Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship funding programme for research and innovation, backed by a budget of €95.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period.
Managed by the European Commission, the programme tackles climate change, supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and boosts European industrial competitiveness and growth.
1. Programme Structure: The Three Pillars
Horizon Europe operates through three core pillars:
- Excellent Science: The first pillar of Horizon Europe, Excellent Science, supports frontier research and breakthrough scientific ideas, teams up the best researchers from Europe and beyond and equips them with skills and word-class research infrastructures. It includes the European Research Council (ERC) for frontier research, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) for researcher mobility and training, and funding for world-class Research Infrastructures.
- Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness: The second pillar funds collaborative research directly addressing societal challenges and industrial technologies across six thematic clusters. It is established through clusters of research and innovation activities, in order to maximise integration and synergies across the respective thematic areas while securing high and sustainable levels of impact for the EU in relation to the resources. The Horizon Europe budget allocates more than €53 billion for pillar II, for projects covering Health, Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society, Civil Security for Society, Digital, Industry and Space,Climate, Energy and Mobility, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
- Innovative Europe: the third pillar stimulates market-creating breakthroughs and ecosystems conducive to innovation. It operates primarily through the European Innovation Council to support high-risk deep-tech startups, European Innovation Ecosystems to connect regional hubs, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
- Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (ERA). This increases participation from countries with lower research and innovation performance while reforming the broader European research system. Widening participation and spreading excellence ; and Reforming and enhancing the European Research and Innovation system.
2. EU Missions and Partnerships
Alongside the main pillars, Horizon Europe incorporates research and innovation missions to increase the effectiveness of funding by pursuing clearly defined targets. EU Missions are large-scale initiatives under Horizon Europe setting clear, time-bound goals that drive focused efforts towards some of our greatest challenges such as climate change, cancer, ocean restoration, soil health, and the development of climate-neutral and smart cities. By bringing together researchers, policymakers, citizens, and stakeholders, EU Missions pool the necessary resources to drive innovation and deliver concrete solutions for societal benefit.
- Five EU Missions. Large-scale initiatives aiming to solve major societal challenges within a set timeframe. They focus on Adaptation to climate change – Aiming to guide at least 150 communities through understanding climate risks, developing pathways for preparation, and implementing innovative solutions by 2030, Cancer – Improving the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and for those affected by cancer including their families, to live longer and better, Climate-neutral and smart cities – Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050, A Soil Deal for Europe – Establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030. and Restore our Ocean and Waters – Protecting and restoring our ocean and waters through innovation and action by 2030.
- European Partnerships. Horizon Europe supports European partnerships in which the EU, national authorities and/or the private sector jointly commit to support the development and implementation of a programme of research and innovation activities. The goal of European partnerships is to contribute to the achievement of EU priorities, address complex challenges outlined in Horizon Europe and strengthen the European Research Area (ERA).
Partnership and contact details are available to view grouped in the themes below.
Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
3. Eligibility and Participation Rules
Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.
For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide . Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.
Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.
| Requirement Category | Standard Rule |
|---|---|
| Geographic Scope | Open to entities established in EU Member States and Associated Countries (including the UK, which fully associated to the programme in January 2024). |
| Consortium Composition | Most collaborative calls require at least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or Associated Countries, with at least one established in an EU Member State. |
| Single-Beneficiary Exceptions | Grants under the ERC, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, and the EIC Accelerator allow individual researchers or single SMEs to apply alone. |
| Gender Equality Plans (GEP) | Public bodies, research organisations, and higher education institutions must have a formal Gender Equality Plan in place to be eligible for funding. |
You can review specific legal entity requirements on the European Research Executive Agency (REA) eligibility page.
4. Funding Instruments and Work Programmes
Opportunities are published in multi-annual Horizon Europe Work Programmes, including the 2026–2027 edition which allocates €14 billion for the final two years of the framework.
- Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). Activities primarily aiming to establish new knowledge or explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology. Funding typically covers 100% of eligible direct costs.
- Innovation Actions (IA). Activities closer to the market, such as prototyping, testing, demonstrating, and piloting. Funding generally covers 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities, and 100% for non-profit organisations.
- Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). Accompanying measures such as standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising, and policy dialogues rather than primary research, funded at 100%.
- Lump Sum Funding. Increasingly used across the 2026–2027 calls to simplify administration by paying fixed amounts upon the completion of work packages rather than requiring detailed financial reporting. [1, 2, 3]
5. Step-by-Step Application Process
All proposals are submitted electronically via the central EU portal, where average success rates range between 12% and 20% depending on the pillar.
- Find a Call. You can find all calls for proposals, the specific call topics, the deadlines and application forms on the Funding and Tenders Portal.
- Register Your Organisation. Obtain a 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC) on the portal before drafting your submission.
- Build a Consortium. Use the portal’s partner search tools or contact your National Contact Point (NCP) to find international collaborators.
- Draft and Submit. Complete Part A (administrative forms) and Part B (technical narrative covering Excellence, Impact, and Quality of Implementation) using the official templates in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
- Evaluation and Grant Agreement. Independent experts score proposals against pre-defined criteria, and successful applicants proceed to Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) within roughly eight months of the call deadline.
