AI-powered impact simulations in support of the Destination Earth initiative

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity focuses on AI-powered impact simulations in support of the Destination Earth initiative, specifically aligned with the topic HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-03. This initiative is part of a broader effort under the GenAI4EU program, aiming to utilize artificial intelligence and digital twins for generating local impact assessments from large-scale scenarios. The goal is to develop user-friendly tools for non-technical users and establish best practices for AI-powered analysis.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, public-private partnerships, and consortia involved in AI, climate modeling, and digital twin technologies, with collaboration encouraged among entities like the European Space Agency and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The funding type is a grant, specifically a Horizon Lump Sum Grant under the HORIZON-AG-LS model, anticipated to range between €1M and €5M, building toward a total budget exceeding €300 million for the entire DestinE initiative.

The application process is a single-stage open call, concluding on September 18, 2025. Proposals must include innovative uses of AI, exploit advancements in modeling and digital technologies, and demonstrate trustworthiness in the application of their findings. The projects should cater to at least three distinct user groups and focus on creating sustainable solutions that facilitate informed decision-making related to climate and environmental issues.

The expected outcomes emphasize the creation of novel interfaces for translating user needs into scenario assessments, enhancing the reliability of AI, and providing robust development frameworks that ensure quality, transparency, and verifiability. The call encourages collaboration with existing Horizon Europe projects and aims to create synergies between science and technology to achieve breakthroughs in AI-driven Earth system science.

Additional conditions and guidelines are available through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, which outlines specific application requirements, evaluation processes, and budget allocations across various topics related to the initiative.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a Horizon Europe call for proposals focused on AI-powered impact simulations in support of the Destination Earth initiative, specifically topic HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-03. This call falls under the ‘GenAI4EU' initiative. The call aims to leverage AI and digital twins to generate local impact assessments from large-scale scenarios, create user-friendly interfaces for non-technical users, and establish best practices for AI-powered analysis.

The expected outcomes of the projects include: Innovative use of AI to generate local impact assessments, novel interfaces for translating user requirements into scenario assessments, and new best practices and guidelines on impact assessment of digital twin simulation and AI powered analysis.

The scope of the projects should cover the following aspects: Demonstrate innovative use of AI for impact assessments, exploit advances in modelling, observations, digital technologies and ML/AI, link to existing DestinE Digital Twins and services, allow for more informed decision-making by non-technical experts and policy makers, and demonstrate trustworthiness/reliability in the use of AI.

Additionally, the proposals should also include work on some of the following points: Evolve further through science & technology innovation using AI, provide novel digital solutions and capabilities at operational level and accelerate science-technology synergies to achieve breakthroughs in the area of AI-powered Earth system science; Invest on the design of a robust development framework and respective pre-operational infrastructure for advanced AI/ML tools and applications, ensuring the quality, reliability, transparency and verifiability (repeatability) of the methods applied and outcomes that are created; Expand to new thematic areas and fields based on identified user needs and structured feedback provided by relevant stakeholders and communities.

The proposals are expected to cover various application areas and cover at least three distinct user groups and their impact assessments. The solutions need to demonstrate a sustainable setup answering day-to-day challenges but also be suitable for continuous long-term research. They should demonstrate how the compute capabilities and data on RIs can be made directly usable to users through interactivity with twins, adapting to changing data and on-demand visualisation capabilities.

Proposals should take advantage of existing Horizon Europe research and innovation actions (RIA) and innovation actions (IA), new and emerging ICT infrastructures (e.g. EuroHPC, AI-on-Demand platform), HPC Centers of Competence and Excellence (such as ESiWACE for weather and climate prediction and ChEESE for solid Earth applications) and the work towards the European Digital Twin of the Ocean. The proposals should demonstrate a clear and credible pathway towards collaboration with the implementing entities of Destination Earth initiative (European Space Agency (ESA), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)) and, when relevant, other key organisations in the field (e.g. Mercator Ocean).

