Palaeoclimate science for a better understanding of Earth system dynamics

The HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-08 call focuses on advancing palaeoclimate science to improve the understanding of Earth system dynamics and inform future climate change scenarios. This funding opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting research and innovation actions, with an emphasis on collaboration among multiple organizations. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, and other capable entities, particularly those from EU, EEA, and EU candidate countries. Some provisions exist for participation from specific non-EU countries.

The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant, allowing beneficiaries to receive a fixed amount rather than being reimbursed for actual costs. This simplifies financial management. Each project can receive up to €7 million, with a total budget of approximately €14 million allocated for two expected grants.

The application process is a single-stage open call, opening on November 17, 2026, and closing on March 4, 2027. No preliminary concept note is required; applicants submit complete proposals directly. The expected outcomes of funded projects include a better understanding of past climate changes, improved Earth system models capable of identifying climate tipping points, and the development of robust tools to support climate change strategies.

Projects should utilize palaeoclimatic data from diverse sources, including geological and ice-core data, to analyze long-term climate variability and interactions with ecosystems. The initiative promotes collaboration with other relevant projects within and outside Horizon Europe. Although co-funding is not mandatory, organizations may opt to provide it to enhance project scope.

The call seeks to address significant knowledge gaps in climate science, supporting both climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Enhanced understanding from this research is crucial for informing decision-makers and guiding effective climate actions aligned with the EU's climate neutrality and resilience goals. The call encourages synergies with other policy priorities, supporting the overarching strategic plan for a green and digital transition within Europe.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the CLIMATE call (HORIZON-CL5-2027-01). It focuses on "Palaeoclimate science for a better understanding of Earth system dynamics" (HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-08). The action type is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call employs a single-stage submission process with a planned opening date of November 17, 2026, and a deadline of March 4, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include:

Better process understanding of past climate changes at different time scales, their variability, and interactions with ecosystems, leading to improved Earth system models.
Future climate change scenarios produced in light of past changes in the Earth system, particularly warm climates/high sea-level situations, and abrupt transitions.
Identification of thresholds in Earth system components and better characterization of driving mechanisms and feedbacks that may be responsible for non-linear behaviors, including indicators of abrupt changes, and early warning signals within palaeoclimate records.
Synthesis of climate variations that can serve as a fundamental basis for IPCC assessments and benchmarks for model inter-comparisons.

The scope of this funding opportunity centers on utilizing palaeoclimatic records (including geological, biological, and ice-core data) to understand the long-term evolution of the climate and the processes driving physical and ecological systems during various climatic periods. The primary challenge is to provide robust information on palaeoclimate states and events outside the range of variability recorded over the past centuries, which can then be used to guide the development of Earth system models.

Activities to address this challenge include:

Producing and aggregating high-resolution, well-dated, interoperable palaeoclimatic records on climate variability in databases, focusing on amplitude, time (onset, duration, frequency), and space (location, extension). This also involves extending instrumental time series to improve understanding of proxy records and quantifying their uncertainties.
Developing Earth system models with outputs that allow a more direct comparison to palaeo data, modelling climate variability, thresholds, and impacts across timescales from years to millennia.
Describing short- to long-term climate evolution and natural climate variability using quantitative reconstructions from different proxies of past climate periods.
Identifying climate-related (including ecological) tipping points and their consequences using palaeo data and model experiments.
Allowing for consistent integration of large-scale and more regional/local factors to be reproduced by climate models using natural forcings.

Projects are expected to rely on palaeoclimatic data from scientific drilling or coring campaigns, sediment records, dendrochronological, and other appropriate sources. Collaboration and clustering activities with other relevant projects within and outside of Horizon Europe are strongly encouraged.

This funding opportunity falls under the "Advancing science for a fair transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society (2026-27)" destination, contributing to the Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations of ‘Green transition’, ‘Digital transition’, and ‘A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe’.

