Consolidation of the research infrastructure landscape – pilots for strategic coordination, synergies and simplified access pathways, by large themati...

The Horizon Europe opportunity titled "Consolidation of the research infrastructure landscape – pilots for strategic coordination, synergies and simplified access pathways, by large thematic clusters of pan-European research infrastructures" is categorized under the topic code HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-02. This call is part of the Research Infrastructures initiative for the year 2026 and is planned to open on March 10, 2026, with a deadline for submission on June 16, 2026.

The eligible applicant types include research organizations, universities, research infrastructure operators, ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) Landmarks and Projects, European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs), and well-established networks of research infrastructures. The funding type is a grant under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) using a lump sum financial mechanism.

A consortium is required for application, involving multiple research infrastructure applicants to ensure collaboration across projects. The eligible geographical scope covers EU member states, associated countries, and specific provisions for non-EU countries with arrangements for Horizon Europe participation. The target sectors focus on research infrastructures, particularly in six ESFRI thematic domains: Data, Computing and Digital Research Infrastructures; Energy; Environment; Health & Food; Physical Sciences and Engineering; and Social Sciences & Humanities.

The total budget allocated for this opportunity is €40 million, expected to fund six grants. Individual grants will range from €4 million to €8 million, with successful proposals anticipated to collectively strengthen Europe’s research infrastructure ecosystem by promoting coordinated policy actions and enhancing accessibility.

The grant aims to bolster the visibility and accessibility of research services, improve interoperability among research infrastructures, and facilitate the integration of AI tools to assist researchers. Successful projects will focus on developing common service catalogues, optimizing access pathways for diverse user communities, and aligning with EU policy priorities.

The application process is single-stage, and the submission must be electronic through the Funding and Tenders Portal. It is anticipated that the success rates will be competitive, likely within a range of 10-39%, due to the expected number of applications vying for limited grant opportunities.

Overall, this initiative represents a strategic investment in enhancing the coordination and synergistic capabilities of European research infrastructures, aiming to make them more efficient and responsive to contemporary research and innovation challenges.

This is a summary of the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Call Research Infrastructures 2026 (HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01), specifically addressing the topic HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-02: Consolidation of the research infrastructure landscape pilots for strategic coordination, synergies and simplified access pathways, by large thematic clusters of pan-European research infrastructures.

The call is for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and uses the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement. It is a forthcoming call with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 10 March 2026, and the deadline is 16 June 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The topic budget for 2026 is 40,000,000 EUR, with an indicative grant contribution ranging from 4,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 6 grants.

The expected outcomes of this topic are:

Policy contribution, impact, and visibility of research infrastructures of European interest, by large thematic domain, to relevant EU policy and priority initiatives, including beyond research, at national, regional, European, and global level.
Improved coordination, complementarities, and where applicable, interoperability, harmonisation, integration, and synergies among research infrastructures within large thematic domains and, where relevant, across domains.
A European portfolio of R&I services of European interest, supported by a common front page and few single-entry point access portals, integrated or interoperable catalogues of R&I services and converging access conditions and selection procedures, strengthening the European landscape of ESFRI-prioritised infrastructures and other world-class research infrastructures by large thematic domains.
Increased awareness, findability, and accessibility of research infrastructures for European researchers and innovators; simplified and adapted access pathways for new needs or new communities of users (e.g., where relevant, multidisciplinary R&I, EU collaborative research projects, EU operational or deployment programmes, public authorities, and industry, including SMEs, startups, and scaleups).

The scope of this topic involves equipping large thematic clusters of research infrastructures of European interest with a policy arm and a technical arm to increase awareness, findability, and accessibility, better matching user needs. The thematic clustering aligns with the ESFRI approach, requiring proposals to explicitly state which ESFRI domain they address. Close collaboration across projects is expected to ensure policy coordination, technical interoperability, and other synergies.

Proposals should build on clusters under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, the development of catalogues of services, and new access pathways and improved services such as under Horizon Europe INFRASERV projects. Proposals should address the following aspects:

Strengthening the representation of the research infrastructures cluster in key EU policy developments and strategic initiatives, contributing to policies with a research infrastructure component, and coordinating with cross-domains fora like the ERIC Forum and EIROforum.
Strengthening coordination among research infrastructures to foster complementarities, interoperability, harmonisation, integration, and synergies within and across domains to address complex and multidisciplinary science and technology challenges.
Developing, optimising, and connecting catalogues of research infrastructures services of European interest, with attention to new users from widening countries, candidate countries, industry, early-stage career researchers, and non-expert users, while maintaining flexibility to address future needs.
Developing and implementing intermediary services, user support, tools, and AI-assisted research infrastructure services navigation. Resulting data and digital services should be accessible through EOSC.
Elaborating and promoting indicators flagging the strategic relevance of specific research infrastructures services to key EU R&I priorities and initiatives, including through common or coordinated impact assessments and possible validation mechanisms.

