The successful linking of research funding organizations in E-Rare-1 and the subsequent exemplary joint funding activities have attested the need of, and the acknowledgment from, the research community for transnational funding of collaborative, multidisciplinary and ambitious projects on rare diseases. It has leveraged funding for rare disease research in countries without specific programmes for rare diseases and thus enabled the participation of researchers in these countries to transnational projects.
 
The current E-Rare-3 project will extend and strengthen the transnational cooperation on rare disease research funding organizations in the 5-year period of 2015-2019 by building on the experience and results of the previous ERA-Net programmes E-Rare-1 and E-Rare-2. It aims to provide an international model platform for implementing Joint Transnational Calls. The consortium comprises 25 institutions from 17 European, Associated and non-European countries. Its international dimension will be directly translated into close collaboration with IRDiRC and other relevant European and international initiatives.