Advanced and Innovative hardware components for Virtual Worlds (RIA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)

This Horizon Europe call, identified as HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01, targets the development of advanced and innovative hardware components for virtual worlds, focusing particularly on immersive experiences through extended reality technologies. The call is categorized as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a total budget of €39,000,000, aimed at funding approximately eight projects.

The opening date for applications is set for November 17, 2026, with a submission deadline of March 18, 2027. The grant amount for successful projects will range from €4,800,000 to €5,600,000. The application process will be a single-stage procedure, requiring full proposals without preliminary screenings.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities like research institutes, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and large companies that have capabilities in advanced hardware development, virtual technologies, and related fields. Partnerships should consist of multiple entities collaborating across disciplines, particularly incorporating expertise from social sciences and humanities, to enhance the societal impact of the research.

The projects should advance current technologies, focusing on developing next-generation virtual world hardware such as advanced headsets, wearables, haptic systems, and brain-computer interfaces. A key objective is to create fully immersive experiences that engage all human senses—sight, sound, touch, and even smell—integrating various components into cohesive, tested devices.

The opportunity targets digital sectors, particularly hardware for virtual environments, emphasizing innovation in user experience, energy efficiency, and inclusivity. Projects are expected to demonstrate their real-world applications and contribute significantly to the development of immersive technologies that bridge physical and digital experiences.

In terms of geographic eligibility, participating organizations must be based in EU member states and associated countries, with some provisions also allowing limited participation from non-EU/non-associated countries.

The application will adhere to standard Horizon Europe criteria for financial and operational capacity. Success rates for this call will be competitive due to the limited number of grants available relative to the broad applicant pool.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call invites multidisciplinary projects that push the boundaries of virtual worlds technology and aims to strengthen European leadership in the digital sector, encouraging innovation that fosters user engagement and enhances the realism of virtual experiences.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under the DIGITAL (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04) program, specifically targeting "Advanced and Innovative hardware components for Virtual Worlds (RIA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)" with topic ID HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 17 November 2026, and the deadline for submission is 18 March 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of projects funded under this topic is the development of innovative and advanced XR hardware, including advanced headsets, screens, wearable and haptic components, sensors and actuators, and advanced chips, all designed to create a deeper and more realistic immersion by stimulating all human senses.

The scope of this call focuses on advancing hardware for Virtual Worlds, building upon recent breakthroughs in democratizing headsets, sensors, actuators, and haptic equipment. It aims to foster the development of next-generation XR equipment, wearable solutions, haptic components, and non-invasive brain-computer interfaces for hands-free interaction. These technologies should place users at the center of virtual experiences, enhancing immersion and blurring the lines between real and digital environments. A key objective is to stimulate all senses (sight, hearing, feel, touch, smell) to create fully immersive and close-to-reality experiences, submerging users in realistic sensations.

Proposals should investigate novel scientific approaches or push the limits of existing ones to improve the synchronization and integration of different modalities. Projects are expected to integrate various components into fully tested devices, demonstrating their usefulness and efficiency through illustrative scenarios in industrial and societal contexts. The focus should be on performant, reliable, miniaturized, interoperable, advanced, and innovative technologies, with a central emphasis on inclusivity, energy consumption, and energy efficiency.

The call emphasizes the importance of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and expertise to enhance the societal impact of the research activities. Consortia should develop reliable, robust, and interoperable solutions, leveraging existing open standards and technologies in the Virtual Worlds domain while contributing to ongoing standardization efforts.

Beneficiaries intending to transfer ownership or grant an exclusive license must formally notify the granting authority (DG-CNECT and HaDEA) before the transfer or licensing takes place. The granting authority may object to such a transfer or exclusive licensing of results for up to four years after the end of the action.

The suggested project duration is typically 36 months, although proposals requesting other durations are also welcome. This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Virtual Worlds.

Admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System. Eligible countries are those described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are outlined in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Legal and financial aspects of the grants are addressed, including the granting authority's right to object to ownership transfer or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end, as set out in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and Annex 5. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. The standard application form is HE RIA, IA, and the standard evaluation form is also HE RIA, IA. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and the HE MGA. Call-specific instructions and additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (sections 1, 7, and 15), the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Model Grant Agreement), the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists several topics under the same call, including:

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-03 (HORIZON-RIA): 35,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08 (HORIZON-IA): 38,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-09 (HORIZON-IA): 39,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 3
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 (HORIZON-RIA): 42,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 3
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05 (HORIZON-IA): 18,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-06 (HORIZON-IA): 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10 (HORIZON-CSA): 4,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 (HORIZON-RIA): 44,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 (HORIZON-RIA): 39,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 8, with contributions ranging from 4,800,000 to 5,600,000 EUR
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02 (HORIZON-CSA): 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-07 (HORIZON-CSA): 7,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses frequently asked questions on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research and the EU Research Framework Programmes. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance and practical information on participating in Horizon Europe, including NCPs in non-EU and non-associated countries. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardization in project proposals. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders. Partner Search tools help find partner organizations for proposals.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to propel the development of advanced hardware for virtual worlds, focusing on creating immersive, multi-sensory experiences through innovative XR equipment and brain-computer interfaces. It seeks to integrate these technologies into practical applications, emphasizing inclusivity, energy efficiency, and societal impact, while fostering collaboration and standardization within the virtual worlds domain. The call encourages proposals that push the boundaries of existing technologies and explore novel scientific approaches to enhance the realism and engagement of virtual experiences.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to a variety of legal entities as defined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This includes universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The call specifically mentions the need for effective contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, experts, and institutions, implying eligibility for these entities as well. Eligibility extends to non-EU/non-Associated Countries under specific provisions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The primary funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) grant. This is a budget-based action grant under the HORIZON Action Grant (HORIZON-AG) model.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The call emphasizes the importance of collaboration and integration of different modalities, indicating that a single applicant would not be sufficient to address the scope of the call. The call also mentions the need for SSH expertise, further suggesting the necessity of a multidisciplinary consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries, subject to specific provisions as detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The text mentions restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, which may further define geographic limitations.

Target Sector: The program targets the digital sector, specifically focusing on Virtual Worlds, extended reality (XR), and related hardware and software components. It also includes elements of social sciences and humanities (SSH) to enhance the societal impact of the research activities. The target sectors include hardware for virtual worlds, XR equipment, wearable solutions, haptic components, brain-computer interfaces, sensors, actuators, advanced chips, energy efficiency, and inclusivity.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-associated countries that may be eligible for funding under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The expected project stage is research and innovation actions (RIA). This suggests that the projects should be beyond the initial idea stage and focused on developing, testing, and validating new technologies and approaches in the field of virtual worlds. The projects should aim to integrate various components into fully tested devices and demonstrate their usefulness and efficiency in industrial and societal contexts.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 topic is EUR 39,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 8, suggesting an average funding of EUR 4,800,000 to EUR 5,600,000 per project.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, meaning that applicants submit a full proposal at once, rather than going through a preliminary selection phase.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, where applicants submit a complete proposal that undergoes evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants (8) compared to the broad eligibility suggests a competitive process.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01, focuses on "Advanced and Innovative hardware components for Virtual Worlds" and is part of the Digital call within the Horizon Europe program. It aims to foster the development of next-generation XR hardware, including headsets, wearables, haptic devices, and brain-computer interfaces, to create more immersive and realistic virtual experiences. The call encourages proposals that investigate novel scientific approaches, integrate various components into tested devices, and prioritize performance, reliability, miniaturization, interoperability, inclusivity, and energy efficiency. A consortium of applicants is required, including expertise from SSH disciplines. The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries. The funding type is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (RIA) grant, with a total budget of EUR 39,000,000 and an indicative funding range of EUR 4,800,000 to EUR 5,600,000 per project. The application process is a single-stage call with a deadline of March 18, 2027. This call is about pushing the boundaries of virtual world technology by creating hardware that stimulates all the senses, making digital experiences feel more real and engaging. It's not just about better graphics; it's about touch, smell, and even the feeling of movement, all working together to create a seamless blend of the physical and digital worlds. The EU is looking for collaborative projects that bring together researchers, innovators, and experts from various fields to develop these advanced technologies and demonstrate their potential in real-world scenarios.