Fast-track Enabling innovative air mobility (IAM) / Vertical take-off and landing capable aircraft (VCA) (crewed and uncrewed) operations

The HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02 call under Horizon Europe focuses on advancing innovative air mobility (IAM) and vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VCA) operations, targeting both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. This initiative aims to enhance research and innovation actions related to IAM/VTOL operations, especially in complex and congested environments. It includes key areas such as vertiport management, airspace integration, automation, navigation, and communication technologies.

Eligible applicants include research organizations, public entities, private companies, NGOs, universities, and other entities capable of research and innovation activities, primarily from EU member states and associated countries, with potential conditions for some non-EU countries.

Funding is allocated as lump sum grants under the HORIZON JU model, with amounts varying according to specific topics and actions. For example, grants under different work areas range from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 31,000,000, with an indicative number of grants specified for each area. Notably, the funding typically covers 70% of eligible costs, with no co-funding requirement stipulated for lump sum grants.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with submissions accepted from April 1, 2025, until September 16, 2025. Projects should aim to achieve a technology readiness level of 6, demonstrating operational solutions for airspace integration and vertiport management.

The call encourages multi-stakeholder collaboration and emphasizes the need for a consortium agreement among participating organizations. The evaluation process for applications will evaluate award criteria, scoring, and other conditions detailed in the Horizon Europe guidelines.

Overall, this grant opportunity seeks to enable the effective and sustainable integration of innovative air mobility solutions into Europe's aviation ecosystem, contributing to the strategic objectives of the Digital European Sky initiative. Successful projects will focus on creating scalable solutions for airspace operations, improving safety and efficiency in mixed air traffic scenarios.

The HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02 call focuses on enabling innovative air mobility (IAM) and vertical take-off and landing capable aircraft (VCA) operations, both crewed and uncrewed. The call aims to advance development actions related to IAM/VTOL operations in complex environments, congested areas, and vertiports. This includes IAM operational procedures for accessing all types of airspace and vertiports (VMC and IMC), and IAM automation encompassing simplified vehicle operations, automatic take-off and landing (TOL), resilient navigation, and energy management. Research should consider EASA's work on General Aviation i-conspicuity needs.

The scope of the call includes, but is not limited to, the following research and innovation (R&I) needs:

1. Vertiport management for crewed VCA: Addressing requirements for safe landing options, adequate vertiports, and diversion locations. This involves determining if landing sites should be included in the ATS flight plan and how to do so for both VFR and IFR aircraft. It also includes designing and validating processes to book landing sites and progressively release contingency sites, integrated with ATM processes. Research should investigate the booking of landing sites for VFR aircraft and the legal liability if a landing site is unavailable. Specific cases to address include destinations in controlled airports not in U-space airspace and vertiports in U-space airspace within controlled airspace. The goal is to deliver a TRL6 solution for crewed VFR VCA and progress towards IFR VCA with a validated FF-ICE flight plan acceptance process.

2. Advanced vertiport and VCA U-space services: Covering vertiport management functions and activities impacting traffic management in U-space airspace, considering battery-powered aircraft constraints. This includes processes that determine or limit take-off and landing times and govern occupancy of critical resources like the touchdown and lift-off area (TLOF). These processes should be optimized within the context of U-space, including collaborative decision-making.

3. Vertiport management for vertiports in uncontrolled airspace: Focusing on vertiports in uncontrolled airspace (F and G) that is also declared U-space airspace, ensuring separation between small drones and VCA vertiport users.

4. Crewed IFR VCA: Developing the concept for IFR crewed VCA, building on existing SESAR solutions for IFR helicopters. This includes assessing the applicability of existing IFR rotorcraft procedures and flight planning processes to VCA, adapting them as necessary. Research must assess how VCA energy management constraints may affect the capability of VCA aircraft to follow IFR clearances and develop and validate their use for VCA.

5. Automation of the VCA cockpit and remote pilot’s working position: Addressing pilot digital assistance and automation support for a simplified VCA workload. This includes developing cockpit automation to support digital ATM communications via CPDLC during all phases of flight. The ultimate objective is to reduce flight crew workload to support one remote pilot overseeing multiple VCAs.

6. Automatic take-off and landing (ATOL) for crewed or uncrewed VCA and helicopters: Developing navigation and procedures to enable all-weather take-off and landing for crewed or uncrewed VCA. Resilience of the navigation solution must be addressed, progressing from a flight-director-based concept towards autopilot-based ATOL.

