Horizon scanning and foresight in future enabling digital technologies (CSA)

The "Horizon Scanning and Foresight in Future Enabling Digital Technologies" grant opportunity, designated HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10, offers a total budget of €4 million through a single lump-sum grant under the Horizon Europe program, specifically categorized as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA). The planned opening date for submissions is November 17, 2026, with a deadline of March 18, 2027.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of participants such as academic institutions, research and technology organizations (RTOs), industry players including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), civil society organizations, and established research consortia. The opportunity emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, encouraging proposals that involve representatives from diverse fields to foster broader engagement.

The funding mechanism is a lump-sum grant rather than traditional cost reimbursement, which simplifies the administrative process for beneficiaries. The application requires a consortium approach, implying that collaborative efforts across various sectors and disciplines are preferred, though it is not strictly mandated.

Geographically, the scope covers the European Union and Associated Countries, with provisions that allow non-EU countries to participate under certain conditions. The focus extends to a variety of sectors within the digital landscape, including information and communication technologies (ICT), artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cybersecurity, among others.

The expected project maturity spans from fundamental research to proof of concept, targeting strengths in collaboration for the identification and analysis of transformative digital technologies. The application process is single-stage, meaning proposals will be evaluated comprehensively in one go.

Although specific success rates are not disclosed, the call only anticipates one grant under this topic, indicating a highly competitive environment. No co-funding requirement is mentioned, but collaboration may naturally lead to in-kind contributions from consortium members.

The overarching purpose of the grant is to establish platforms for collaboration and the generation of innovative ideas related to future enabling technologies in Europe. The initiative aims to strengthen Europe's leadership in foresight activities, enhance cross-sector cooperation, and facilitate the adoption of advanced technologies in alignment with national and regional initiatives.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10, focused on "Horizon scanning and foresight in future enabling digital technologies." It is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 17 November 2026, and the deadline is 18 March 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of this call is to foster European leadership in foresight activities related to future enabling technologies, emphasizing their transformational potential across industrial, societal, and environmental domains. It aims to increase collaboration between academia, industry players, and other relevant stakeholders through iterative and multidisciplinary approaches to co-create future enabling technologies. The call also seeks to align with national or regional initiatives to build an expanding innovation ecosystem anchored in local contexts across Europe for selected emerging technologies, ultimately accelerating the adoption of novel advanced technologies by industry and society.

The scope of the call includes establishing a forum for emerging interdisciplinary areas and new technological visions. Proposals should enable and support a broad range of participants from science and engineering disciplines, Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs), industry sectors, and other stakeholders. The goal is to facilitate meetings, mutual inspiration, cooperation, and the development of innovative ideas for future enabling digital technologies, covering the spectrum from fundamental research to proof of concept. Projects should be driven by representatives from relevant actors, including academia, RTOs, and industry, especially SMEs. Civil society engagement is encouraged to seek wider input. The call also emphasizes connecting with analogous EC-internal activities, such as FOSI4EIC involving EISMEA and JRC, and foreseen initiatives like the Competitiveness Coordination Tool and the technology observatory in the FP10 regulation. Beneficiaries intending to transfer ownership or grant exclusive licenses must notify the granting authority (DG-CNECT and HaDEA), which may object to such transfers or licensing within four years after the action's end.

Regarding general conditions, admissibility conditions concerning proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System. Eligible countries are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are subject to restrictions for protecting European communication networks and are described in Annex B. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Annex D, while submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants allows the granting authority to object to ownership transfers or exclusive licensing within four years, as per Annex 5. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, and described in Annex G. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and the model grant agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE CSA) and evaluation form (HE CSA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), and the guidance document "Lump sums - what do I need to know?". Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (General Introduction, Digital, Industry and Space, and General Annexes), HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists several topics with their respective budget, action type (RIA, IA, CSA), opening date (2026-11-17), deadline (2027-03-18), indicative contributions, and the indicative number of grants. The topics include:

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-03: 35,000,000 EUR, RIA, around 17,500,000 EUR contribution, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08: 38,000,000 EUR, IA, around 19,000,000 EUR contribution, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-09: 39,000,000 EUR, IA, around 10,000,000 EUR contribution, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04: 42,000,000 EUR, RIA, around 14,000,000 EUR contribution, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05: 18,000,000 EUR, IA, around 18,000,000 EUR contribution, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-06: 3,000,000 EUR, IA, around 1,500,000 EUR contribution, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10: 4,000,000 EUR, CSA, around 4,000,000 EUR contribution, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11: 44,000,000 EUR, RIA, around 44,000,000 EUR contribution, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01: 39,000,000 EUR, RIA, 4,800,000 to 5,600,000 EUR contribution, 8 grants
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02: 3,000,000 EUR, CSA, around 3,000,000 EUR contribution, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-07: 7,000,000 EUR, CSA, around 7,000,000 EUR contribution, 1 grant

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header. There are currently no topic Q&As. General FAQs and support are available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment, and the Partner Search tool.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to establish a European-led forum for identifying and developing future enabling digital technologies. It encourages collaboration between various stakeholders, including academia, industry, and civil society, to foster innovation and accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies. The call provides funding through lump-sum grants and offers extensive support and guidance to applicants through various resources and helpdesks. The goal is to enhance Europe's competitiveness and leadership in the digital technology sector by promoting interdisciplinary research, innovation, and the creation of a robust innovation ecosystem.

Eligible Applicant Types: Academia, Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs), Industry (including SMEs), and other relevant stakeholders. The call also encourages civil society engagement.

Funding Type: Grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant under HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The call encourages a broad range of participants across various disciplines and sectors, implying a consortium is preferred, although not explicitly stated as mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call is part of the Horizon Europe program, which generally includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries with specific provisions. Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide provide further details on eligible countries.

Target Sector: Digital technologies, industry, emerging technologies, science and engineering, and areas with transformational potential in industrial, societal, and environmental terms.

Mentioned Countries: EU member states, non-EU associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries are eligible.

Project Stage: The projects should cover activities from fundamental research up to proof of concept.

Funding Amount: For the specific topic HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10, the budget is EUR 4,000,000. The other topics listed in the budget overview have varying budgets, ranging from EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 44,000,000. For HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 the contributions range from 4,800,000 to 5,600,000.

Application Type: Single-stage call.

Nature of Support: Money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: 1

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants for HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10 is 1. The success rates for the other topics vary based on the indicative number of grants and the total budget allocated to each topic.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement.

Summary:

This is a Horizon Europe call (DIGITAL, HORIZON-CL4-2027-04) for proposals focused on "Horizon scanning and foresight in future enabling digital technologies." It aims to foster European leadership in identifying and developing future technologies with significant industrial, societal, and environmental impact. The call encourages collaboration among academia, industry, and other stakeholders to co-create innovative ideas, spanning from fundamental research to proof of concept. Proposals should establish a forum for emerging interdisciplinary areas and new technological visions, involving representatives from academia, RTOs, and industry, including SMEs, and consider civil society engagement. The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant under HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). The call is a single-stage process with a planned opening date of November 17, 2026, and a deadline of March 18, 2027. The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries. The total budget for the topic HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10 is EUR 4,000,000, with an indicative number of 1 grant. Other related topics are also listed with varying budgets and indicative grant numbers. The call seeks to accelerate the pick-up of novel advanced technology by industry and society, aligning with national and regional initiatives to create an expanding innovation ecosystem across Europe.