Horizon Europe Programme (source: European Commission)

Pillar 1 – Excellent Science

Pillar I promotes scientific excellence, attracting highly-skilled researchers and innovators to Europe. Focussing primarily on bottom-up research, where applicants can define their own research focus without pre-determined or directed grant calls, the pillar aims to support the development and diffusion of scientific excellence, high-quality knowledge, methodologies and skills, technologies and solutions to global social, environmental and economic challenges. Furthermore, it looks to encourage and facilitate the training and mobility of researchers as well as promote development of and access to world-class research infrastructures.

Pillar I presentation (.pdf)

The ERC aims to fund the best research undertaken by the best researchers in Europe, with scientific excellence as the sole evaluation criterion (both the scientific excellence of the PI’s track record and of the proposed project). ERC proposals should aim to open new areas of research or develop new methodologies. Projects are expected to be ambitious and inherently high-risk, whether through choice of topic, scope or scale. To achieve the outputs of their project, the PI may employ Team Members, who may be of any level of experience and may be based anywhere in the world.

WEB PAGE: European Research Council (ERC)

ERC Work Programme 2024 (.pdf)

ERC Work Programme 2025 (.pdf)

Funding opportunities:

♦ ERC Starting Grant – For promising early-career researchers with 2 to 7 years experience after PhD

Open call
Call details: ERC-2025-StG
Deadline date: 15 October 2024 – 17.00 Brussels time
Timeframe Starting Grant 2025 evaluation

♦ ERC Consolidator Grant – For promising early-career researchers with 7 to 12 years experience after PhD

Open call

Call details: ERC-2025-CoG

Deadline date: 14 January 2025 – 17.00 Brussels time

Timeframe Consolidator Grant 2025 evaluation

♦ ERC Advanced Grant – For established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements

Upcoming call

ERC-2025-ADG call should open 22 May 2025

♦ ERC Proof of Concept – For ERC grant holders to explore the commercial or societal potential innovation of their ERC frontier research project

♦ ERC Synergy Grant – To address ambitious research questions that can only be answered by the coordinated work of a small group of 2-4 principal Investigators

Open call

Call details: ERC-2025-SyG

Deadline date: 6 November 2024 – 17.00 Brussels time

Timeframe Synergy Grant 2025

♦ Additional opportunities – For researchers wishing to work or gain experience in an ERC grantee’s team

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The European Commission funds research and innovation projects to boost top researchers’ careers through mobility and innovative doctoral and postdoctoral training. All MSCA opportunities are ‘bottom-up’ and open to all research and innovation areas that prompt international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility of researchers. MSCA also set out to enhance training and career development systems thereby having a structuring impact on institutions.

WEB PAGE: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Find out more in this video.

MSCA Work Programme 2023-25 (.pdf)

Funding opportunities:

♦ MSCA Doctoral Networks 2024 

Submit your proposal by 27 November 2024

HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01-01

♦ MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024– closed

♦ MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024

Submit your proposal by 5 February 2025

HORIZON-MSCA-2024-SE-01-01

♦ MSCA COFUND 2024– closed

♦ MSCA and Citizens 2023

Next call for proposals opens in 2025

♦MSCA International Cooperation 2024– closed

♦ MSCA4Ukraine– closed

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Research Infrastructures (RI) are facilities that provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields. This definition includes the associated human resources, and covers major equipment or sets of instruments; knowledge-related facilities such as collections, archives or scientific data infrastructures; computing systems, communication networks, and any other infrastructure, of a unique nature and open to external users, essential to achieve excellence in research and innovation.

Where relevant, they may be used beyond research, for example for education or public services and they may be ‘single sited’, ‘virtual’ or ‘distributed’.

WEB PAGE: Research Infrastructures

Horizon Europe Work programme 2023-2025 – Infrastructures (.pdf)

Funding will be provided for three main types of activities:

  • Consolidating the landscape of European research infrastructures;
  • Opening, integrating and interconnecting research infrastructures; and
  • Reinforcing European research infrastructure policy and international cooperation.

All funding information and details on how to apply are on the Funding and Tenders portal.

Pillar 2 – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness

The pillar ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ 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 Union in relation to the resources that are expended.

Pillar II presentation (pdf)

Find a call by missions areas

Within the clusters of pillar II, Horizon Europe incorporates missions to increase the effectiveness of funding by pursuing clearly defined targets with a concrete impact on citizen’s daily lives.

The aim is to achieve bold, inspirational and measurable goals within a set time-frame.

