Preparatory phase of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects

The opportunity HORIZON-INFRA focuses on the preparatory phase of new European research infrastructure projects that have been recognized in the 2026 update of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap. It is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically designed as a Coordination and Support Action with a total budget of €30 million for the year 2027. The funding mechanism operates as a grant utilizing a lump-sum approach, meaning that beneficiaries will receive a fixed financial contribution rather than reimbursement of specific costs. Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes diverse stakeholders such as national or regional ministries, research councils, universities, research facilities, and industry partners. This multi-stakeholder collaboration is mandatory to address legal, financial, technical, and governance aspects essential to enabling infrastructure projects. Legal entities from non-associated third countries may also participate under certain conditions. The geographic eligibility covers EU member states and associated countries. Projects must tackle critical preparatory aspects, including the development of legal and financial frameworks, technical design, and governance structures, thereby ensuring stakeholder commitment to the long-term operation of the infrastructure. Each proposal must contribute to establishing comprehensive plans for future construction, operation, human resources, and service provision aligned with FAIR principles. The grants will range from a minimum of €1.5 million to a maximum of €3.5 million per project, with approximately nine grants expected. The application process is single-stage, with submissions due by June 15, 2027. The anticipated outcomes include increased performance and capacity in the European research landscape, wider socio-economic impacts, and a structured approach to establishing new world-class research infrastructures. Successful proposals should explicitly demonstrate alignment with existing EU programs and consider environmental impacts. Overall, this funding opportunity aims to reinforce Europe's research infrastructure capabilities and ensure sustainable operational commitments from member states and associated countries.

This is a summary of the EU funding opportunity HORIZON-INFRA, which falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Research Infrastructures 2027 call (HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01). It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming and follows a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 09 March 2027, and the deadline for submission is 15 June 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include:Increased performance, scientific capacity, and excellence of the European landscape of research infrastructures, enhancing problem-solving capacities of the ERA to address challenges in science, industry, and society. Addressed legal, financial, and technical issues, leading to a long-term perspective for research infrastructure investments, the establishment of new research infrastructures, and ensuring the commitment of Member States/Associated Countries to their long-term operation and use. Solid ground for decision-making on new research infrastructures (or major upgrades) is available to Member States/Associated Countries, their funding bodies, and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., international organizations, third countries, foundations). A structuring effect on the ERA through a consistent and well-functioning European research infrastructures ecosystem through the development of synergies and complementarities between new and existing research infrastructures, and with other infrastructures such as technology infrastructures and infrastructures financed by ERDF or the Digital Europe Programme.

The scope of this topic is to support the preparatory phase of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects identified in the 2026 update of the ESFRI Roadmap. These projects have been selected for the excellence of their scientific case and their strategic importance for the European Research Area and the structuring of the European research infrastructure ecosystem. Proposal consortia should involve all the stakeholders necessary to move the project forward, to take decisions, and to make financial commitments before construction can start. This includes national/regional ministries/governments, research councils or funding agencies from countries that have already declared their commitment in the application to ESFRI. Operators of research facilities, research centers, universities, and industry may also be involved whenever appropriate. Proposals for research infrastructure preparatory phases should tackle all key questions concerning legal, financial, and technical issues leading to the establishment of a new research infrastructure and ensuring commitment of Member States/Associated Countries to their long-term operation and use in all fields of science.

Proposals should address the following aspects:

Development of legal and financial frameworks/plans relating to the setting-up, construction and/or integration of national resources, operation and decommissioning of the research infrastructure, as well as its governance structure.

Complementarities between national and EU instruments and/or innovative financing.

Preparation of legal and financial agreements, including site, governance, internal rules, and financing of the new research infrastructures. These are deliverables that should be finalized before the end of the project (e.g., through a Memorandum of Understanding; a 'signature-ready' document for the setting-up and the actual implementation of the research infrastructure).

Establishment of plans for logistics and human resources management in relation to the construction/integration and future operation, including RI service provision, as well as for efficient data curation and preservation and for the provision of access to data collected or produced by the future infrastructure, in line with the FAIR principles.

Technical challenges concerning the joint development, transfer of knowledge, and implementation of key RI technologies and the completion of the final technical design of the infrastructure.

