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Horizon Europe: Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
As of 29 October 2026.
Open and forthcoming calls listed on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, sorted by the next deadline.
Excellence Hubs
Open, closes 4 March 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: EUR 1.5 to 4.5 million per grant, about 30 grants expected (2027,2026).
Funds coordination actions enabling innovation ecosystems in Widening countries to team up across academia, business, government, and society. Aims to foster place-based innovation cultures aligned with smart specialisation strategies, develop joint research and innovation strategies, and build new competencies and skills.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-04-WIDENING-01
Pillar I: Facilitating development of institutional open access policies through the retention of intellectual property rights
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 11 March 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: around EUR 2.0 million per grant, one grant expected (2027).
Funds coordination actions to help research performing organisations develop institutional open access policies incorporating rights retention clauses. Aims to increase the share of open access publications across the EU and Associated Countries and strengthen preservation of scientific information through institutional repositories.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-01
Pillar II: Talent ecosystems for attractive early research careers
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 11 March 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: around EUR 2.0 million per grant, about 15 grants expected (2027).
Funds coordination actions to create talent ecosystems where public and private research organisations cooperate to improve employability, skills, career development, mobility, and well-being of researchers. Aims to implement organisational changes mainstreaming the European framework for research careers and the European Charter for Researchers.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02
Pillar III: Science comes to town 2029
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 11 March 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: around EUR 6.0 million per grant, one grant expected (2027).
Funds a small group of cities to organise and host a joint one-year programme connecting citizens with science through events and activities. Aims to strengthen city capacity in science communication, promote evidence-based policymaking, and improve the attractiveness of research and innovation careers for younger generations.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-03
Pillar III: Promoting public engagement in R&I and scientific literacy
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 11 March 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: around EUR 1.0 million per grant, about 2 grants expected (2027).
Funds coordination actions promoting innovative approaches for enhancing science-society links and scientific literacy. Aims to increase trust in science and align research and innovation with societal needs through citizen participation, engagement, and science communication activities reaching broad and inclusive communities of stakeholders.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04
Pillar IV: Upgrading the EU’s independent knowledge on China's Science, Technology and Innovation system
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 11 March 2027. HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions. Indicative budget: around EUR 3.0 million per grant, one grant expected (2027).
Funds research to improve the EU's independent understanding and monitoring of China's science, technology and innovation system. Aims to develop interdisciplinary methodologies for assessing critical technology areas and build a well-connected network of experts on China's STI ecosystem.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-05
ERA Chairs
Opens 6 April 2027, closes 14 September 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: EUR 1.5 to 2.5 million per grant, about 80 grants expected (2027).
Funds the recruitment of outstanding scientists and innovators to lead new high-quality research groups at institutions in Widening countries. Aims to foster brain circulation, build pockets of excellence, drive institutional reforms, and strengthen integration within the European Research Area.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-02-WIDENING-01
ERA Research Managers
Opens 6 April 2027, closes 14 September 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: EUR 1.5 to 2.5 million per grant, about 30 grants expected (2027).
Funds the recruitment of experienced research managers to establish or upgrade research management capacities at institutions in Widening countries. Aims to improve grant acquisition, strategic planning, administrative efficiency, and overall institutional competitiveness within the European Research Area.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-02-WIDENING-02
EIC Pre-accelerator - Widening
Opens 5 May 2027, closes 18 November 2027. HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Indicative budget: EUR 0.5 to 1.0 million per grant, about 60 grants expected (2027).
Funds pre-acceleration support for early-stage deep-tech startups in Widening countries, aiming to increase their business, investor, and technology readiness so they can attract EIC Accelerator funding, private investment, or national and regional funding sources.
Official topic page: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-01-WIDENING-01
Titles, identifiers, types of action, dates and indicative budgets come from the
EU Funding and Tenders Portal; statuses are as of the date at the top of the page. Deadlines are usually at 17:00 Brussels time: confirm each call's status, conditions and exact deadline time on its official topic page before you rely on it. Call summaries are drafted and checked automatically by a computational system from each call's official description; they are not individually reviewed by a person. Cedulor is independent and not affiliated with the European Union or its research bodies.
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