The following 5 mission areas have been identified, each with a dedicated mission board and assembly. The board and assembly help specify, design and implement the specific missions which will launch under Horizon Europe in 2021:

1.Health

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 1 (.pdf)

The aims of this cluster include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. This cluster also aims to make public health systems more cost-effective, equitable and sustainable, prevent and tackle poverty-related diseases and support and enable patients’ participation and self-management.

2. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Societies

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 2 (.pdf)

This cluster aims to strengthen European democratic values, including rule of law and fundamental rights, safeguarding our cultural heritage, and promoting socio-economic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth.

Areas of intervention:

  • democracy
  • cultural heritage
  • social and economic transformations
Open call
  • Deadline date:22 January 2025, 17:00 Brussels time

 3. Civil Security for Society

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 3 (.pdf)

This cluster responds to the challenges arising from persistent security threats, including cybercrime, as well as natural and man-made disasters.

Areas of intervention:

  • disaster-resilient societies
  • protection and security
  • cybersecurity

Open call

Open call

Open call

Open call

Open call

Open call

4.Digital, Industry & Space

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 4 (.pdf)

The overarching vision behind the proposed investments under Cluster 4 is that of Europe shaping competitive and trusted technologies for a European industry with global leadership in key areas, enabling production and consumption to respect the boundaries of our planet, and maximising the benefits for all parts of society in the variety of social, economic and territorial contexts in Europe.

This will build a competitive, digital, low-carbon and circular industry, ensure sustainable supply of raw materials, develop advanced materials and provide the basis for advances and innovation in  global challenges to society.

Areas of intervention:

  • manufacturing technologies
  • key digital technologies including quantum technologies
  • emerging enabling technologies
  • advanced materials
  • artificial intelligence and robotics
  • next generation internet
  • advanced computing and Big Data
  • circular industries
  • low carbon and clean industries
  • space including earth observation

Open call

5.Climate, Energy and Mobility

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 5 (.pdf) 

This cluster aims to fight climate change by better understanding its causes, evolution, risks, impacts and opportunities, and by making the energy and transport sectors more climate and environment-friendly, more efficient and competitive, smarter, safer and more resilient.

Areas of intervention:

  • climate science and solutions
  • energy supply
  • energy systems and grids
  • buildings and industrial facilities in energy transition
  • communities and cities
  • industrial competitiveness in transport
  • clean, safe and accessible transport and mobility
  • smart mobility
  • energy storage

Open call

Open call

6.Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment

Work Programme 2023-2025 for CL 6 (.pdf)

This cluster aims at reducing environmental degradation, halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity on land, inland waters and sea and better managing natural resources through transformative changes of the economy and society in both urban and rural areas.

It will ensure food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries through knowledge, innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems and steer and accelerate the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy, including forestry.

Areas of intervention:

  • environmental observation
  • biodiversity and natural resources
  • agriculture, forestry and rural areas
  • seas, oceans and inland waters
  • food systems
  • bio-based innovation systems in the EU’s bioeconomy
  • circular systems

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The JRC plays a key role at multiple stages of the EU policy cycle. It contributes to the overall objective of Horizon Europe.

We work closely with research and policy organisations in the Member States, with the European institutions and agencies, and with scientific partners in Europe and internationally, including within the United Nations system.

The core strengths we offer are anticipation, integration and impact.

  • Anticipation focuses on what is coming at us, beyond the latest crisis, and being able to provide the scientific underpinning for future policy initiatives.
  • Integration means enhancing our ability to build links between the different scientific and policy areas inside the Commission and beyond, since the challenges we face are so complex that one single area of science can rarely provide all the necessary answers.
  • Last, but not least, impact is about assisting policymakers to track and assess the impact of their policies.

Originally established under the Euratom Treaty, a proportion of our work is in the nuclear field.

In addition, the JRC offers scientific expertise and competences from a very wide range of disciplines in support of almost all EU policy areas.

As described in our JRC Revitalising Strategy 2030, we organise our work in 33 portfolios.

 Pillar III – Innovative Europe

This pillar will focus on scaling up breakthrough and market-creating innovation through a new European Innovation Council (EIC) as well as activities aimed at enhancing and developing the overall European innovation landscape. It will also include support to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

What will be funded under Pillar III?

Pillar III aims to foster all forms of innovation, including breakthrough innovation, and market deployment of innovative solutions.

⇒ The European Innovation Council

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has been established under the EU Horizon Europe programme. It has a budget of €10.1 billion to support game changing innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research, to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs.

Find out about EIC funding opportunities.