7. ATC and flight information service (FIS) automation support: Increasing the level of automation of VFR aircraft by ATC and FIS. This involves developing ATS automation tools and procedures to provide ATC or FIS services to VFR aircraft in airspace C-G and FIS services to IFR aircraft in uncontrolled airspace (F and G). Research should aim to develop tools and concepts applicable to both ATC (TWR or En-Route/TMA) and AFIS.

The call is structured into several topics, each with a specific budget, type of action, and indicative number of grants:

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA1-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contributions: EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA2-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 14,000,000, Contributions: EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 7,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 93,000,000, Contributions: EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 31,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 3

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-2: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contributions: EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 24,000,000, Contributions: EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 12,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-2: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 6,000,000, Contributions: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 3,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-3: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 30,000,000, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1 for each of the three topics

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-3: HORIZON JU Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contributions: EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 5,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1 for each of the three topics

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-1: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: EUR 2,000,000, Contributions: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-2: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: EUR 1,000,000, Contributions: EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1

The call follows a single-stage submission process with an opening date of April 1, 2025, and a deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, and financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The evaluation process includes award criteria, scoring, thresholds, submission, and evaluation processes as detailed in the BAWP 2024-2025 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 are outlined in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes, with a funding rate of 70% for all beneficiaries and eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum.

Additional dissemination and exploitation obligations apply, including proactive sharing of results with other grantees and making results available for reuse under fair conditions. Collaboration agreements are required, and the integration of a gender dimension is not mandatory. The maximum project duration is 36 months.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the SESAR 3 JU Call Helpdesk, the Online Manual, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for guidance and support. Partner search tools and National Contact Points are also available to assist in proposal preparation.

In summary, this SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking call aims to foster research and innovation in air mobility, specifically focusing on the integration of vertical take-off and landing aircraft into the European airspace. It seeks to address key challenges related to vertiport management, automation, air traffic control, and flight procedures to enable safe, efficient, and sustainable IAM operations. The call provides funding opportunities for collaborative projects that can deliver solutions at TRL6, contributing to the development of the Digital European Sky.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that the funding is provided under Horizon Europe and involves research and innovation actions, it can be inferred that eligible applicants likely include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities in the relevant sectors. The presence of "Coordination and Support Actions" (CSA) also suggests that entities involved in coordination, dissemination, and stakeholder engagement are eligible.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a "HORIZON Lump Sum Grant." There are also "Research and Innovation Actions" (RIA) and "Innovation Actions" (IA) mentioned, which are types of grants under Horizon Europe. Additionally, "Coordination and Support Actions" (CSA) are mentioned, which also fall under the grant funding type.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a collaboration agreement, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred or required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is primarily focused on EU member states and associated countries, as indicated by the reference to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. However, the text also mentions that "A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects," suggesting that some third countries may be eligible under specific conditions.

Target Sector: The program targets the air traffic management (ATM) sector, with a specific focus on enabling innovative air mobility (IAM) and vertical take-off and landing capable aircraft (VCA) operations, including both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The target sectors also include vertiport management, airspace management, automation, navigation, and communication technologies related to air mobility.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are explicitly mentioned. The geographic focus is on the EU and associated countries, with potential eligibility for some non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity varies depending on the specific work area (WA). However, the call aims at delivering a TRL6 solution for crewed VFR VCA, and progress towards a future solution applicable to crewed IFR VCA. This suggests that the projects should be at the development, validation, and demonstration stages, with a focus on achieving a technology readiness level of 6.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action. The following funding ranges are specified:
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA1-1: EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA2-1: EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 7,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-1: EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 31,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-2: EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-1: EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 12,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-2: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 3,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-1, WA5-2, WA5-3: EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-1, WA6-2, WA6-3: EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 5,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-1: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-2: EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,000,000

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 to cover eligible costs.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required, as the funding rate is 70% of the eligible costs, meaning the beneficiaries must cover the remaining 30%.

Summary: This is a Horizon Europe funding opportunity under the Digital European Sky Industrial Research 02 call, managed by the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking. The call aims to advance innovative air mobility (IAM) and vertical take-off and landing capable aircraft (VCA) operations, both crewed and uncrewed. The focus is on research and innovation actions related to vertiport management, airspace integration, automation, navigation, and communication technologies. The call is structured into several work areas (WA1 to WA7), each with specific research and innovation needs and corresponding budget allocations. Eligible applicants include various entities such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, and large enterprises from EU member states and associated countries, with potential eligibility for some non-EU countries. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, covering 70% of the eligible costs, and projects are expected to deliver solutions at a technology readiness level of 6. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of September 16, 2025. A collaboration agreement is required, indicating a preference for consortia. The call seeks to enable the safe, efficient, and sustainable integration of VCAs into the European airspace, contributing to the European ATM Master Plan and the broader objectives of the Digital European Sky.