Herantis Pharma has announced that it has been selected (pending final negotiations) for an €8m grant under the Horizon Europe 2025 Research and Innovation programme to support the clinical development of its Parkinson's disease candidate HER-096.
The funding, awarded through the programme's "Boosting the translation of biotech research into innovative health therapies" call, will support execution of a planned Phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study assessing the efficacy and safety of subcutaneously administered HER-096 in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease.
The company is leading a consortium that includes several European university hospitals participating in the trial.
The grant is intended to help accelerate preparations for the proof-of-concept study, which Herantis aims to initiate once regulatory approvals and additional resourcing are secured.
According to the company, discussions with potential investors and strategic partners to complete funding of the programme are ongoing.
Antti Vuolanto, CEO of Herantis Pharma, described the selection as validation of the company's scientific approach and the therapeutic potential of HER-096, saying: "We are absolutely delighted to have been selected for this non-dilutive funding from Horizon Europe."
"This grant will make a meaningful contribution to the funding of our Phase II proof-of-concept study for HER-096, the resourcing of which we are continuing to discuss with potential investors and strategic partners."
Being selected from a highly competitive field of innovative European companies further validates our scientific approach and underscores the potential of HER-096 to improve outcomes for people living with Parkinson's disease.
"I would like to thank the European Commission for its support and look forward to providing further updates once the agreement is signed and the study design has been finalised."
He noted that the company expects to provide further updates after the grant agreement is finalised and the study design is confirmed.
The Horizon Europe funding call forms part of a broader EU health initiative focused on accelerating the translation of biotechnology research into clinical application.
Programme objectives include improving access to innovative therapies, increasing the number of clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutic approaches within the EU and strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the health biotech sector.
For pharmaceutical manufacturing and development stakeholders, the funding highlights continued public investment in advancing early clinical-stage biologics and peptide-based therapeutics, particularly those targeting neurodegenerative disease pathways.
As HER-096 progresses toward clinical evaluation, attention will focus on development scalability, supply chain readiness and regulatory alignment to support potential later-stage trials and commercialisation.