Proposals should involve ESFRI Landmarks and Projects and/or ERICs in the domain, other research infrastructures that are international European research organisations, and well-established networks of key European research infrastructures open to external users. Proposals should elaborate on key EU priorities and initiatives and the nature and objectives of envisaged coordination mechanisms or joint activities.

Collaboration is required with the cross-domain preparatory action HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-05 and the actions supported under topics HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-SERV-01 and HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-SERV-02 to ensure a holistic view of access schemes. This includes a common front page highlighting EU-supported access objectives, conditions, and requirements, providing guidance, and directing users to single-entry point portals. Simplified access pathways, good practices on call conditions, converging access modalities and selection processes, and effective governance are also promoted.

Proposals may consider including the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructures in the area of health and food, with the JRC considering collaboration after the proposal’s approval.

The ESFRI domains are: 1. Data, Computing and Digital Research Infrastructures; 2. Energy; 3. Environment; 4. Health & Food; 5. Physical Sciences and Engineering; 6. Social Sciences & Humanities.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, financial and operational capacity and exclusion, evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, indicative timeline, and legal and financial setup. Beneficiaries grant royalty-free access to their intellectual property to EU institutions and other EU-funded projects. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Application forms, evaluation forms, guidance documents, and model grant agreements are available in the Submission System and through provided links. Additional documents include the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme, Programme Guide, Framework Programme, Specific Programme Decision, EU Financial Regulation, and other relevant guidelines and regulations.

This funding opportunity aims to consolidate the European research infrastructure landscape by fostering strategic coordination, synergies, and simplified access pathways among large thematic clusters of pan-European research infrastructures. It seeks to equip these clusters with both policy and technical capabilities to enhance awareness, findability, and accessibility, ultimately better serving user needs and aligning with EU policy priorities. This is achieved through Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) that promote collaboration, interoperability, and the development of common service catalogues, access portals, and governance structures. The goal is to create a more integrated, efficient, and impactful research infrastructure ecosystem that supports European researchers, innovators, and policymakers.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include ESFRI Landmarks and Projects, ERICs, other research infrastructures that are international European research organisations, and well-established networks of key European research infrastructures open to external users. The call also mentions industry, including SMEs, startups, and scaleups, as potential users and beneficiaries, suggesting they can be part of the broader project ecosystem, though their direct eligibility as applicants is not explicitly stated. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA). There are also HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Proposals should involve ESFRI Landmarks and Projects and/or ERICs in the domain, other research infrastructures that are international European research organisations and, where relevant, well-established networks of key European research infrastructures open to external users.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries that have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects. The call targets research infrastructures of European interest, implying a focus on European entities, but also allows for participation of international European research organisations. Widening countries and candidate countries are specifically mentioned as areas from which new users should be targeted.

Target Sector: The program targets the research infrastructures sector, specifically focusing on large thematic clusters within various ESFRI domains. These domains include: 1. Data, Computing and Digital Research Infrastructures; 2. Energy; 3. Environment; 4. Health & Food; 5. Physical Sciences and Engineering; 6. Social Sciences & Humanities. The program also touches on areas like AI, data and digital services, and policy development related to research infrastructures.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states, non-EU/non-Associated Countries, widening countries, and candidate countries.

Project Stage: The project stage targets development, optimization, and connection of research infrastructure services, implying a stage of development and implementation rather than basic research or initial idea phases. The focus is on strengthening existing clusters and improving access, suggesting projects should be at least in the development or validation stage.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, as detailed in the budget overview. Examples include:
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-01: around €40,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-02: €3,000,000 to €5,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-01: €2,000,000 to €3,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-02: €4,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-03: €3,000,000 to €4,500,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-04: around €2,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-05: around €8,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-06: €1,000,000 to €1,500,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-07: €1,000,000 to €4,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-SERV-01-01: around €32,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-01: €5,000,000 to €10,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-02: €5,000,000 to €7,500,000

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 a lump sum grant.

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: The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but given the nature of Horizon Europe grants, some level of resource commitment from the applicants, either in-kind or financial, might be expected.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call aims to consolidate the research infrastructure landscape by providing funding to large thematic clusters of European interest. The goal is to enhance the policy impact, coordination, and accessibility of these infrastructures, making them more user-friendly and aligned with EU priorities. The call encourages collaboration among various research entities, including ESFRI landmarks, ERICs, and international research organizations, to develop a European portfolio of R&I services. Projects should focus on strengthening the representation of research infrastructure clusters in EU policy, fostering interoperability, optimizing service catalogues, and implementing user support services, including AI-assisted navigation. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and applications are submitted through a single-stage process. The call is open to a wide range of entities, including research organizations, networks, and potentially industry partners from EU member states, associated countries, and other eligible nations. The indicative budget and number of grants vary by topic, offering opportunities for projects with different scopes and objectives within the research infrastructure domain.