Fundamental research for other topics

This summary describes a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program titled Digital European Sky Exploratory Research 03 (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03). The grant specifically targets fundamental research and innovation in air traffic management (ATM) and U-space, aiming to generate new knowledge, innovative ideas, and concepts in these areas. The proposal deadline is September 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Eligible applicants include a broad spectrum of research and innovation actors such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, and other organizations capable of conducting foundational research in ATM and U-space. The call encourages participation from both EU and non-EU entities, adhering to specific eligibility criteria found in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

The funding type is a lump sum grant, classified under HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). Funding amounts range from €500,000 to €2,000,000 depending on the specific topic within the call, with a total budget of €24 million allocated across various topics.

A consortium is likely required for proposal submissions, although the specifics are not explicitly stated. The call strongly encourages collaborative efforts to enhance competitiveness.

The geographical eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with no explicit country exclusions. The project stage primarily focuses on fundamental research, typically at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 0, which involves exploratory research aimed at advancing the future of air traffic systems.

Key transformation levers outlined in the call include trajectory optimization, data management, automation, dynamic airspace usage, and evolving the roles of human operators. Civil-military collaboration is emphasized, addressing military implications of U-space and higher altitude operations.

The application process is straightforward, structured as a single-stage open call without intermediate evaluations. Statistically, the average success rate for Horizon Europe calls is approximately 10-20%, although specific rates for this call are not mentioned. Co-funding is generally not required as the grant covers full eligible project costs.

The expected research outcomes will contribute to the ATM Master Plan vision and cover various innovative areas not previously outlined in related development priorities. Proposals must align with the overarching objectives, demonstrating innovation potential, and addressing specific project themes detailed in the call.

Beneficiaries are subject to dissemination and exploitation obligations for research outcomes and should be ready to share results and ensure accessibility for further use. The maximum duration for funded projects is 30 months.

Resources and submission guidelines are detailed in various attached documents accessible through the Horizon Europe portal, ensuring comprehensive governance of the application process and funding allocations.

This is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically focusing on fundamental research within the Digital European Sky Exploratory Research 03 (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03) call. The call is for HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-JU-RIA) and uses the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of this call is to generate new knowledge and innovative ideas, concepts, emerging technologies, methods, and theories related to air traffic management (ATM) and U-space. The research should explore the current boundaries of knowledge and have the potential to evolve the future air traffic management and U-space systems. Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged. The scope of the call covers any ATM/U-space research area not covered by the development priorities for fundamental research (FR-1, FR-2 or FR-3) described in previous topics. Proposals must demonstrate innovation and breakthrough potential, align with the ATM Master Plan vision, and contribute to one or more of the five key transformation levers described in the ATM Master Plan.

The five key transformation levers are:

1. Trajectory optimisation: Guaranteeing systematic, continuous, and precise optimisation of aircraft trajectories throughout their lifecycle.
2. Data volumes: Collecting and processing large volumes of data to enable real-time sharing of secure and trusted data for improved situational awareness.
3. Automation: Realising effective human-machine teaming to optimise trajectories using advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital support tools.
4. Dynamic airspace: Enabling near real-time configuration of the airspace to meet the needs of all airspace users and manage capacity more efficiently.
5. Role and function of human operators: Contributing to the gradual evolution of the role and skills of human operators, as well as the emergence of new roles.

Civil-military collaboration is encouraged, with research contributing to enhanced military access to airspace, protection of confidential information, coordination with civilian authorities, and adaptation of military systems for civil-military interoperability. The military implications of U-Space and higher altitude operations (HAO) can also be included.

The call is subject to several general conditions, including admissibility conditions, eligible countries, and financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, all detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific provisions for funding their participants, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. There are restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in the relevant annexes and the Online Manual. The evaluation committee may include representatives of EU institutions and agencies.

Legal and financial aspects of the grants are detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. Beneficiaries have additional dissemination and exploitation obligations, including sharing results with other grantees, making results available for reuse, granting non-exclusive licenses for standardisation, and ensuring mutual access to background and results of linked actions. The maximum project duration is 30 months, including a 6-month period for communications, dissemination, and exploitation activities.

The call documents include the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Bi-Annual Work Programme (BAWP) 2024-2025 - Annex III, application form templates, a detailed budget table, evaluation form templates, the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), call-specific instructions, the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Multi-Annual Work Programme (MAWP) 2022-2031, the SESAR 3 Project Handbook, the SESAR 3 Q&A Document, relevant sections of the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025, Council Regulation 2021/2085, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, rules for legal entity validation, the EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The call includes several specific topics with varying budgets and indicative numbers of grants:

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-3, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-4: Budget of EUR 10,000,000, contributions ranging from EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,000,000, and an indicative number of 1 grant each.
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-1: Budget of EUR 14,000,000, contributions ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000, and an indicative number of 1 grant each.

There are 86 partner search announcements available. The SESAR 3 JU Call Helpdesk can be contacted at info-call@sesarju.eu for support.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster fundamental research in air traffic management and U-space, encouraging innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to address key challenges and contribute to the evolution of the European sky. It seeks to align research with the ATM Master Plan vision and promote collaboration between civil and military stakeholders. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and beneficiaries are subject to specific dissemination and exploitation obligations to ensure the widespread adoption and impact of research results.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call is open to a wide range of research and innovation actors, including universities, research institutes, industry (including SMEs), and other organizations capable of conducting fundamental research in air traffic management (ATM) and U-space. The call encourages participation from both EU and non-EU entities, subject to specific eligibility conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum contribution.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and the nature of research and innovation actions, consortia are likely to be more competitive, as they can bring together diverse expertise and resources. The partner search announcements suggest that collaboration is encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The target sector is air traffic management (ATM) and U-space, with a focus on fundamental research and innovation. This includes areas such as trajectory optimization, data volumes, automation, dynamic airspace, and the role and function of human operators. The call also addresses civil-military collaboration and the military implications of U-Space and higher altitude operations (HAO).

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU countries, non-EU countries, and non-associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is fundamental research, which is typically at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 0. This involves curiosity-driven research exploring new and innovative areas with the objective of generating new knowledge and innovative ideas.

Funding Amount: For topics HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-3 and HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-4, the funding ranges from 500,000 EUR to 1,000,000 EUR. For topics HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-2 and HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-1, the funding ranges from 1,000,000 EUR to 2,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

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

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for topics HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-3 and HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA1-4 is 1 grant each. The indicative number of grants for topics HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-2 and HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03-WA2-1 is 1 grant each.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe RIAs typically fund 100% of the eligible costs in the form of a lump sum.

This Horizon Europe call, under the Digital European Sky Exploratory Research 03 (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03), aims to foster fundamental research in air traffic management (ATM) and U-space. It seeks to generate new knowledge and innovative ideas that can contribute to the evolution of the future air traffic management system. The call is structured around several key topics, each with a specific budget and expected outcomes. The research should be curiosity-driven and explore new areas, pushing the boundaries of current knowledge. Proposals must demonstrate innovation potential and align with the ATM Master Plan vision, contributing to transformation levers such as trajectory optimization, data volumes, automation, dynamic airspace, and the role of human operators. The call encourages collaboration between civil and military entities and addresses the military implications of U-Space and higher altitude operations. Funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and projects have a maximum duration of 30 months. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 16, 2025. The call is open to a wide range of research and innovation actors from both EU and non-EU countries, subject to specific eligibility conditions.