European Commission Opens 2026 Call for ERN Affiliated Partners

The European Commission has launched the 2026 Call for Applications for Affiliated Partners within the European Reference Networks (ERNs). The call is designed to strengthen cross-border collaboration and improve access to highly specialised care for patients with rare, low-prevalence and complex diseases.

What is an Affiliated Partner?

Affiliated Partners are healthcare providers designated at national level to collaborate with one or more ERNs. Affiliation offers a formal route to participate in ERN activities without the full requirements of membership, and is particularly designed for countries where full ERN representation is not yet in place.

There are two types of Affiliated Partner:

– Associated National Centres — healthcare providers with specific expertise aligned to the thematic domain of a given ERN.

– National Coordination Hubs — institutions with the legal and organisational capacity to link the national healthcare system to one or more ERNs, without requiring disease-specific clinical expertise.

Objective of the call:

– Improve geographical coverage of ERN expertise across Member States and Norway

– Facilitate access to specialised care in countries or disease areas where full ERN membership is not yet present

– Strengthen the integration of ERNs into national healthcare systems

– Support cross-border knowledge exchange and clinical collaboration

Application process:

The call is open from 13 April 2026 and closes on 1 September 2026, and represents a significant opportunity for healthcare providers in the eligible countries to formally join the ERN ecosystem.

For this call, the following countries are eligible to apply:

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia.

As an indicative maximum, eligible countries may submit up to three Affiliated Partner applications for each ERN in which they currently have no representation.

Applications are submitted via National Competent Authorities, which coordinate and consolidate applications at national level before submitting them through the dedicated IT Application Platform.

All official information and supporting documents are provided by DG SANTE at the following link: https://health.ec.europa.eu/consultations/ern-call-2026_en