European Commission introduces novelties in 2026-2027 Horizon Europe

The European Commission has introduced novelties in the Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, such as an increased use of lump-sum funding, the Choose Europe for Science initiative and R&I support to the Clean Industrial Deal, among others.

The Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027 will be published on 08/12/2025. In the draft version of the general introduction, the Commission introduced "horizontal calls" to "connect different parts of Horizon Europe in support of key strategic areas". One of them is named "R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal" and has an indicative budget of €540 million to "accelerate the market deployment of cutting-edge clean technologies and decarbonised industry solutions, with a focus on both technological excellence and market readiness".

The Commission also implemented the Choose Europe for Science initiative, aiming to make Europe a leading destination for scientific careers. The work programme provides additional resources beyond the €500m already announced in May 2025 by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen…