Dec 15, 2025
On 11 December, the European Commission officially published the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027. And at Blue Ocean, we’re here to break down the main novelties and changes for you.
Beyond budgets and calls, this new Work Programme marks a clear strategic shift in how EU-funded research and innovation projects will be designed, evaluated and implemented.
In this article, we highlight the most relevant changes you should be aware of if you are planning to apply, or are already preparing proposals, for the 2026–2027 period.
Overall, the new programme introduces three major news, which we detail below.
Reducing administrative burdens
One of the strongest messages of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 is simplification. The European Commission is explicitly committed to making Horizon Europe shorter, less prescriptive and more impactful.
To achieve this, several measures have been introduced to simplify processes, enhance transparency and promote inclusiveness:
Shorter and more open topic descriptions, giving applicants greater flexibility in how they design their approach.
More open topics across Pillar II clusters, allowing diverse pathways to reach the expected outcomes.
Fewer but larger topics, concentrating resources to increase potential impact. Notably, the number of topics funding only one project has been reduced by 50%.
Increased use of lump-sum funding, with around 50% of the call budget implemented through lump sums, particularly for projects below €10 million.
More newcomer- and SME-friendly topics, encouraging participation from SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups, civil society organisations and small public administrations.
More topics allowing financial support to third parties, broadening access and participation.
Greater use of two-stage calls, lowering entry barriers and reducing unnecessary effort for applicants.
Shorter time to grant, achieved by reducing submission periods for first-stage proposals and simplifying evaluation processes.
Simplified proposal templates, with reduced page limits and lighter requirements for the Impact and Implementation sections.
Together, these changes significantly reduce administrative burden and shift the focus towards quality, impact, and feasibility.
The major novelty: Horizontal calls
One of the most important innovations of the 2026–2027 Work Programme is the introduction of Horizontal Calls, with an estimated budget exceeding €600 million over the two years.
Horizontal Calls are built around broadly defined, open topics, guided by a shared strategic direction. They are intentionally non-prescriptive, giving applicants the flexibility to propose different approaches to achieve the expected outcomes.
These calls are designed to foster cross-cluster, multidisciplinary collaboration and create critical mass around key EU priorities.
The Horizontal Calls are structured around two main lines:
R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal
Aligned with the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal, this call has an indicative budget of €540 million and aims to accelerate the market deployment of clean technologies and decarbonised industrial solutions. It consists of two large, open topics, focusing on Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries and Clean technologies for climate action.
AI in Science
Aimed at fostering trustworthy AI solutions to tackle major societal and industrial challenges, in line with Europe’s digital transition goals. With an indicative budget of around €90 million, it supports safe, responsible, ethical and transparent AI applications across sectors such as advanced materials, agriculture, environment, and food. This call includes open topics on thematic networks of excellence for AI in science, automated scientific discovery and RAISE doctoral networks for AI in science.
Supporting research careers: Choose Europe for Science
Within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), a new initiative has been introduced: Choose Europe for Science.
This co-funded programme aims to address brain drain and career precarity, making Europe more attractive to talented researchers and early-career scientists.
The scheme allows applicants to link MSCA grants to competitions leading to long-term, attractive positions in universities and research-performing organisations.
For 2026–2027, the Work Programme includes a dedicated call with a budget of around €50 million, designed to:
Improve long-term career prospects
Increase career stability
Position Europe as a premier destination for scientific careers
The Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 reflects a clear evolution: less bureaucracy, more flexibility, and a stronger focus on impact, deployment, and people.
For applicants, this means new opportunities, but also the need for well-structured strategies, strong consortia and credible impact pathways from the very beginning.
Need advice on how these changes affect your proposal?
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