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Research

Research into encephalitis and meningitis is incredibly important. To prevent this life-threatening disease, to understand why some people get it and others don’t, how a doctor can recognize it quickly and how specialists can come to an optimal treatment (so that damage to the brain can be minimized).

To share knowledge in this field as quickly as possible, it is crucial that academic research institutions from home and abroad cooperate as much as possible. That is what we go for and stand for!

And we interpret this cooperation broadly. We look for substantive collaborations, but also for partners who want to co-invest. Meanwhile, a number of studies are running which, in addition to ItsME Foundation as main sponsor, have also been made possible by Vermas Foundation and W.M. de Hoop foundation.

Currently, seven academic institutions are involved in the studies currently taking place (Dutch, British, Italian, Swedish and American). And we are continuing. Orientation talks with new institutes/initiatives are in full swing.

We also have a desire to develop a roadmap for the next 15-20 years that can give all academic institutions direction on what information/insights are still missing to get to the bottom of this disease.

Call for Proposals 2025 – ItsME Foundation

Practical Solutions for Encephalitis and Meningitis Patients

Scientific research into meningitis and encephalitis

The ItsME Foundation invites researchers to submit funding proposals for innovative, relevant, and impactful scientific research in the field of meningitis and encephalitis. Over the past few years, the foundation has funded three promising projects annually. In 2025, a new budget has been made available to support groundbreaking research aligned with our mission.

Our Mission

The ItsME Foundation works towards a future where meningitis and encephalitis are recognised earlier and treated more effectively. We fund scientific research, raise awareness, and support patients and families. Through targeted initiatives, knowledge-sharing and fundraising, we aim to create lasting impact.

Scope (what we are looking for)

This call welcomes proposals that contribute to:

  • Early detection and/or diagnostics
  • Improved treatment or recovery
  • Better understanding of disease mechanisms, progression, or long-term effects

Projects may be fundamental, translational or clinical. Proposals at the intersection of data science, neurobiology or patient-centred care are also eligible, as long as there is a clear link with the objectives of ItsME

Eligibility (who can apply)

  • Researchers affiliated with a university, university medical centre or research institute (worldwide)
  • The project team preferably includes two or more institutions
  • International collaboration is explicitly encouraged
  • The principal investigator preferably has experience leading scientific projects

Funding

  • Budget per project: up to €500,000
  • Maximum project duration: 60 months (5 years)
  • Funding covers a maximum of 50% of the total project budget, with a cap of €100,000 per year
  • The remaining 50% must be co-financed by the applicant, which may include in-kind contributions (e.g. personnel time, infrastructure, or services provided without direct financial compensation)

Assessment Criteria

Each proposal will be assessed on:

  • Scientific quality and originality
  • Relevance to the ItsME Foundation’s mission
  • Potential impact on patients and/or the healthcare system
  • Feasibility within time and budget
  • Collaboration across disciplines and/or countries

Evaluation will be carried out by the Scientific Advisory Board of the ItsME Foundation, with additional experts where relevant.

How to apply

Submission deadline: Tuesday, 31 October 2025, 17:00 CEST Proposals must be submitted using the official ItsME application form (PDF), including all required components: summaries, work plan, budget, and CVs.

Use the official form:

Download the Application Form – Practical Solutions for Encephalitis and Meningitis Patients (PDF) using the button below.
All instructions and required attachments are specified inside the form. Please read them carefully before submitting.

Timeline

  • Publication of the Call: August 2025
  • Submission deadline: 31 October 2025
  • Review period: November 2025
  • Award notification: December 2025
  • Project start: no later than June 2026 (exact timing in consultation)

Questions?

For any substantive or procedural questions, please contact: info@itsme-foundation.com

 

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INVOLVED ACADEMIC CENTERS

Amsterdam UMC
The Netherlands
Erasmus MC
The Netherlands
National Institutes of Health
United States
UCSD Medical Center
United States
Human Technopole
Italy
Karolinska Institutet
Sweden
Wellcome Sanger Institute
United Kingdom

Ongoing research

Team Amsterdam UMC in collaboration with National Institute of Health USA, under supervision of Prof. Dr. Diederik van de Beek

Researching whether the same Covid-19 mechanism of neutralizing autoantibodies, might be at work in patients with pneumococcal meningitis.

Also supported by Vermas Foundation.

Team Karolinska Institutet under supervision of associate Prof. Dr. Federico Iovino

Investigating molecular mechanisms of neuronal damage caused by brain pneumococcal infections. Their goal is to establish new therapeutic approaches that interfere with such mechanisms, by blocking bacterial-neuron interaction, to protect neurons from injuries caused by bacterial interaction.

Team Erasmus MC under supervision of Dr. Maarten Titulaer

Applying a new and promising technique (HuScan) in patients with autoimmune encephalitis with or without prior viral encephalitis, to search for new antibodies that cause encephalitis or influence the severity.

Also supported by W.M. De Hoop Stichting.

Team Amsterdam UMC in collaboration with UC San Diego under supervision of Prof. Dr. Nina van Sorge

Researching whether the effect of antibiotics based on standard laboratory assays maybe underestimated with the risk that effective treatment of bacterial meningitis is withheld from the patient.

Team Human Technopole in collaboration with Erasmus MC under supervision of Dr. Oliver Harschnitz

Developing and applying state-of- the-art human stem cell models of the brainstem to identify new pathogenic antibodies that lead to autoimmune encephalitis.

Team Amsterdam UMC in collaboration with Wellcome Sanger Institute under supervision of Dr. Merijn Bijlsma

Researching if targeted prevention and treatment of Group B streptococcal (GBS) meningitis is possible, by testing for GBS virulence genes.

GBS is the most common cause of sepsis and meningitis in babies and leads to death or disability in a third of patients.