Summary
Details
- European Union
Participation in Horizon Europe is not mandatory.
However, once an organization receives Horizon Europe funding and signs a grant agreement, applicable contractual and regulatory requirements become binding.
These can include:
Financial reporting.
Technical reporting.
Eligible-cost rules.
Milestone delivery.
Research integrity.
Open science.
Dissemination.
Intellectual-property requirements.
Audit cooperation.
Record retention.
Organizations voluntarily choose whether to apply to Horizon Europe calls.
Deep dive
- What’s Required
- 1. Apply through specific Horizon Europe calls
- 2. Meet eligibility requirements
- 3. Form a consortium where required
- 4. Meet scientific and impact criteria
- 5. Follow grant agreement requirements
- 6. Follow open science requirements
- 7. Respect research security and participation restrictions
- 8. Programme Structure
- Important Deadlines
- Current Status
- Penalties for Non-Compliance
- Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes
- Resources
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What’s Required
1. Apply through specific Horizon Europe calls
Horizon Europe is not an automatic funding entitlement.
Organizations seeking support must apply to specific calls published through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Each call defines:
Eligible applicants.
Research or innovation objectives.
Technology scope.
Expected outcomes.
Funding rates.
Consortium requirements.
Submission deadlines.
Evaluation criteria.
Budget.
Project duration.
Funding opportunities are set out through multiannual Work Programmes.
2. Meet eligibility requirements
Legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe can generally participate.
Entities from non-associated countries may also participate in many actions, although eligibility for EU funding depends on the specific call and Horizon Europe rules.
As of 2026, 22 non-EU countries are associated with Horizon Europe, including:
Albania
Armenia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canada
Egypt
Faroe Islands
Georgia
Iceland
Israel
Republic of Korea
Kosovo
Moldova
Montenegro
New Zealand
North Macedonia
Norway
Serbia
Switzerland
Türkiye
Tunisia
Ukraine
United Kingdom.
Canada currently participates through Pillar II, while association arrangements can differ by country.
3. Form a consortium where required
Many collaborative Horizon Europe calls require participation by organizations from several eligible countries.
Depending on the funding instrument, participants can include:
Universities.
Research institutes.
SMEs.
Large companies.
Public authorities.
NGOs.
Technology developers.
Infrastructure operators.
International organizations.
Exact consortium requirements vary by call.
4. Meet scientific and impact criteria
Proposals are generally evaluated against criteria including:
Excellence.
Impact.
Quality and efficiency of implementation.
Projects must demonstrate how the proposed research or innovation addresses the objectives and expected outcomes of the relevant call.
5. Follow grant agreement requirements
Successful applicants enter an EU grant agreement.
This creates binding obligations covering areas such as:
Eligible expenditure.
Financial reporting.
Technical reporting.
Project milestones.
Deliverables.
Intellectual property.
Dissemination.
Communication.
Open science.
Audit and recordkeeping.
6. Follow open science requirements
Horizon Europe places significant emphasis on open science.
Depending on the project, beneficiaries may need to:
Provide open access to scientific publications.
Manage research data according to FAIR principles.
Prepare and maintain a data management plan.
Make results accessible where required.
Document legitimate restrictions on access.
7. Respect research security and participation restrictions
Participation can be restricted in certain strategic areas where necessary to protect EU strategic assets, interests, autonomy or security.
The Horizon Europe Regulation allows specific calls to limit participation to EU or specified associated-country entities.
Entities subject to applicable EU restrictive measures are also excluded from participation in relevant capacities.
8. Programme Structure
Horizon Europe is organized around three main pillars.
Pillar I: Excellent Science
Includes:
European Research Council.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
Research Infrastructures.
Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Includes six clusters:
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.
Pillar II also includes activities involving the Joint Research Centre.
Pillar III: Innovative Europe
Includes:
European Innovation Council.
European Innovation Ecosystems.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Horizon Europe also includes a cross-cutting component dedicated to widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area.
Important Deadlines
2021: Horizon Europe began as the successor to Horizon 2020. Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing the programme was adopted on April 28, 2021, and published in May 2021.
2021-2027: Current Horizon Europe programming period.
2025-2027: The second Horizon Europe Strategic Plan applies to the final three years of the current programme period.
December 11, 2025: The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, with approximately €14 billion in funding opportunities.
2026-2027: The current work programme implements the final phase of Horizon Europe. It includes at least €4.9 billion for climate action and a new €540 million Clean Industrial Deal call supporting clean technologies and decarbonization of energy-intensive industries.
2028 onward: The European Commission has proposed a successor Horizon Europe programme for 2028-2034, with a proposed budget of approximately €175 billion. This remains part of the EU's future multiannual budget process rather than the budget of the current programme.
Current Status
Horizon Europe is currently operating under its 2026-2027 Work Programme, which is the final work programme of the 2021-2027 programming period.
The Commission continues to publish calls across research areas including climate, energy, mobility, industry, health, digital technologies and biodiversity.
International participation has also expanded. By 2026, 22 non-EU countries were associated with the programme, while negotiations with Japan and Australia had been successfully concluded.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Horizon Europe does not operate like an environmental regulation with a standardized fine schedule.
For funded beneficiaries, non-compliance is primarily addressed through grant and financial enforcement.
Possible consequences include:
Rejection of project costs.
Reduction of the EU grant.
Recovery of funds already paid.
Suspension of payments.
Termination of the grant agreement.
Exclusion from future EU funding procedures in applicable cases.
Financial penalties under EU grant rules.
Audit findings.
Requirements to correct reports or project implementation.
The exact consequence depends on the grant agreement and applicable EU Financial Regulation.
Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes
Typical Horizon Europe compliance risks include:
Claiming costs that are not eligible under the grant agreement.
Inadequate documentation of personnel costs.
Double funding the same expenditure from multiple EU programs.
Missing technical or financial reporting deadlines.
Failure to complete project deliverables.
Failure to properly document subcontracting.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Failure to follow procurement or best-value requirements where applicable.
Misreporting working time or personnel costs.
Failure to comply with open-access obligations.
Failure to adequately manage research data.
Incorrectly allocating intellectual-property rights.
Using grant funding outside the approved project scope.
Failing to disclose major changes affecting project implementation.
Assuming that eligibility for one Horizon Europe call guarantees eligibility for another.
Resources
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