Horizon Europe’s popularity drives down success rates amid budget constraints

A report on Horizon Europe shows a significant rise in the programme’s popularity, which has, however, led to a fall in success rates due to significant budgetary constraints.

The European Commission published on 30/09/2026 its Horizon Europe State of Play (Key Figures) report, stating that the programme received over 170,000 eligible proposals between 2021 and mid-2026, involving more than 112,000 organisations in 206 countries and territories.

The report states that approximately three-quarters of the proposals that met the quality thresholds were unable to secure funding due to a lack of budget. A shortfall of €150 billion is estimated to be required to fund all the proposals deemed worthy of support. Overall success rate stands at 14%, but has fallen from 17% in 2022 to 10% for calls…