  • EIC Pathfinder– R&I grants (from early technology to proof of concept), supporting research and deep tech projects with a high degree of scientific ambition and

Open Call

  • EIC Transition – R&I grants (proof of concept to pre-commercial), supporting maturation and validation of novel ideas from lab to business. A bridge between research and application development.
  • EIC Accelerator – Grants & investment (via EIC Fund) for single SMEs & start-ups (from pre-commercial to market & scale-up), supporting start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to develop and scale up to new markets or disrupt existing ones.

⇒ European Innovation Ecosystems

Areas of intervention:

  • builds interconnected, inclusive innovation ecosystems across Europe by drawing on the existing strengths of national, regional and local ecosystems and pulling in new, less well-represented actors and territories to set, undertake, and achieve collective ambitions towards challenges for the benefit of society, including the green, digital, and social transitions
  • reinforces network connectivity within and between innovation ecosystems to accelerate sustainable business growth with high societal value
  • supports the European Partnership for Innovative SMEs (Eurostars 3)
  • complements the European Regional Development Fund  support for innovation ecosystems and interregional partnerships around smart specialisation topics.

⇒ European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Our mission is to create jobs and deliver sustainable and smart growth. We’re an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. 

  • A model based on partnerships across industries

We’re a unique EU body in that our method for driving innovation involves bringing together organisations across business, education, and research. The goal of these partnerships is to find and commercialise solutions to pressing global challenges. For each global challenge, there is an ecosystem of partnerships called Knowledge and Innovation Communities.

  • Partnerships that foster talent and ingenuity

To face these global challenges, our community of partners offers a wide range of education courses, business creation and acceleration services, and innovation-driven research projects.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION AND STRENGTHENING THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence actions under Horizon Europe, contribute to building research and innovation capacity for countries lagging behind.

They will strengthen their potential for successful participation in transnational research and innovation processes, promote networking and access to excellence.

Participants in the programme will be able to upgrade their research and innovation systems, making them stronger and allowing the EU as a whole to advance together, in line with the policy objectives of the European Research Area

Funding opportunities:

1.Teaming for Excellence –Next call for proposals opens on 3 December 2024

2.Twinning

3.European Excellence Initiative

4.Pathways to synergies

5.Dissemination and Exploitation Support Facility

6.Hop-on facility

7.Excellence Hubs

8.ERA Chairs

9.ERA Fellowships

10.ERA Talents

Reforming and enhancing the European Research and Innovation system

Policy reforms at national level will be mutually reinforced and complemented through the development of EU-level policy initiatives, research, networking, partnering, coordination, data collection and monitoring and evaluation.

Areas of intervention:

  • strengthening the evidence base for research and innovation policy, for a better understanding of the different dimensions and components of national and regional research and innovation ecosystems, including drivers, impacts, associated polices
  • foresight activities, to anticipate emerging needs and trends, in coordination and co-design with national agencies and future-oriented stakeholders
  • support for policy makers, funding bodies, research performing organisations (including universities) or advisory groups working on the European Research Area and related policies
  • accelerating the transition towards open science, by monitoring, analysing and supporting the development and uptake of open science policies and practices
  • support for synergies between research and innovation and higher education policies and programmes, in particular towards a modernised higher education sector, benefitting from targeted transformations in higher education, research, and innovation
  • support for interconnected knowledge ecosystems, strong in knowledge creation, circulation and use
  • strengthening research careers, to ensure research and innovation talents benefit from attractive careers, and a highly skilled workforce can circulate freely.

All funding information and details on how to apply are on the Funding and Tenders portal

New elements in Horizon Europe

  • European Innovation Council: Support for innovations with potential breakthrough and disruptive nature with scale-up potential that may be too risky for private investors. This is 70% of the budget earmarked for SMEs.
  • Missions: Sets of measures to achieve bold, inspirational and measurable goals within a set timeframe. There are 5 main mission areas as part of Horizon Europe.

They support Commission priorities, such as the European Green Deal, Europe fit for the Digital Age, Beating Cancerand the New European Bauhaus. For instance, Mission Climate is a concrete element of the new Climate Adaptation Strategy, Mission Cancer of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Mission Soil is a flagship initiative of the Long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas.

  • Open science policy: Mandatory open access to publications and open science principles are applied throughout the programme Factsheet: Open science in Horizon Europe
  • New approach to partnerships: Objective-driven and more ambitious partnerships with industry in support of EU policy objectives

More information:

Horizon Europe strategic plan 2021-2024

Presentation outlining Horizon Europe

How the Horizon Europe programme was developed

International cooperation in the programme

AGA – Annotated Grant Agreement for EU Funding Programmes 2021-2027 (.pdf)

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