Call for research projects 2026 – Exposum Institute: exposome and behaviors

[Call for projects] - Published on October 15, 2025 in Major Programs, Flagship Projects

ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners¹ aimed at establishing an open, off-campus institute of reference for the study, training, and science-society interaction of the environmental determinants of human health. ExposUM is a winner of the ExcellenceS (PIA4) call for projects and is supported by the Occitanie Region for the period 2022-2030.

Background and objective

The exposome refers to the sum of all exposures throughout life to environmental and social factors that affect human health by causing, promoting, modulating, or preventing diseases, whether communicable or not. In this sense, it is the environmental counterpart of the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual's life.

Research ExposUM Research Focus aims to support and accelerate the acquisition of new knowledge in an interdisciplinary, coordinated, and non-segmented manner in the fields of exposome research relating to the four pillars:

1. Strengthen the monitoring of environmental exposures,
2. Refine understanding of the ecology of hosts, pathogens, reservoirs, and vectors ( One Health approach),
3. Improve fundamental knowledge of biological mechanisms that may be modulated by the exposome.
4. Study the consequences for human health.

Data science forms a bridge linking these pillars, both in terms of methodology and analysis, and in terms of leveraging results. A second bridge, consisting of the study and development of new exposure control strategies, completes this architecture, which is linked to the Interfaces and Training pillars.

It is within this framework that the ExposUM Institute organizes an annual call for research projects (AAP-R), co-financed by the ANR and the Occitanie Region. Each AAP-R focuses on a different, deliberately broad theme relating to contexts, processes, patterns, or methods, and including research relating to the above-mentioned pillars and bridges.

In accordance with the ambitions set out in the call for proposals ExcellenceS, the ExposUM Institute strongly encourages transdisciplinary research projects focused on the Global South, the initiation of new collaborations, and the promotion of local and regional resources (in particular technology platforms). Projects should, as far as possible, be part of the open science approach, making the data produced easy to find, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), see below.

Theme

As every year, the AAPR focuses on a priority theme² chosen collectively by the Institute's three councils. For 2026, this theme is "Exposome and behaviors."

Human behavior³ — both individual and collective — shape and modulate our exposome. They determine its nature and intensity, which vary throughout life, whether through daily practices (e.g., diet, physical activity, digital use), risky behaviors (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, addictions), or interactions that influence psychosocial and biological exposures, including those related to pathogens. Conversely, the exposome acts on our behaviors through somatic, psychological—both physiological and pathological—and socioeconomic pathways, which fuel non-trivial feedback loops.

Understanding these dynamic interactions is essential for identifying effective prevention levers, reducing exposure inequalities, and supporting major societal transitions (e.g., in the face of climate change, lifestyle changes, and emerging diseases). With this in mind, the ExposUM Institute wishes to support original, transdisciplinary research projects that explore the interface between human behavior and the exposome, whether this involves, but is not limited to, better characterizing exposure mechanisms, analyzing behavioral determinants, or proposing public health interventions that integrate this bidirectional dimension.

Financing terms and conditions

For its 2026 edition, the ExposUM Institute is dividing its AAP-R into two categories.

Standard research projects

This category corresponds to the reference project format that allows you to benefit from personnel funding.⁴ and operating funds necessary for the production of original results that can be exploited or published.

Amount and duration limits: €250,000 over two years.

Non-permanent researchers may submit a project in this category, provided they are already affiliated with the research organization under which the project is submitted. The funds allocated may then be used to finance the project leader's salary.⁵, if necessary, until the planned end of the project.

Exploratory research projects

These projects are designed to initiate exploratory and original research, test hypotheses and approaches that are not favored by ordinary calls for proposals, and produce preliminary results with a view to applying for more ambitious calls at a later stage.

Amount and duration limits: €50,000 over two years.

Non-permanent researchers may submit a project in this category, provided they are already affiliated with the research organization under which the project is submitted, but the funds allocated may not be used to finance the salary of the project leader, whose contract must cover the duration of the project.

Eligible expenses and total amount of the Call for Projects

Eligible expenses include salaries for non-statutory staff (researchers, engineers, technicians, assistants, but excluding doctoral contracts), operating costs, and small equipment. Staff funded by the project may only be recruited from within the consortium's research units.⁶.

For all eligible structures, whether or not the UM is a co-supervisor, the employer of the recruited staff will be the UM. In the case of structures without UM co-supervision, the funds necessary for recruitment will then be retained by the UM to ensure recruitment (with some exceptions). The project leader must designate one of the co-supervisors of their structure as the non-staff fund manager, after obtaining their agreement in principle.

The total budget allocated by the ExposUM Institute for this call for proposals is €2 million, with the aim of funding seven standard projects and seven exploratory projects.⁷.

Submission process

The submission of projects to the ExposUM Institute's AAP-R will take place in two selection phases: first, a short letter of intent (1 scientific page), and second, the complete project (5 scientific pages), similar to the ANR's generic calls for projects.

