Consolidation of the Research Infrastructure landscape – Individual support for evolution, long term sustainability and emerging needs of pan-European research infrastructures

The HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01 grant within Horizon Europe aims to enhance the sustainability and evolution of European research infrastructures (RIs), specifically focusing on ESFRI Landmarks and European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs). Eligible applicants include research institutes, universities, and government entities involved in these infrastructures, primarily located in EU member states and associated countries. The grant type is monetary support, categorized under Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).

Applicants are required to form consortia, with at least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as a beneficiary. The funding amounts vary, with general ranges for proposals being between €1 million to €15 million, contingent upon project types and specific themes outlined in the call. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline set for September 18, 2025.

The projects supported under this grant must focus on optimizing and expanding existing RIs to address new scientific and societal challenges and improve service capacities. Projects should include activities such as member expansion, enhancing skills for RI staff, revising business plans, and ensuring alignment with EU priorities. Co-funding is necessary, with a requirement that beneficiaries provide at least 20% of the total costs.

The competitive nature of this call suggests success rates could range between 10% and 39%, based on similar past opportunities. Additionally, related initiatives and synergies with previous EU funding projects must be clearly demonstrated in proposals. The overall goal is to reinforce the European Research Area's global competitiveness while minimizing environmental impacts and promoting sustainable practices.

Key information also highlights the diverse sectors targeted by the grant, including energy, health, and environmental sustainability, reflecting alignment with broader EU policy priorities like the Green Deal and Open Science. The funding and structural support are crucial for strengthening the research infrastructure landscape across Europe.

The EU Funding Opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Research Infrastructures 2025 call (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01). It aims to consolidate the EU research infrastructures landscape by supporting the strengthening, long-term sustainability, reorientation, or evolution of ESFRI Landmarks or European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs).

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this opportunity include: a better-structured and strengthened European Research Infrastructure (RI) landscape; new services available to a wider user community, including participants in other parts of Horizon Europe, allowing to better tackle scientific and societal challenges; increased capacity to address EU policy priorities and/or socio-economic challenges; reinforced global competitiveness of the European Research Area; reduction of environmental (including climate-related) impacts as well as optimisation of resource and energy consumption integrated through the full life cycle of research infrastructures; and increased long-term sustainability of European research infrastructures.

The scope of this opportunity involves providing support, in conjunction with member countries, to activities critical for the sustainability and optimized use of ESFRI Landmarks or ERICs. These activities may include: enlargement of membership or broadening the base of participating countries; reinforcing international cooperation; revision of business/funding plans; development of managerial and technical skills for RI staff; structuring and strengthening of national nodes; extension of remote and/or virtual access; management of research data according to the FAIR principles; reorientation or evolution of the RI scope; addressing critical aspects raised following an assessment or monitoring exercise, e.g. in the context of ESFRI activities; and development, update and or implementation of impact assessment of the RI.

In cases involving reorientation or evolution of the research infrastructure scope, activities should fill gaps in the research infrastructures landscape, enabling the research infrastructure to address new research or societal challenges and/or serve new user communities, increasing and improving service capacity and/or integrating new resources/facilities.

Applicants must pay due attention to related EU initiatives and priorities, ensuring complementarity and relevance to activities in other parts of Horizon Europe. Proposals should explain any synergies with previous or current EU grants. Given the funding rate, proposals should ensure a minimum adequate backing by the beneficiaries, who should provide the remaining share for the activities covered by the Grant Agreement and foster the sustainability of the ESFRI Landmark or ERIC. Specific attention should be given, where relevant, to the greening of technologies and methodologies used by the research infrastructure, to the interaction with industry/SMEs, to the fostering of the innovation potential of the infrastructures, and to their integration into local, regional and global innovation ecosystems.

Eligibility criteria include that proposals must include at least one of the ESFRI Landmarks or European Research Infrastructures Consortia (ERICs) as a beneficiary. Such research infrastructure(s), and the beneficiaries that own/operate them, must be explicitly identified in the proposal. For distributed ERICs, the ERIC must be the beneficiary.

