EU adds €500 million to Horizon Europe research and innovation support
The European Commission has allocated an additional €500 million to Horizon Europe, its flagship research and innovation programme, bringing the total budget for 2026 and 2027 to around €14.8 billion. The Commission is also widening the programme's scope with two new cross-cutting calls: Transformative Change Towards a Nature-Positive Economy and Society with a budget of €237 million, and Bridging Actions 2027 with total financing of €260 million. Two monitoring reports published the same day show that since its 2021 launch Horizon Europe has invested €61 billion in grants and a further €1.3 billion in equity across nearly 23,000 projects involving more than 34,000 organisations, including…
Impact and considerations
The budget increase and new calls open additional EU funding channels for research organisations, innovative SMEs and corporate partners, particularly in AI-driven digital platforms, energy systems, biodiversity and commercialisation of advanced technologies. The reports show 55% of beneficiaries are newcomers to EU r…
Key points
- The European Commission added €500 million to Horizon Europe, bringing the 2026-2027 total budget to around €14.8 billion.
- Two new cross-cutting calls were introduced: Transformative Change Towards a Nature-Positive Economy and Society at €237 million and Bridging Actions 2027 at €260 million.
- The Nature-Positive call will fund 11 research and innovation actions supporting EU biodiversity goals and the 10% biodiversity spending target in the Strategic Plan.
- Bridging Actions 2027 comprises 16 actions focused on advanced technologies with strong commercial potential, preparing for the 2028-2034 programme and the future European Competitiveness Fund.
- Since its 2021 launch, Horizon Europe has invested €61 billion in grants and €1.3 billion in equity across nearly 23,000 projects involving more than 34,000 organisations.
- The private sector has received over €11 billion, with 20,000 companies participating; projects have produced more than 32,300 peer-reviewed publications.
- 55% of beneficiaries are newcomers to EU research programmes, two-thirds of them businesses, but newcomers average only one project.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- European Commission
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 29 Sept 2026, 17:18
- Page published
- 29 Sept 2026, 18:11
- Last updated
- 29 Sept 2026, 17:18
- Original links
- European Commission Press Corner：EU support to research and innovation increases with additional €500 million (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 29 Sept 2026, 17:18