International cooperation in AI (IA)

This EU funding opportunity is a part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the Digital call (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04). It is classified as an Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) aimed at fostering international cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), targeting low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa. The funding type is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant with a total budget of €3,000,000 allocated for about two expected grants, each potentially receiving €1,500,000. The call aims to accelerate the deployment of AI solutions in operational environments through system prototypes, testing, validation, and demonstration phases.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, public bodies, NGOs, and international organizations, all expected to form consortia for project proposals focusing on digital partnerships. The goal is to enhance local innovation ecosystems, address societal challenges like healthcare, education, and environmental sustainability, and promote responsible AI development aligned with the EU's strategic initiatives including the International Digital Strategy and the AI Continent Action Plan.

The application process will have a single-stage submission, with plans for the opening date on November 17, 2026, and a deadline set for March 18, 2027. The competition is expected to be intense, with estimated success rates below 10%, as numerous consortia will likely vie for limited grants. Co-funding is not required, but partnerships demonstrating local stakeholder commitment are encouraged.

Projects should focus on tailoring AI solutions to local contexts, gathering local data, establishing Living Labs for cooperative development, and providing pathways for future market deployment. Support will be offered through non-monetary resources such as guidance from National Contact Points and access to partner-search platforms. Overall, the initiative seeks to empower local communities by leveraging European knowledge and technology while fostering sustainable digital transformation.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the DIGITAL call (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04). It is an Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) that aims to foster international cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The grant type is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of November 17, 2026, and a deadline of March 18, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this funding opportunity are:

Faster uptake of tailored and enhanced AI solutions at innovation hubs in low- and middle-income countries through training and optimization using local data and applied research.

Easier large-scale deployment of local AI solutions in low- and middle-income countries by increasing the efficiency of system demonstration in relevant, operational environments.

Strengthened local innovation ecosystems that foster sustainable socio-economic impact by addressing key societal challenges in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.

The scope of the projects should include:

System prototype, testing, validation, and demonstration in an operational environment aligned with EU initiatives like the International Digital Strategy for the EU and the AI Continent Action Plan. This aims to strengthen local AI ecosystems in African countries, fostering responsible AI development, north-south digital cooperation on AI, and sustainable AI innovation.

Supporting the digital transition and fostering inclusive economic and social transformation of partners globally by adapting and applying innovative solutions, research areas, and capabilities developed in Europe to low- and middle-income countries.

Focusing on accelerating the uptake of and access to AI solutions by local innovation hubs in these countries, better enabling their practical implementation and future market deployment in operational environments.

Considering synergies and complementarity of ongoing research and innovation activities in the policy areas of international partnerships, digital and infrastructure like the Digital for Development Hub and AI for Public Good, and potentially following an approach like Living Labs.

Supporting the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.

Enabling AI technologies that are locally relevant and sustainable, empower local communities and platforms, and reflect the EU’s emphasis on sustainable and resilient global partnerships.

The proposals must support digital partnerships and international digital cooperation to promote an approach to AI that enhances human well-being and societal progress through:

Support for gathering and access to local data in line with EU’s data strategy for the training and optimisation of existing AI algorithms developed in initiatives like AI for Public Good and GenAI for Africa.

Establishment and support of Living Labs within local innovation hubs in low-income countries, fostering co-creation spaces where community members, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers can collaboratively tailor, enhance, test, and iterate AI-driven solutions. These Living Labs will serve as platforms for experiential learning, inclusive participation, and sustainable technology adoption.

Tailored and contextualized AI-based solutions developed through a bottom-up approach, driven by the specific needs of low-income communities. These solutions will be trained and adapted using local data sources, enabling meaningful knowledge transfer and empowering local stakeholders with relevant and actionable technologies.

Contribution, where possible, to solving global sustainable development challenges, especially climate and agriculture, biodiversity, health and humanitarian needs, education.

Fostering an enabling innovation environment with reinforced talent pipelines and technological transfer of AI algorithms and solutions to local innovation hubs.

Full testing and validation of the solutions in real-life with scenarios and initial support to large-scale deployment in low and middle-income countries.

Capitalising from existing EU initiatives like the call GenAI for Africa from HE WP25, the Global Gateway, and Smart Africa to up-scale the deployment of solutions in low-income countries.

