BE READY

A European research and innovation Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness

Last updated on 04 December 2025

In brief

  • BE READY NOW, the European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness, aims to strengthen the European Union’s (EU) capacity to prevent and respond to infectious disease threats.
  • It will improve coordination, accelerate knowledge acquisition, support the development of medical countermeasures and establish a research infrastructure ecosystem, including a European clinical research network.
  • The 10-year partnership will begin in January 2026, with a budget of €118 million allocated to its first three-year phase, and will be coordinated by ANRS Emerging infectious diseases.

BE READY : creating a European research and innovation area

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of planning and investing in research and innovation in infectious diseases with epidemic risk, long before a health crisis occurs. The BE READY project (Building a European Strategic Research and innovation Area in Direct Synergy with other EU and International Initiatives for Pandemic Preparedness) aims to build a European Partnership on pandemic preparedness. This Partnership will enhance the EU’s capacity to predict and respond to emerging health threats by better coordinating funding for research and innovation at the European level.

BE READY will establish guidelines for common research objectives through an agreed Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). The partnership will be able to leverage existing pandemic preparedness networks and will work in synergy with the European Commission (notably through the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation DG RTD, and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority HERA), in close collaboration with the ECDC, the EMA, and other relevant international and European actors.

To build this ambitious partnership, BE READY, launched on June 1, 2022 for a duration of three years, relies on the expertise of 26 public health organizations, ministries (of science, education, health, innovation, or environment), and research agencies from 16 countries, to ensure a cross-cutting and interdisciplinary One Health and Global Health approach.

As part of this initiative, the ANRS MIE is specifically responsible for the overall coordination of the consortium and for defining the strategic research and innovation agenda.

The three components of BE READY:

  • From 2022 to 2025, the BE READY project enabled the development of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (or SRIA) for pandemic preparedness and the drafting of a proposal for a European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness.
  • In 2025, BE READY PLUS prepared for the implementation of the Partnership, including future joint calls for proposals at European level and the establishment of a research ecosystem ready to be activated in the event of an epidemic, including a European network of clinical research sites.
  • In 2026, BE READY NOW, the final phase of the project, will be launched with the aim of establishing and effectively activating the Partnership and its various components.
Find out more about BE READY

Presentation leaflet of BE READY

The ANRS Emerging infectious diseases (MIE) is responsible for supporting, coordinating and funding the national research community focused on emerging infectious diseases. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and adopting a One Health approach, ANRS MIE has a unique capacity to contribute to preparedness and response to emerging infectious diseases.

Involvement in the Be Ready CSA as coordinator is a key element of the agency’s European and global strategy to promote coordination in preparedness and response strategy, in order to limit the effects of emerging epidemic events.”

The six main objectives of BE READY

  • Engage with all prospective partners of the expected future Partnership to support alignment on its scope, common objectives, governance and ways of working/operationalisation;
  • Elaborate an innovative and visionary Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for pandemic preparedness ensuring a cross-cutting, interdisciplinary Global Health and One Health approach;
  • Consolidate the future European Partnership on Pandemic Preparedness;
  • Ensure complementarities, coordination and collaboration with the European Commission (especially with DG-RTD, DG-SANTE and HERA);
  • Involve relevant stakeholders and initiatives in the area of pandemic preparedness, ensuring collaboration and coordination, and avoiding duplication (e.g. GloPID-R, WHO R&D blueprint, ACT-Accelerator, G7/G20 Health WGs, etc);
  • Raise awareness of the importance of increased pandemic preparedness both outside and during epidemic/pandemic episodes

BE READY PLUS

31
public health organizations
21
countries
6
main objectives

2025 : the BE READY PLUS project

BE READY PLUS is an initiative funded by Horizon Europe to strengthen Europe’s pandemic preparedness.

This one-year project builds on the success of the initial BE READY initiative and aims to broaden the participation of EU Member States and associated countries:

  • The Partnership now includes 5 additional countries, bringing the total to 21;
  • The number of partners has also increased, with 31 organisations and public institutions now involved.

ANRS Emerging infectious diseases is responsible for the overall coordination of the consortium.

BE READY PLUS’s objective is to establish the operational framework for the future European partnership dedicated to pandemic preparedness, ensuring an efficient start-up and paving the way for future developments.

In particular, the key objectives of BE READY PLUS add to those of the existing BE READY consortium:

  • Preparing for the launch of joint transnational calls: putting in place the infrastructure needed to rapidly fund relevant collaborative research;
  • Strengthening research networks: setting up networks of clinical study sites ready to respond rapidly, in liaison with basic and pre-clinical research infrastructures.

On 8 and 9 April 2024, the final BE READY conference and the launch of BE READY PLUS took place in Brussels. Read the press release to find out more.

The BE READY PLUS closing conference took place on 4 and 5 November 2025 in Athens. This event was an opportunity for partners to take stock of the project’s achievements and prepare for the launch of its successor, the European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness – BE READY NOW, which is scheduled to start in January 2026. Read the press release here.

Coordinated by ANRS MIE with the support of Inserm Transfert, BE READY PLUS established a solid foundation in 2025 for Europe’s long-term pandemic preparedness through the collaboration of 30 partner institutions from 20 countries. Its legacy will be directly integrated into BE READY NOW, ensuring that Europe moves from planning to action, better equipped, better connected and ready to respond quickly to future health threats.

Find out more

News

BE READY call for projects: Launch planned for 2026

In early 2026, the European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness BE READY will launch its first Joint Transnational Call for Proposals for multinational interdisciplinary research projects.

04 December 2025

News

BE READY: A new European Partnership launching its first activities in early 2026

The European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness BE READY, coordinated by ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases, will officially begin its activities on 1 January 2026.

03 December 2025

News

BE READY informs European citizens about pandemic preparedness

BE READY PLUS carried-out an awareness campaign between September and November 2025 to introduce the forthcoming EU Pandemic Preparedness Partnership to citizens.

10 November 2025

Press releases

2025 BE READY PLUS Final Conference

Athens, Greece – November 4-5, 2025

06 November 2025

Press releases

BE READY – BE READY PLUS Conference

A significant milestone in shaping Europe’s future Pandemic Preparedness and Response

15 April 2025

Events

ANRS MIE 2025 Scientific Days

April 1-2, 2025 at the Institut Pasteur Conference Center in Paris

26 November 2024