The expected impacts of this destination include:

Supporting climate action (both mitigation and adaptation) in Europe and globally by advancing climate science and the knowledge base for actionable solutions.
Closing key knowledge gaps related to climate change, contributing to key European and international assessments (IPCC, IPBES, EUCRA) and initiatives (CMIP, CORDEX).
Strengthening the European Research Area on climate change by boosting scientific excellence and capacity.
Maximizing synergies between mitigation and adaptation and with other policy priorities such as biodiversity, disaster-preparedness, digitalisation, circular economy, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Important components of climate science research are also addressed in other Clusters -particularly Cluster 6 – which addresses the climate-ocean-cryosphere-polar nexus and the climate-energy-land-food-water-biodiversity nexus. Efforts to foster synergies and complementarities across these research activities are strongly encouraged.

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
Other Eligible Conditions: If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As 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. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Legal and financial set-up: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional guidance and documents are also provided, including the HE Programme Guide, HE Main Work Programme, EU Financial Regulation, and Funding & Tenders Portal resources.

The budget overview for this topic (HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-08) is 14,000,000 EUR for the year 2027. The funding will be distributed through a single-stage process, with an estimated contribution of around 7,000,000 EUR per grant and an indicative number of 2 grants.

There are partner search announcements available to facilitate collaboration. The submission system is planned to open on November 17, 2026.

This funding opportunity aims to enhance our understanding of past climate changes using palaeoclimatic data to improve Earth system models and develop more accurate future climate change scenarios. It encourages collaboration and the use of various data sources, including geological, biological, and ice-core records, to identify climate tipping points and support effective climate action. The ultimate goal is to contribute to a climate-neutral and resilient society by providing decision-makers with the tools and knowledge needed for mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation actions. This typically includes universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations with research capabilities. The mention of National Contact Points (NCPs) in non-EU countries suggests that entities from those countries may also be eligible, depending on specific provisions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the "Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]" designation. There are also HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the encouragement of collaboration and clustering activities suggests that consortia are preferred, although single applicants might be eligible depending on the specific topic requirements. The partner search announcements also suggest that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The mention of non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific provisions suggests that some third countries may also be eligible, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the climate sector, specifically palaeoclimate science. This includes research related to past climate changes, Earth system models, climate variability, ecological tipping points, and the development of tools for climate mitigation and adaptation. The program also touches on related sectors such as environment, energy, and digital transition.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions (RIA). This suggests that the projects should be in the research, development, or validation stages, aiming to generate new knowledge or explore the feasibility of new technologies or solutions.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €9,000,000 to €25,000,000 per topic. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies, with individual grant amounts ranging from around €3,000,000 to around €15,000,000. For example, HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-08 has a budget of €14,000,000 and aims to award around 2 grants, implying around €7,000,000 per grant. HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-11 has a budget of €15,000,000 and aims to award 1 grant of around €15,000,000.

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 consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is generally not mentioned as a requirement, except for the HORIZON-COFUND action, which implies a co-funding mechanism where the EU provides funding to support a program that is also funded by other sources.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe funding opportunity, under the CLIMATE call (HORIZON-CL5-2027-01), focuses on advancing palaeoclimate science to improve our understanding of Earth system dynamics and inform future climate change scenarios. The program aims to support research and innovation actions that address key knowledge gaps related to climate change, enhance Earth system models, and identify climate-related tipping points. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, and other organizations capable of conducting relevant research. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, with varying budgets and indicative grant amounts depending on the specific topic. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a planned opening date of November 17, 2026, and a deadline of March 4, 2027. The program encourages collaboration and clustering activities among projects and with other relevant initiatives within and outside of Horizon Europe. The expected outcomes include a better understanding of past climate changes, improved Earth system models, and the development of tools to support decision-makers in designing effective climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. The program also emphasizes synergies with other policy priorities, such as biodiversity, ecosystem preservation, and the Sustainable Development Goals.