Each person may submit only one letter of intent in response to this call (but may be involved in other projects submitted, without being the lead applicant). NB: Lead applicants who were successful in a previous ExposUM Institute call for research projects are not encouraged to apply.  Furthermore, members of the three ExposUM Institute councils (CoDir, COER, COSS) are not eligible to submit projects as lead applicants.

No internal pre-selection by research units is expected prior to the submission of letters of intent, so there is no limit to the number of letters of intent that can be submitted by each research unit (within the limit of one submission per project leader).

However, research units are still required to authorize the submission on behalf of the unit (signature on the letter of intent), which serves as a commitment to carry out the project in the event of funding.

For reasons of balance, however, the ExposUM Institute reserves the right to cap the number of letters of intent from the same research unit that may proceed to the second phase.

Given the limited internal evaluation capacity of the ExposUM Institute, a high degree of selectivity will be applied at this stage: a maximum of 14 letters of intent will be selected per project category.

If the project includes a clinical research component, a signed agreement from the DRCI of the relevant university hospital must be submitted with the final project proposal, confirming that the project will be carried out within the budgetary, medical-scientific, and ethical parameters defined in the final project proposal. Given the time required to obtain this agreement, we kindly ask the project leaders concerned to anticipate this step. Otherwise, the final project may not be accepted by the ExposUM Institute.

Letters of intent must be drafted using the template available for download in French or English. Any deviation from the instructions contained therein will render the project ineligible, with no possibility of rectification. Submissions must be made exclusively by sending the letter in PDF format (to be titled NameOfResearchOrganization_NameOfProjectLeader.pdf) to the following address rf.re1769986786illep1769986786tnomu1769986786@paa-1769986786musop1769986786xe1769986786, before November 30, 2025 (2:00 p.m. UTC+1), specifying [AAPR] in the subject line of the email and copying in the management of the research organization responsible).

The authors of the letters of intent that are selected will be informed in early January about the next steps in the process.

As a rough guide, the drafting of the complete project in English for evaluation by international experts will take a month and a half, and its format will be similar to that ofthe 2025 AAPR in terms of the matrix.

Calendar

Eligibility of letters of intent

To be eligible, letters of intent—and the projects they represent—must meet the following criteria:

1. The letter of intent must be submitted before the date and time specified above. It must be written in strict accordance with the instructions provided in the template (all fields must be completed and no text may extend beyond the margins – the entire document must not exceed two pages).
2. The project must have a principal investigator affiliated with a research organization belonging to the consortium.⁸. Members of Support and Research Units Research UAR) cannot apply as project leaders, but may participate as project partners.
3. The project must have the primary objective of producing knowledge relating to a determinant of human health of environmental (including social) origin and fall within the thematic scope of the call for proposals (see introductory paragraphs). This relevance must be evident from the first four fields of the scientific description of the project.
4. Compliance with the PIA4 project funding rules as defined by the ANR and those imposed by this call (see above).

The eligibility of letters of intent will be verified collectively by the three boards of the ExposUM Institute, its project team, and the UM's Structuring Programs Department.

Pre-selection of letters of intent

The evaluation of letters of intent will focus on the nature of the exhibition (or, better yet, exhibitions) studied, the originality of the research question, the spatial and temporal scope of the study, and the methodological relevance. The potential impact of the project's results at the interfaces with human behavior will be favored.

Letters of intent will be evaluated and ranked collectively by all members of the three ExposUM Institute councils. The pre-selection will then focus on the 14 standard projects and 14 exploratory projects with the highest rankings (a priori objective, but one that may be adjusted by the COSS depending on the relative quality of the projects actually received in each category).

Evaluation and selection of complete projects

All projects will be evaluated based solely on the complete project submitted.⁹.

The scientific quality of research projects will be assessed by the Research Orientation and Evaluation Council Research COER), which will endeavor to solicit two anonymous external reviewers for each project, based on the following criteria:

• Its scientific interest and originality, within the scope of the ExposUM Initiative,
• His methodological qualities,
• Its potential impact (both fundamental and applied),
• Its feasibility (in terms of partners, schedule, and budget presented).

The 14 projects in each category will be ranked based solely on the aggregate score of the scientific evaluations. The seven winning projects in each category will then be selected by the Scientific and Strategic Advisory Board (COSS), which will also assess, in the strategic interest of the Institute, the site, and the partners, and only where scientific quality is equivalent, the non-scientific merits of the projects, namely:

• Transdisciplinarity, the initiation of new partnerships,
• The exposomic approach¹⁰,
• The One Health and global health dimensions¹¹, focus on the Global South and consideration of vulnerable populations¹²,
• The potential for translating the project into a behavioral prevention tool,
• Interaction with the areas of training and interfaces (science–society)¹³,
• Capitalizing on local resources¹⁴, regional¹⁵, as well as other projects already funded by ExposUM¹⁶,
• Compliance with the open science approach implemented by the University of Montpellier,
• The sustainability (environmental impact) of research.

