Introduction 

FOREUM is committed to supporting and advancing talented investigators in the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). In line with this commitment, FOREUM is pleased to launch the 2026 FOREUM Topic Grant focused on sleep dysregulation. 

Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent and insufficiently addressed in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Across a wide spectrum of conditions that include inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue diseases, and osteoarthritis, patients frequently report impaired sleep quality, insomnia, altered sleep architecture, and non-restorative sleep.  

Importantly, these sleep disturbances are closely linked to pain, fatigue, disease activity, and mood disorders, forming a complex and bidirectional relationship that significantly impacts quality of life, functional capacity, and long-term outcomes. Despite their importance, sleep disorders remain under-recognised, under-measured, and under-treated in routine rheumatology practice, and their underlying mechanisms in RMDs are incompletely understood. Nevertheless, these issues are very important for a large group of people living with different RMDs.  

This FOREUM call aims to stimulate innovative, high-impact research to better understand, measure, and manage sleep disturbances in RMDs, ultimately improving patient-centred outcomes. 

 

Scope 

Studies may be clinical, epidemiological, translational, or interventional in nature.  

Proposals should: 

• address a clearly defined unmet need related to sleep disturbances in RMDs 
• generate novel insights or actionable solutions 
• focus on outcomes that are meaningful to patients, including quality of life, fatigue, pain, and daily functioning 

Projects are expected to go beyond descriptive work and contribute to improved understanding, diagnosis, or management of sleep disturbances in RMDs. 

We invite scientific proposals that address one or more of the following objectives: 

1. Understanding mechanisms of sleep disturbances in RMDs 

• Elucidate the biological, neurological, immunological, or behavioural mechanisms linking RMDs and disrupted sleep 
• Explore the interactions between inflammation, pain pathways, and sleep regulation 
• Investigate disease-specific versus shared mechanisms across RMDs 

2. Measurement and phenotyping 

• Develop or validate robust, patient-relevant tools for assessing sleep disturbances in RMDs 
• Identify clinically meaningful sleep phenotypes or subgroups 

3. Clinical consequences and longitudinal outcomes 

• Investigate the impact of sleep disturbances on: 

• • Disease activity and progression 
  • Fatigue, pain, mental health, and quality of life 
  • Work participation and societal burden 

• Assess long-term trajectories and determinants of sleep impairment in RMDs 

4. Intervention and management strategies 

• Evaluate pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions to improve sleep 
• Explore integrated care models addressing sleep within routine rheumatology practice 
• Assess behavioural, psychological, digital, or lifestyle interventions 

5. Personalised approaches 

• Identify predictors of response to sleep-related interventions 
• Develop stratified or personalised management strategies 
• Address specific populations (e.g. difficult-to-treat patients, comorbid depression, elderly patients) 

 

Expected Impact 

Projects funded under this call should: 

• improve understanding of sleep disturbances as a core domain of RMDs 
• deliver clinically meaningful insights that can influence practice 
• provide tools, interventions, or strategies that improve patient outcomes 
• contribute to integrating sleep assessment and management into routine rheumatology care

 

Eligibility and Requirements 

Multi-centre collaboration
The FOREUM Topic Grant aims to support collaborative research across Europe and therefore requires applications to involve centres from at least three different countries.  

Lead centre
Each institution may act as the lead centre for only one application; however, the institution and its researchers may participate as collaborators in other applications.   

The lead centre is expected to be affiliated with its national EULAR association. 

Eligibility of applicants and Principal Investigators
The call is open to applicants based at institutions in EULAR member countries. 

Participation of non-EULAR member countries
Centres from non-EULAR member countries may participate as project partners in exceptional cases, where they provide specific scientific expertise or added value to the project. 

Centres from non-EULAR member countries will not be eligible to receive FOREUM funding. 

Participation of Patient Research Partners (PRPs)
Participation of patient research partners is strongly recommended for all research projects to provide experiential knowledge, with the aim of improving the relevance, quality and validity of the research process. For more information, please read the material on EULAR | PARE patient research partners. 

Ethical considerations
FOREUM expects a high standard in the conduct of research it funds. For researchers this includes scientific integrity and adherence to the principles of good research practice. Patients involved in the study must be treated in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. 

Exclusion criteria
Members of FOREUM committees and the EULAR Executive Committee are not eligible to submit or participate in applications. 

Data sharing and collaboration
Applications must include confirmation that participating centres agree to collaborate on data analyses and/or provide aggregated or raw data in accordance with applicable national regulations and the requirements of their respective governing bodies. A single sentence confirming this agreement is sufficient; no additional documentation is required. 

 

Budget 

The FOREUM Topic Grant is designed to fund a range of research projects.  An individual project proposal may apply for total funding of up to 600,000 EUR for a maximum duration of 3 years, provided the expenditure is appropriately justified. Collaborating partners should have a substantial part of the budget to appropriately conduct research. 

Continued financial support will be subject to the successful evaluation and approval of written mid-term and final reports by FOREUM’s relevant committees. Submitted publications can be used as part of the report.