Development of plans for the provision of RI services to identified scientific user communities.

Relevance of the RI for science and society, including its socio-economic impacts at local/regional level and links with the smart specialization strategies at regional level.

Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants, notably under the research infrastructures part of the Horizon Europe work program. When relevant, environmental (including climate-related) impacts as well as the optimization of resource and energy use should be integrated into the preparatory phase of new or upgraded research 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 available in the Submission System.

Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Other Eligible Conditions:Legal entities from non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate as beneficiaries or affiliated entities if eligible for funding, as 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 criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

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:Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. This is further described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

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

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, and HE CSA.

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including standard evaluation forms for HE RIA, IA, and HE CSA.

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, HE MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Framework Partnership Agreement FPA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 3. Research Infrastructures

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 lists several topics under the Research Infrastructures 2027 call, including:

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-EOSC-01 (HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions):Budget €40,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-EOSC-02 (HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions):Budget €8,000,000, contributions 2,500,000 to €4,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-INFRA (HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions):Budget €30,000,000, contributions 1,500,000 to €3,500,000, indicative number of grants: 9

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-DEV-01-02 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €20,000,000, contributions 2,000,000 to €5,000,000, indicative number of grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-DEV-01-03 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €29,500,000, contributions 3,000,000 to €4,500,000, indicative number of grants: 8

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-01 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €105,000,000, indicative number of grants: 3

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-02 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €35,000,000, indicative number of grants: 6

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-03 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-TECH-01-01 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €30,000,000, contributions 10,000,000 to €15,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-TECH-01-02 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions):Budget €30,000,000, contributions 7,000,000 to €12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 3

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header. General FAQs and support are available through the provided links.

In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to support the preparatory phases of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects. It seeks to address legal, financial, and technical challenges to ensure the long-term sustainability and operation of these infrastructures, fostering excellence and collaboration within the European Research Area. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and consortia should include key stakeholders, including government bodies, research institutions, and industry partners. The call emphasizes synergies with existing EU programs and the integration of environmental considerations.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types include national/regional ministries/governments, research councils or funding agencies from countries that have already declared their commitment to ESFRI. Operators of research facilities, research centers, universities, and industry may also be involved whenever appropriate. Legal entities established in non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate as a beneficiary or affiliated entity if eligible for funding.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. The actions are HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions. Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) are also mentioned.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Proposal consortia should involve all the stakeholders necessary to move the project forward, to take the decisions, and to make financial commitments, before construction can start.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States 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 target sector is research infrastructures, with a focus on supporting the preparatory phase of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects. This encompasses all fields of science.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States, Associated Countries, and Non-EU/non-Associated Countries are mentioned.

Project Stage:The project stage is the preparatory phase of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects. This includes addressing legal, financial, and technical issues leading to the establishment of a new research infrastructure.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic:

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-EOSC-01:around €40,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01-EOSC-02:€2,500,000 to €4,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA:€1,500,000 to €3,500,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-DEV-01-02:€2,000,000 to €5,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-DEV-01-03:€3,000,000 to €4,500,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-01:around €35,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-02:around €6,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-SERV-01-03:around €3,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-TECH-01-01:€10,000,000 to €15,000,000

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-TECH-01-02:€7,000,000 to €12,000,000

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.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding may be required, particularly through the HORIZON-COFUND actions, but this is not explicitly stated as a general requirement.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call (HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01) focuses on supporting the preparatory phase of new ESFRI research infrastructure projects. The call aims to enhance the European research infrastructure landscape by addressing legal, financial, and technical challenges associated with establishing new research infrastructures. Consortia must involve key stakeholders, including national and regional authorities, research councils, and potentially research facilities, universities, and industry. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, with varying amounts depending on the specific action type (CSA, RIA, or COFUND). The call is open to EU Member States, Associated Countries, and, in some cases, legal entities from non-associated third countries. The application process is a single-stage submission, and projects should align with the ESFRI Roadmap and contribute to the European Research Area's strategic goals. The call encompasses a wide range of scientific fields, emphasizing the importance of addressing environmental impacts and promoting synergies with existing EU research programs.