Commitment of the bearer

• Respect, in the design and implementation of the project submitted under this Call for Projects, the values and principles of scientific integrity intended to guarantee the honesty and scientific rigor of all research work, as referred to in Article L.211-2 of the Research Code and set out in the National Charter of Ethics for Research Professions and the Charter on Scientific Integrity of the University of Montpellier;

• Comply with the Nagoya Protocol, where applicable;

• Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, and the ExposUM Institute in all documents related to the project's implementation.

• Send to the Institute (rf.re1769986786illep1769986786tnomu1769986786@paa-1769986786musop1769986786xe1769986786), an annual report (financial statement and summary report) that can be used in the University's communications materials;

• Apply the UM publication signature charter in force to all scientific output; comply with provisions relating to open science and the Law for a Digital Republic ( open access publication). Heads of UM-affiliated laboratories will deposit the full text of publications in the HAL-UM open archive.

• Take the necessary steps to obtain the required research authorizations/approvals in regulated sectors (genetically modified organisms, use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, use of genetic resources and sharing of the resulting benefits, bioethics, etc.).

List of research organizations eligible for this call

ABSys, AGAP Institute, AIDA, AMAP, Analyses, ART-Dev, ASTRE, BC2M, BCM, BIOLuM, BioWooEB, CBGP, CBS, CDE, CEFE, CEE-M, CEMIPAI, CEPEL, CERCOP, ChimEco, CREAM, CRBM, CSUM, DEFE, DGIMI, DIADE, DIASCOPE, DMEM, ECO&SOLS, ECOTRON, EDPFM, EDSM, ESPACE-DEV, EuroMov DHM, F&S, FHU Evocan 2, FHU Neurexpo, FHU Regenhab 2, FHU TIE, G-EAU, GECO, Génopolys, GM, HortSys, HSM, IATE, IBMM, ICGM, ICS, ICSM, IDEDH, IDESP, IEM, IES, IGF, IGH, IGMM, IHD, IHPE, IMAG, IMAGINE, INM, INNOVATION, INTERTRYP, IPSiM, IRCM, IRIM, IRMB, ISDM, ISEM, ITAP, L2C, LBE, LBN, LDP, LEPSE, LICeM, LIRDEF, LIRMM, LISAH, LMGC, LPHI, LUPM, Maraîchage, MARBEC, MEEB, MISTEA, MIVEGEC, MMDN, MOISA, MRE, MRM, MSH Sud, OREME, PAC Chimie Balard, PCCEI, Pech Rouge, PHIM, PhyMedExp, QualiSud, R&R, SantESiH, SELMET, SENS, SPO, Sys2diag, TETIS, TransVIHMI, VASSAL, VBIC

1. CIRAD, CNRS, IFREMER, INRAe, INRIA, INSERM, IRD, ENSCM, Institut Agro, Montpellier University Hospital, ICM, Occitanie Region. ↩︎
2. Please note, however, that all research projects submitted with an environmental human health component will be carefully reviewed. ↩︎
3. Projects focusing exclusively on non-human behavior or behavior attributed to sub-individual entities (e.g., the behavior of a cell or a receptor) are not encouraged. ↩︎
4. Excluding doctoral contracts, which are funded by the dedicated Nexus program. ↩︎
5. Regardless of the duration of this funding by ExposUM and the contract history of the candidate, recruitment will be carried out by the University of Montpellier, with some exceptions, under a project contract, and at a maximum of the new increased index (INM) 596, corresponding approximately to a net monthly salary of €2,300. Prior approval from the HR department will be required.    ↩︎
6. Partners outside the consortium will only be able to receive funding through the invoicing of services (the funds will continue to be managed by the project leader's research unit). ↩︎
7. The ExposUM Institute reserves the right to adjust this distribution based on the relative quality of projects within each category. ↩︎
8. See the list of ExposUM member institutions on the last page. Candidates must already be official members of the institution in question as of November 30, 2025, and their contract (permanent or temporary, potentially through this funding) with that institution must run until the planned end of the project, at the end of 2028. Members affiliated with ExposUM research structures employed by a university other than the University of Montpellier are not eligible to apply. ↩︎
9. The procedure for this AAP does not provide for responses to rapporteurs or interviews. ↩︎
10. See, for example, article by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ↩︎
11. A simple mention of the "One Healthapproach "will be deemed insufficient: the simultaneous study of human, animal, and environmental health must be explicitly argued and central to the project. ↩︎
12. See definitions from the National Ethics Advisory Committee and the Dictionary of the Academy of Medicine. ↩︎
13. The integration of students into the project or ordinary scientific dissemination are not considered sufficient inter-axis coordination. Please refer to the actions specific to the Institute's two other axes. ↩︎
14. From the Montpellier website. ↩︎
15. Occitanie region. ↩︎
16. This point is only taken into account if the auxiliary project in question does not involve the same members and structures. ↩︎

Keywords: call for proposals, ExposUM