Mapping and service finder for Technology Infrastructures (CSA)

Overview

The opportunity titled HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-46, called "Mapping and service finder for Technology Infrastructures," is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the industrial sector through a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) mechanism. The granted funding amount is a fixed lump sum of €2,000,000 aimed at developing an interactive portal to improve visibility and accessibility of technology infrastructures across Europe.

The call for proposals opens on January 6, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 21, 2026. This initiative aims to address the challenges faced by startups, SMEs, and scaleups in locating specific research and technology infrastructure services, which often suffer from poor visibility outside local ecosystems. Proposals should create a comprehensive inventory of existing technology infrastructures and services, consolidating this knowledge into an open-source platform that acts as a service finder.

Expectations include developing a taxonomy of technology infrastructures, mapping the current landscape, and aligning with regional smart specializations to evaluate the need for new infrastructures that ensure Europe’s long-term competitiveness. The portal is intended to help industrial users, particularly SMEs, access necessary services for innovation and product development, thereby fostering cooperation between infrastructure operators and industry stakeholders.

While both individual entities and consortiums are eligible to apply, collaboration is encouraged to enhance the technology infrastructure ecosystem. The geographic eligibility primarily covers EU member states and associated countries, with conditional provisions for non-EU/non-associated countries.

No co-funding requirement is mentioned, and successful applicants will receive a lump sum grant without needing to justify actual expenditures. However, proposals that demonstrate additional in-kind contributions or partnerships may enhance the project's sustainability and overall impact.

Given that only one project is expected to be funded, competition is anticipated to be high, suggesting a success rate likely below 10%. The application will follow a single-stage submission process without the need for preliminary expressions of interest.

Overall, this funding opportunity represents a strategic move to enhance Europe’s technological infrastructure landscape and ensure its competitive position through improved access to essential resources for innovation and development.

Detail

The EU Funding Opportunity is HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-46, titled "Mapping and service finder for Technology Infrastructures (CSA)". It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01) call. It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The opportunity is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 06 January 2026, and the deadline is 21 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The topic description outlines the expected outcome:

Improved visibility and access to technology infrastructures via an interactive portal (open source, free to access, easy to update) of technology infrastructures across Europe.
Improved understanding of the European landscape of technology infrastructures, including existing facilities and their services supporting the development of strategic technologies by industrial users.
Boosted innovation and market potential by providing an interactive portal where industrial users, especially SMEs, startups, and scaleups, can search and find services relevant for their innovation and product development.

The scope of the opportunity is as follows:

Many innovative startups face hurdles in finding and accessing specific research and technology infrastructure services, with limited information available, especially beyond local ecosystems.
Proposals should create an inventory of existing and ongoing mapping of technology infrastructure and services in Europe, consolidating knowledge into an interactive portal serving as a technology infrastructure service finder.
Based on the inventory and policy analysis, proposals should use a comprehensive taxonomy of the technology infrastructure landscape. The portal should align with regional smart specializations and existing ecosystems to assess which new technology infrastructure needs to be built to ensure long-term European competitiveness and sovereignty.
Proposals should establish an interactive portal with a finder for technology infrastructure services in the EU, aligned with activities like EIB TechEU and other relevant tools. The finder should facilitate cooperation between technology infrastructure operators and industry (including SMEs, startups, and scaleups), proposing services from a demand-driven perspective to increase opportunities for technology development, testing, up-scaling, and deployment.
The developed platform should be based on open-source technologies, ensuring interoperability with parallel initiatives and long-term self-sustainability. It should propose or develop a suitable open-source application interface (API) to allow information flow between technology infrastructure service providers. The CSA could support platform maintenance for at least 5 years.
Proposals should include communication actions to increase the visibility and uptake of the finder and technology infrastructures across the EU, facilitating dialogue and networking among stakeholders and promoting platform uptake.
Furthermore, proposals should develop a model for long-term platform self-sustainability through governance, financing, and other relevant aspects.
Proposals should also aim at enhancing transnational and multisite collaboration among Technology Infrastructures and their users, fostering the building of technology infrastructures ecosystems, the sharing of experience, resources, best practices service development and service offer, feedback from users, staff exchange and networking. Proposals may also benefit, especially for communication and dissemination activities, from sharing best practices and taking stock of what other relevant projects are developing in the field of Technology Infrastructures.

The general conditions include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other Eligible Conditions: Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement 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 set out 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.

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

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE CSA).
Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE CSA).
Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA.
Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums are available.

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 – 14. Horizontal Activities
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 provides details for various HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD topics, including HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). The opening date is 2026-01-06 and the deadline is 2026-04-21 for all listed topics.

