Objective
Painful Bladder Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis (IC/BPS) is a chronic, debilitating pelvic pain condition that affects millions of predominantly female patients and lacks an effective, long-lasting therapy. Existing treatments—including oral drugs, intravesical instillations, and neuromodulation—are largely palliative, short-lived, or poorly tolerated. A promising therapeutic approach based on selective desensitisation of bladder pain fibres has shown prolonged analgesic potential in clinical studies, but clinical adoption has been limited by the intense discomfort associated with administration. Uro-Lieve overcomes this barrier with a biodegradable injectable hydrogel that enables controlled, sustained local delivery of a potent neuromodulatory agent. This approach minimises acute discomfort while ensuring durable sensory desensitisation, enabling a minimally invasive, potentially disease-modifying treatment.
Over 18 months, the project will optimise the hydrogel formulation, demonstrate in vivo efficacy and safety, and prepare a complete regulatory, intellectual-property, and commercialisation package. By addressing a major unmet medical need and aligning with EU priorities on women’s health and gender equality, Uro-Lieve has the potential to transform chronic bladder pain management, reduce healthcare costs, and establish a scalable platform for other visceral pain disorders.
This ERC Proof of Concept will deliver a patent-protected, investor-ready technology positioned for rapid first-in-human trials and market translation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
H91 Galway
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.