Horizon Europe is the EU's research and innovation programme. A large part of the programme consists of collaborative projects in which organisations from at least three countries participate. The collaborative projects are open to all types of actors, from public activities and companies to research institutes and civil society. Many project also specifically request participation from civil society, with everything from patient associations to organisations that protect the local environment.
The purpose of the meeting is for civil society organizations to gain an increased ability to navigate Horizon Europe, find relevant opportunities and act on them. Other types of actors who are interested in collaborating with civil society are also welcome to participate. During the meeting we will go through three parts.
The first part explains how Horizon Europe is structured and what tools are available to find the right one. You also get an overview of the application process and actual tips aimed at civil society actors. This can be about legal and financial issues or how to find the right partners.
In the second part, we invite civil society actors who are already participating in a Horizon Europe project. You will learn about their journey with proposal and what it is like to work with research and innovation in an EU project.
The last part addresses the opportunities and support available in different thematic areas, such as health, energy, environment and climate, built and living environment, civil security or technology. You will meet the national contact persons for each area who can help you further after the meeting.
There will also be time for questions to both the national contact persons and actors participating in the ongoing project.
Preliminary agenda:
- 10:00 – Welcome and introduction to Horizon Europe
- 10:10 – Practical tools and pages
- 10:20 – Application process and collaborations
- 10:35 – Legal and financial aspects for civil society actors
- 10:45 – Questions and discussion
- 11:00 – Break
- 11:10 – Stories from project participants
- 11:40 – Thematic areas and opportunities in 2026 and 2027
- 11:55 – Closing and further support