Beneficiaries that intend to transfer ownership or grant an exclusive licence must formally notify the granting authority (i.e. DG-CNECT and HaDEA) before the intended transfer or licensing takes place. The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or the exclusive licensing of results up to four years after the end of the action.

General conditions include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit 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.

Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks and are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants: The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the action's end, as outlined in Annex 5. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme and Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table (HE LS) are available.

Additional guidance includes "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview for the year 2027 includes several topics:

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-03 - HORIZON-RIA: 35,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08 - HORIZON-IA: 38,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-09 - HORIZON-IA: 39,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 3

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 - HORIZON-RIA: 42,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 3

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05 - HORIZON-IA: 18,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-06 - HORIZON-IA: 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-10 - HORIZON-CSA: 4,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 - HORIZON-RIA: 44,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 - HORIZON-RIA: 39,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 8

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02 - HORIZON-CSA: 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-07 - HORIZON-CSA: 7,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants: 1

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests after logging into the portal.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

For support, applicants are encouraged to read all provisions carefully, consult the Online Manual and Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and refer to the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ. Additional support is available through the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment should also be consulted. Partner Search tools are available to find partner organizations.

In summary, this Horizon Europe Innovation Action aims to promote international cooperation in AI by fostering the uptake and deployment of tailored AI solutions in low- and middle-income countries. It encourages the establishment of Living Labs, the use of local data, and the development of sustainable AI technologies that address societal challenges and empower local communities. The funding opportunity supports digital partnerships and the transfer of knowledge and technology from Europe to these regions, contributing to the digital transition and inclusive economic and social transformation globally. Applicants should carefully review the general and specific conditions, utilize the available guidance and support resources, and consider forming partnerships to strengthen their proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities, such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations. The call is open to international cooperation, suggesting eligibility extends beyond EU member states to entities in low- and middle-income countries.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, provided under the Horizon Europe program. The actions are HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the emphasis on digital partnerships and international digital cooperation suggests that a consortium is preferred, if not required. Partner search announcements are available, further implying that consortia are common.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic focus is on low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, with an emphasis on strengthening local AI ecosystems in African countries. While the call originates from the EU, it is designed to foster international cooperation, so eligibility likely extends to entities in these targeted regions and associated countries. 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.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is ICT, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI), with applications in various sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. It also targets digital infrastructure and innovation ecosystems.

Mentioned Countries: The primary region mentioned is Africa, with a focus on strengthening local AI ecosystems in African countries. There is also a general reference to low- and middle-income countries globally. No specific countries are named, but the focus is on these regions.

Project Stage: The project stage targets system prototype, testing, validation, and demonstration in operational environments. It aims to accelerate the uptake and access to AI solutions, enabling their practical implementation and future market deployment. Therefore, the project stage is primarily demonstration and validation, with an element of commercialization.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €3,000,000 to €44,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies, with some topics expected to fund only one project and others multiple projects. For example, HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-06 has a budget of 3,000,000 EUR and is expected to fund 2 projects, while HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 has a budget of 44,000,000 EUR and is expected to fund 1 project. HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 has a budget of 39,000,000 EUR and is expected to fund 8 projects with contributions from 4,800,000 to 5,600,000 EUR.

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 is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. Given the competitive nature of Horizon Europe, success rates are likely to vary but could be estimated based on the number of applications received versus the number of grants awarded.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, Horizon Europe grants often encourage or require some level of co-funding, so applicants should check the specific call conditions for details.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the DIGITAL (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04) call, aims to foster international cooperation in AI, specifically targeting the digital transformation and inclusive economic and social transformation of low- and middle-income countries. The focus is on accelerating the uptake and access to AI solutions by local innovation hubs in these countries, enabling their practical implementation and future market deployment. The call encourages proposals that support digital partnerships, gather and provide access to local data, establish and support Living Labs, develop tailored AI-based solutions, contribute to solving global sustainable development challenges, and foster an enabling innovation environment. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage open call. Eligible applicants include entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities, with a preference for consortia that include partners from both the EU and targeted low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa. The indicative budget for the different topics ranges from 3,000,000 EUR to 44,000,000 EUR, with varying numbers of grants to be awarded per topic. The call emphasizes alignment with EU initiatives such as the International Digital Strategy for the EU, the AI Continent Action Plan, the Global Gateway strategy, GenAI for Africa and Smart Africa.