Seek funding from Horisont Europa

The European Commission's overall objective with the Framework Programme is to:

• Promoting innovation and strengthening science and technology within the EU
• Address global societal challenges, such as climate change, ill health, digitalisation and security
• Supporting sustainable development and growth
• Creating jobs and strengthening competitiveness in Europe

Benefits of participating

• The programme has a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021–2027.
• Participants can access broad networks of researchers, companies and public actors across Europe, associated countries and third countries.
• For researchers, participation often means increased visibility, qualification and access to cutting-edge expertise and infrastructure.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can receive support to develop and scale up innovations.

Horisont Europa at the European Commission

The portal also contains supporting documents such as templates and forms, a detailed "program guide" with advice on the application structure, budget, political priorities and the regulatory framework. All of which are important to take note of in order to succeed with your proposal.

Good luck with your proposal

Making a proposal to Horisont Europa is a thorough process that takes time. The better prepared you are, the better your chances of success.

• Read the call text and the work programme carefully so that it is clear what is being requested and what the project is to achieve. Work programmes are designed for one or two years and contain calls for proposals.

• Make sure your proposal includes the three assessment criteria:

  • Scientific and technical quality (Excellence)
    – Describe the project's idea, objective and methodology. Show that it is innovative, relevant and based on solid science.
  • Effect and benefit (Impact)
    – Explain what societal, economic or political impact the project will have. How does it contribute to the EU's objective, the needs of industry or the benefits of citizens?
  • Implementation (Quality & Efficiency of the Implementation)
    – Describe how the project will be implemented: work plan, timeline with milestones, resources, risk management and consortium expertise. Show that it is realistic and well-organized.
• Build a strong consortium and find partners. Use the guides and tools available to find partners. Read more under tab 4.
• Make a budget based on the organisation's regular annual costs. Consider the exchange rate and that money is paid in euros.
• Contact a national contact person to discuss and get advice.
• As a researcher, you can usually turn to your university. They often have their own contact persons for financial and legal support for EU funding, sometimes called the grants office.
• Submit your proposal well in advance. You can open and complete your proposal up until the call's closing date.

Read the European Commission's guide on common mistakes when writing proposalRead more about the work programmes on the European Commission's websiteThe European Commission's templates and guides for your proposal

You can find all reference material for Horisont Europa on the European Commission's website, Funding & Tenders Portal.

Funding & Tenders Portal

The information is updated continuously. Therefore, always double-check with Funding & Tenders Portal to ensure that you have the latest version of these documents.

Utskick EU-info: legal and finance

If you would like to receive emails about legal and financial matters regarding Horisont Europa, please fill in your contact details in the form via the link below. The emails are sent out irregularly and sometimes with attachments.

Registration form to receive the newsletter "EU info: legal and finance"

Get help from our contact persons

The national contact persons can provide you with advice and support on the rules and procedures for participating in Horisont Europa, both before a proposal and during the project period.

National contact persons for Horisont Europa

National contact persons

Nationell Kontaktpersoner (NCP) can help you navigate the European Commission's Funding & Tender portal, guide you through the different work programmes and explain the texts and objectives in a little more detail.

National contact persons in Sweden
National contact persons outside Sweden

For small and medium-sized businesses

EU SME Support offers free expert advice and helps innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) apply for EU funding.

Support for small and medium-sized businesses

For researchers

Most Swedish universities and university colleges have a research support unit (sometimes also called EU office or Grants Office) which specializes in Horisont Europa.

As a researcher, you can receive support in identifying relevant calls for proposals, advice on programme and the application process. You can also get help with budget and regulatory support issues. The universities often provide information on their websites about what applies.

Planning grant

With a planning grant, you who have a clear project idea can get the opportunity to develop a competitive proposal for an announced international call for proposals. An international call for proposals means a call for proposals within which the applications are evaluated in international competition. You can apply for funding up to 300,000 SEK. If you plan to coordinate an international project within Horisont Europa with at least 3 actors from 3 different countries, you can apply for up to 500,000 SEK. The planning grant can last for a maximum of 12 months. Please note that the planning grant cannot be applied for for Eureka's programme, for example Eureka Eurostars.

Planning grant

European Commission

The European Commission has a lot of information, both about the programs specifically and about Horisont Europa in general.

European Commission service portal
European Commission FAQ
European Commission templates and guides

Expert evaluation of proposal within Cluster 4

For those of you planning to submit a proposal within Cluster Four; industry, digitalisation and space, there is the opportunity to receive expert evaluation of your proposal via Ideal-ist.

Ideal-ist website

Find collaborations

There are several platforms to seek collaborations, depending on organisation and area.

Funding & Tenders Portal Partner SearchEnterprice Europé Network (EEN) for SMEs

Share information securely

The European Commission has developed its own platform for sharing documents, events and other information securely.

Circabc - the Commission's information sharing tool

Evaluation

Applications are evaluated by independent, external experts against predefined criteria. The process takes place in several stages and takes approximately 5 months.

Contract Preparation (GAP-Grant Agreement Preparation)

If your proposal is approved, the project will receive an invitation to "Grant Agreement Preparation”," this process will take another 3 months. What you have written in your proposal forms the basis for the contract. Please note that you cannot make any major changes at this point.

During the same period, the consortium needs to develop a so-called consortium agreement, where you agree on, among other things, working procedures, voting rights in the consortium and intangible assets.

The European Commission is constantly looking for independent experts who can evaluate project proposals, design programme and develop policies for Horisont Europa. You can register your interest in becoming an expert evaluator at any time.

Who can apply for a role as an expert evaluator?

The call for proposals is open to all, regardless of nationality. The European Commission is looking for academics and experienced researchers, but also specialists from the business community and people with extensive knowledge of innovation. Horisont Europa needs experts in natural sciences, technology, new materials, health, innovation, social sciences, humanities, ethics, gender, communication and project management.

Do you want to become an expert evaluator?

Registration is open to everyone, but you should have a high level of expertise in research and innovation. You register your proposal online on the European Commission's website Funding & tender opportunities.

Apply on the European Commission website Horizon Europe: Funding & tender opportunities (in English)