Partner search announcements are available for LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants to publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Support is 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, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to improve the visibility and accessibility of technology infrastructures across Europe by creating an open-source interactive portal. This portal will serve as a service finder for industrial users, particularly SMEs, startups, and scaleups, to boost innovation and market potential. The project requires creating an inventory of existing technology infrastructures, developing a comprehensive taxonomy, and ensuring the platform's long-term self-sustainability. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and proposals should include communication actions and enhance transnational collaboration. The call is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), meaning it focuses on coordinating research efforts and providing support services rather than conducting primary research itself.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity targets a broad range of applicants including startups, SMEs, and larger industrial entities, as well as technology infrastructure operators and other relevant stakeholders. The call specifically mentions startups, SMEs, and scaleups as beneficiaries. The call is open to entities from EU member states and associated countries, as well as potentially entities from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions.

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

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the call encourages transnational and multisite collaboration, suggesting that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred to foster technology infrastructure ecosystems and collaboration among Technology Infrastructures and their users.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for entities within the EU. However, the opportunity 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.

Target Sector: The program targets the industry sector, specifically focusing on technology infrastructures and their services. It aims to improve the visibility and accessibility of these infrastructures to support the development of strategic technologies, innovation, and product development, particularly for SMEs, startups, and scaleups.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the EU and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on creating an inventory, mapping, and consolidating knowledge into an interactive portal, which suggests a development and demonstration stage. The project also aims to develop a self-sustainable model, indicating a commercialization aspect.

Funding Amount: The funding amount for the HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-46 topic is around EUR 2,000,000. However, the document also lists other topics with varying budget ranges:
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-01: EUR 6,000,000 to 8,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04: EUR 5,000,000 to 8,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-05: EUR 5,000,000 to 6,500,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-11: EUR 5,000,000 to 7,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-12: EUR 5,000,000 to 7,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-13: around EUR 4,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14: around EUR 7,500,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-23: around EUR 13,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-24: around EUR 800,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-31: EUR 5,000,000 to 7,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-41: around EUR 1,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-44: around EUR 3,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-45: EUR 1,500,000 to 2,500,000
HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-48: around EUR 2,000,000

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 to cover eligible costs.

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 mentioned.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the INDUSTRY pillar, aims to improve the visibility and accessibility of technology infrastructures across Europe. It addresses the challenge that many innovative startups face in finding and accessing specialized research and technology infrastructure services, which are often poorly advertised or difficult to locate outside of local ecosystems. The core objective is to create an interactive, open-source portal that acts as a technology infrastructure service finder. This portal should inventory existing technology infrastructure services in Europe, consolidate this knowledge, and present it through a user-friendly interface. The projects funded under this call are expected to develop a comprehensive taxonomy of the technology infrastructure landscape, aligned with regional smart specializations and existing ecosystems. The portal should help identify gaps in the current infrastructure and inform decisions about where new infrastructure is needed to ensure Europe’s long-term competitiveness and sovereignty. The interactive finder should facilitate cooperation between technology infrastructure operators and industry, especially SMEs, startups, and scaleups, offering services from a demand-driven perspective. The platform should be based on open-source technologies to ensure interoperability and long-term sustainability, including the development of an open-source API. Projects should also include communication actions to promote the platform and facilitate networking among stakeholders. A key aspect is the development of a self-sustainable model for the platform, covering governance, financing, and other relevant factors. The call encourages transnational collaboration among technology infrastructures and their users, promoting the sharing of experience, resources, and best practices. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage submission. The call is open to a wide range of applicants from the EU and associated countries, with potential eligibility for entities from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions. The call is relevant to the industry sector, with a focus on technology infrastructures and supporting innovation, product development, and the growth of SMEs, startups, and scaleups.

Short Summary

Impact
The funding aims to improve visibility and access to technology infrastructures across Europe through an interactive portal that serves as a service finder for industrial users, particularly SMEs, startups, and scaleups, thereby boosting innovation and market potential.
Applicant
Applicants should possess expertise in technology infrastructure ecosystems, digital platform development, and stakeholder coordination, ideally forming a consortium that includes technology infrastructure operators, research institutions, and industry representatives.
Developments
The funding will support the creation of an interactive digital portal that consolidates existing information about technology infrastructures in Europe and provides a user-friendly service finder.
Applicant Type
This funding is designed for legal entities including startups, SMEs, larger industrial entities, technology infrastructure operators, and research institutions from EU member states and associated countries.
Consortium
The opportunity encourages both single applicants and consortiums, although a consortium approach is strongly recommended for comprehensive coverage and expertise.
Funding Amount
The funding amount is a fixed lump sum of €2,000,000 for the project.
Countries
The funding is primarily relevant for EU member states and associated countries, with potential provisions for entities from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions.
Industry
This funding targets the manufacturing, digital technologies, and industrial innovation sectors under the Horizon Europe program.

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