The European Commission has decided on numerus novelties for Horizon Europe, with the aim to attract more newcomers to the funding programme for research and innovation for the final two years.
The following novelties have been introduced to the work programmes for 2026 and 2027.
- Fast track calls for innovative technologies and concepts
- More calls with cascade funding to enable smaller actions
- Less prescriptive and shorter work programmes
- Fewer but broader topics in Pillar 2, with higher approval rates
- 41 two-stage call topics with blind evaluation
- Simpler rules for impact and implementation sections
- Reduction of application lengths
- 50% of the budget will be handed out as a lump sum funding (i.e. this simplified reporting method will be applied to more Calls)
- Focus on AI and clean tech projects through “horizontal activities”
- Offering longer-term employment through ‘Choose Europe for Science’ call
Small and medium enterprises, start-ups, scale-ups, civil society organisations and small public administrations are the main target audience of the introduced measures.