The general conditions include: Admissibility Conditions, Eligible Countries, Other Eligible Conditions, Financial and operational capacity and exclusion, Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds, Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes, Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, Legal and financial set-up of the grants.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including Standard application forms (HE RIA, IA and HE CSA). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including Standard evaluation forms (HE RIA, IA and HE CSA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums are also available.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 3. Research Infrastructures, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01 call includes various topics with different budget allocations, opening dates, deadlines, contribution amounts, and indicative numbers of grants. The opening date for all topics is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is September 18, 2025.

The topics and their respective details are:

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-01 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Contribution 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, 8 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-02 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 16,500,000 EUR, Contribution 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, 11 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contribution 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR, 8 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-04 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Contribution 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 EUR, 1 grant.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-05 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 4,500,000 EUR, Contribution 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, 3 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contribution 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Contribution 5,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 15,000,000 EUR, Contribution 7,500,000 to 15,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-04 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 8,000,000 EUR, Contribution 5,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, 1 grant.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-05 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 37,500,000 EUR, Contribution 7,500,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 10,000,000 EUR, 3 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 5,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 10,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 5,000,000 EUR, 5 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 5,000,000 EUR, 5 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 45,000,000 EUR, Contribution around 10,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contribution 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 40,000,000 EUR, Contribution 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service and select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call invites proposals for research and innovation actions focused on leveraging AI to enhance impact simulations within the Destination Earth initiative. The goal is to create innovative tools and methodologies that improve decision-making related to Earth system challenges, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, sustainability, and the integration of AI with digital twins and research infrastructures. The call provides funding opportunities for both Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), with a total budget of several million euros allocated across various topics. Applicants are encouraged to develop solutions that are trustworthy, reliable, and transparent in their use of AI, and that address the evolving needs of end-users and policy makers.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that this is a Horizon Europe call for Research Infrastructures, eligible applicants are likely to include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations involved in research and innovation activities. The text mentions "beneficiaries" and "participants," suggesting a broad range of eligible entities.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a "HORIZON Lump Sum Grant" under the Horizon Europe Programme. There are also Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, but it is implied that consortia are welcome, and possibly encouraged, as the call aims to "create multi-disciplinary, horizontal, transversal infrastructure solutions." The partner search announcements also suggest that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is primarily focused on EU member states and associated countries, as indicated by the reference to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and the mention of "non-EU/non-Associated Countries." However, the text also notes that some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: Research Infrastructures, ICT (specifically AI, HPC, and Digital Twins), Earth System Science, Climate, Weather, Space (Copernicus, Galileo/EGNOS), and Digital Technologies. The call is part of the ‘GenAI4EU' initiative, indicating a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the European Union (EU) and non-EU/non-Associated Countries are referenced. The European Space Agency (ESA) is mentioned, which is an intergovernmental organization.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is primarily at the development and demonstration stages, with an emphasis on "innovative use of AI" and "fusion of real-time data feeds." The call also supports research and innovation actions (RIA), suggesting that projects can be at earlier stages of research and development.

Funding Amount: The funding range varies depending on the specific topic within the call. The budget overview provides the following ranges:
HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: €1,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: €3,000,000 to €15,000,000, or "around" €5,000,000 to €10,000,000 in some cases.

Application Type: The application type is an "open call" with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe grants often require some level of co-funding, which may be detailed in the specific call topic descriptions or the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the Research Infrastructures 2025 program, seeks to fund projects that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance impact simulations within the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. The goal is to develop innovative solutions that fuse real-time data, digital twins, and AI to provide powerful local impact assessments for various application areas and user groups. Projects should demonstrate the trustworthiness and reliability of AI, while also promoting European leadership in AI-powered Earth system science. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with varying amounts depending on the type of action (Coordination and Support Actions or Research and Innovation Actions). Eligible applicants include a range of research and innovation actors from EU member states and associated countries, with potential for participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions. The call emphasizes collaboration with existing initiatives and a clear pathway towards operational implementation and sustainability. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of September 18, 2025.