EUP AH&W JTC 2026 Shaping the Future of Animal Health and Welfare

Scope of the 2nd Co-funded Call

The European Partnership for Animal Health and Welfare (EUPAHW) is launching this research and innovation call to tackle critical challenges in the health and welfare of terrestrial and aquatic animals. This initiative forms part of a broader strategic effort to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, resilient, and ethically responsible livestock and aquaculture systems across Europe.

The call supports twelve priority Research Actions identified in the EUPAHW Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). Research in these areas aims to:

• Develop effective, scalable solutions to prevent and control animal infectious disease, including zoonoses focusing on interventions such as improved biosecurity, vaccines, and therapeutics.

• Advance the understanding and implementation of improved welfare practices across the full lifecycle of farmed terrestrial and aquatic animals.

• Address the socio-economic dimensions of animal health and welfare, including trade-offs within sustainable production systems.

Detailed Scope and Objectives

Proposals submitted under this call must focus on one of two topics:

• Topic 1: Animal Welfare

• Topic 2: Prevention &Control

Each proposal must address at least one core SRIA Action within the selected topic (Animal Welfare or Prevention & Control). Proposals may also include one or more socio-economic SRIA Actions (OO9-2 and/or OO9-4) provided they directly support the core Action(s). Socio-economic Actions alone are not eligible as a standalone main focus in this call.

1. Animal Welfare

Proposals in this area should aim to improve animal welfare throughout the production cycle, including birth, rearing, transport, and slaughter. Each proposal must address one core welfare SRIA Action from the list below. Where appropriate, it is strongly encouraged to also add one or more supporting socio-economicaction (OO9- 2 and/or OO9-4). For example, to explore trade-offs between welfare improvements and environmental, economic, or societal impacts. Industry involvement is also encouraged under this topic.

Core Welfare SRIA Research Actions:

• OO4-1: Advance understanding of positive welfare, including identification and validation of indicators of positive emotional states via behavioural, endocrine, and neurological measures.

• OO4-2: Develop technologies to assess welfare on-farm and during transport, including slaughterline innovations and suitable animal-based measures (ABMs).

• OO4-3: Improve procedures and technologies for welfare assessment during slaughter or emergency killing, ensuring reliable detection of consciousness and death.

• OO4-6: Enhance welfare monitoring during transport through sensor-based technologies and decision-support tools to detect early signs of distress (e.g. lameness, heat stress, aggression, exhaustion).

• OO6-4: Advance humane stunning and killing methods for livestock and fish to minimise pain and stress during slaughter.

• OO6-5: Develop innovative systems for the transport of livestock and fish.

Supporting Socio-economic SRIA Research Actions:

• OO9-2: Assess socio-economic implications of changes in livestock and fish farming, including shifts

in public demand for higher welfare standards and new legislative requirements.

• OO9-4: Develop practical solutions to integrate AID mitigation and enhanced welfare measures, addressing trade-offs within sustainable livestock and aquaculture systems in the EU.

Proposals related to sustainable farming, breeding, and feeding are within scope if directly linked to animal welfare. All production systems are considered, including organic farming, and all phases of production: on-farm, during transport, in the abattoir, and post-fishing.

2. Prevention & Control

Proposals under this topic should support the development of innovative therapeutics and vaccines to prevent and control animal infectious diseases, reduce antimicrobial use, and enhance livestock resilience.

Each proposal must address at least one core Prevention & Control SRIA Action from the list below. Industrial partner involvement is mandatory for proposals addressing OO7-2 and OO7-3 and strongly encouraged for OO3-3 and OO5-4. Research may include socio-economic actions (OO9-2 and/or OO9-4) as supplementary components.

Core Prevention & Control SRIA Research Actions:

• OO7-2: Develop and apply tools and models (experimental farms, in vivo/in vitro/in silico infection models) to test efficacy and safety of new therapeutics including vaccines and delivery systems, with reduced reliance on animal testing. Create bioinformatic pipelines for microbiome and pathogen data analysis.

• OO7-3: Collaborate with industry to develop or improve interventions and treatments and deliver first proof of concept, where appropriate demonstrate immunogenicity and efficacy (minimum immunizing dose) in target species; representative (small scale) animal (challenge) model (TRL 3-4).

• OO3-3: Develop and standardise toolsto:

o Differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals(DIVA).

o Detect whether pathogens in the environment, including waste remain infectious.

o Study transmission dynamics of pathogens and resistant variants across species, including wildlife.

• OO5-4: Reinforce animal resilience to disease through research into feeding, breeding, and other biological factors that enhance natural immunity.

Supporting SRIA Socio-economic Actions:

• OO9-2: Assess socio-economic implications of changes in livestock and fish farming, including shifts in public demand for higher welfare standards and new legislative requirements.

• OO9-4: Develop practical solutions to integrate AID mitigation and enhanced welfare measures, addressing trade-offs within sustainable livestock and aquaculture systems in the EU.

Additional Information:

• Industrial partner involvement is mandatory for proposals addressing OO7-2 and OO7-3. Applicants should ensure that an appropriate industry collaborator is included from the outset. Industrial collaborators may participate either as beneficiaries (requesting funds from an FO that funds industry) or as associated partners (no funds requested from FOs; cash or in-kind contributions allowed). In both cases, roles and contributions must be described in the proposal