The funding rate is 80% of the eligible costs.

The call is a single-stage submission process. The opening date is 06 May 2025, and the deadline date is 18 September 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The following topics are available with their respective budgets, contributions, and indicative number of grants:

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-01 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Contributions 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 8.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-02 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: Budget 16,500,000 EUR, Contributions 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 11.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contributions 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 8.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-04 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Contributions 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-05 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: Budget 4,500,000 EUR, Contributions 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contributions 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Contributions 5,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 15,000,000 EUR, Contributions 7,500,000 to 15,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-04 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions: Budget 8,000,000 EUR, Contributions 5,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 37,500,000 EUR, Contributions 7,500,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 5,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 20,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 5,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 5,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 45,000,000 EUR, Contributions around 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Contributions 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions: Budget 40,000,000 EUR, Contributions 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the ESFRI Landscape Analysis and liaise with other relevant ESFRI/ERICs to ensure complementarity.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to bolster the European research infrastructure landscape by providing financial support and guidance to ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs. It encourages projects that enhance sustainability, expand services, address societal challenges, and promote innovation, with a focus on green technologies and collaboration with industry and SMEs. Eligible applicants must include at least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as a beneficiary and ensure adequate financial backing for their proposed activities. The funding rate is 80% of eligible costs, and the submission deadline is September 18, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are ESFRI Landmarks and European Research Infrastructures Consortia (ERICs). The proposals must include at least one of these as a beneficiary, and they must be explicitly identified in the proposal. For distributed ERICs, the ERIC must be the beneficiary.

Funding Type: The funding type includes both HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). These are essentially grant mechanisms within the Horizon Europe framework.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium, as proposals must include at least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as a beneficiary. While the text doesn't explicitly forbid single applicants, the nature of ESFRI and ERIC implies a collaborative structure.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries that have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects. The program targets pan-European research infrastructures.

Target Sector: The target sector is research infrastructures, with a focus on consolidating the EU research infrastructures landscape. This encompasses a broad range of scientific and technological domains supported by these infrastructures. Specific attention is given to the greening of technologies and methodologies used by the research infrastructure, the interaction with industry/SMEs, the fostering of the innovation potential of the infrastructures, and to their integration into local, regional and global innovation ecosystems.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states and countries associated with Horizon Europe. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The project stage targets existing research infrastructures (ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs) that are in need of strengthening, long-term sustainability, reorientation, or evolution. Therefore, the projects are beyond the initial idea or research phase and are geared towards development, implementation, and sustainability.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €1,000,000 to €15,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and from €3,000,000 to €15,000,000 or even "around €5,000,000" to "around €10,000,000" for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential competitiveness.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required, as the funding rate is 80% of the eligible costs, implying that beneficiaries must provide the remaining 20%.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01) aims to consolidate the European research infrastructure landscape by providing support to existing ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs. The call is structured around several topics, each with a specific budget and focus, covering both Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). Eligible applicants are primarily ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs, and projects must include at least one of these as a beneficiary. The geographic scope includes EU member states, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and potentially other countries with specific funding arrangements.

The call seeks projects that contribute to a better-structured and strengthened European Research Infrastructure landscape, new services for a wider user community, increased capacity to address EU policy priorities, reinforced global competitiveness, reduced environmental impact, and increased long-term sustainability of European research infrastructures.

The funding rate is 80% of eligible costs, requiring beneficiaries to provide co-funding. The application process is a single-stage open call, with the submission deadline on September 18, 2025. Potential applicants should consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the Online Manual, and the specific topic descriptions for detailed guidance on eligibility criteria, proposal preparation, and evaluation processes. Partner search tools and National Contact Points are available to assist applicants in forming consortia and preparing competitive proposals. The call includes topics related to development, EOSC (European Open Science Cloud), services, and technology, each with varying budgets and expected outcomes.