Dear all, We would like to ask you to take a final look at the DecOCD proposal, which we would like to submit tomorrow afternoon. Please keep in mind that the proposal should be highly specific for the call PHC1.i (copied below); in fact, the more we can use their exact wording, the better for us. For instance, this call doesn't ask for biomarker identification (while others do), but rather asks for risk determinant identification… Also remember that scientific excellence and impact have equal weighting for the first round. If possible, please make your changes directly to the doc in the dropbox (with change tracking). I will deal with any/all conflicted copies. If you prefer to work offline, I'm attaching a word doc that you can work on and then send back to Xavier and me. We will incorporate all changes that we receive by tomorrow morning (13:00), after which we will submit. Thanks! best wishes, Veronica Call wording: PHC1 Understanding health, ageing and disease H2020-PHC-2014/2015 PHC 1 – 2014: Understanding health, ageing and disease: determinants, risk factors and pathways Specific challenge: The development and preservation of good health, and the occurrence and evolution of common diseases and disabilities result from varying degrees of interaction between the genetic make-up of individual human beings and behavioural, environmental (including endocrine disruptors), occupational, nutritional and other modifiable lifestyle factors. This applies from the earliest stages of development throughout life. Understanding these factors, their interactions and the extent to which they contribute to health preservation and/or to disease development is important for the development of preventive and therapeutic measures supporting good health, prolonged active independence and a productive working life, not least in the context of changing demographic patterns and the ageing of the European population. In particular, proposals should contribute to improving risk identification and validation, and will allow better diagnosis, risk-based prevention strategies and policies. Scope: i. The identification of health trends and determinants, their validation, and the validation of risk factors for disease and disability, through the generation, integration and validation of data derived from relevant disciplines (e.g. molecular, behavioural, nutritional, clinical, social and environmental epidemiology; exposure sciences; genetics, epigenetics, etc.). This should involve the exploitation of existing cohorts and longitudinal studies and the assessment of the necessity to establish new ones, as well as where relevant, the valorisation of knowledge gained from population-based bio-banks. Sex and gender differences should be taken into account. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Expected impact: Proposals should provide a better understanding of the combined effects of factors causing health and disease, with the knowledge generated underpinning the future development of evidence based prevention, diagnostic, therapeutic and other strategies. This should provide evidence for risk identification, underpinning future preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and policies.