support and stimulate basic, translational and preclinical research on multisystem atrophy. All biomedical disciplines are eligible for this call for projects.
Maximum budget: €100,000
Maximum duration: 24 months
Deadline: March 13, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
Rare Diseases and Pain" prize from the APICIL Foundation
The APICIL Foundation has decided to join forces with the Fondation Maladies Rares to respond to the need to take better account of the pain associated with certain rare diseases, by providing €15,000 in support of a research project on "rare diseases and pain". rare diseases and pain" research project.
The prize will be awarded to an innovative research project in the biomedical sciences or in the human and social sciences in the field of rare diseases and pain.
The award will distinguish:
- or a researcher, scientific leader of a team contributing through his/her research to major advances in the field of rare diseases and pain,
- or a young researcher whose work is promising in the field of rare diseases and pain.
Prize amount: 15 000 €
Deadline: January 31, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Call for projects "Translational Research 2024 - Preclinical Research in rare diseases: translational steps in large animals "
The Fondation Maladies Rares is pleased to announce the launch of its 2024 call for projects to support pre-clinical stages in rare disease research, specifically large animal studies. This call aims to :
🎯 Accelerate the development of new therapies with physiologically relevant models
🎯 Improving understanding of the safety and efficacy of therapeutic approaches
This call will fund translational research projects in large animal models to provide proof of concept prior to clinical applications for patients suffering from rare diseases.
Maximum budget: €100,000
Deadline: January 16, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
JOINT CALL FOR PROJECTS
Joint call for projects Association AECF - "CASK-related disorders
Because of the specificities of the rare disease field, the AECF Association and the Fondation Maladies Rares (FMR) have agreed on a partnership to support and stimulate basic, translational and clinical research on CASK pathologies. All biomedical disciplines are eligible for this call for projects.
Maximum budget: €45,000
Maximum duration: 24 months
Deadline: January 05, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
JOINT CALL FOR PROJECTS
Call for VHL projects - Von Hippel-Lindau disease
Given the specific nature of the field of rare diseases, the VHL Association and the Fondation Maladies Rares (FMR) have agreed to form a partnership to support and stimulate fundamental, translational or clinical research, whether biomedical or in the humanities and social sciences, into Von Hippel Lindau disease.
Max budget: 30 000 €
Max duration: 18 months
Deadline: January 09, 2025, 5 pm (Paris time)
Partner platforms
For its Calls for Projects on high throughput sequencing, screening and the creation of animal models, the Foundation relies on partner platforms of expertise. We invite you to contact these platforms directly to set up your projects.
Rare Diseases and Pain Prize - APICIL Foundation
Since 2022, the APICIL Foundation has joined forces with the Foundation For Rare Diseases to reward an innovative project in the field of rare diseases and pain by offering a "Rare Diseases and Pain" prize of €15,000.
This prize, awarded to the project leader, enables a French research team to develop a research project on this theme that is so important for patients and is sometimes still too little studied.
Rare Diseases and Pain Award - ALNYLAM
Since 2020, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has been committed to the Foundation For Rare Diseases to reward innovative projects using RNA interference technology in the field of rare diseases.
Each year, a €20,000 prize is awarded to an established researcher, scientific leader of a team attached to a French research organization, who has contributed through his or her research to major advances in the field of rare diseases.