Research infrastructure concept development including major upgrades or extensions of existing infrastructures

This summary outlines a significant funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, specifically focused on enhancing research infrastructures through the call HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-01. The aim is to support the conceptualization and planning of next-generation European research infrastructures that are essential for addressing major scientific and societal challenges. Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, European Research Infrastructure Consortia, and other public research organizations situated in EU Member States and associated countries, as well as some non-EU countries with appropriate arrangements.

Funding for this initiative is structured as grants, specifically lump-sum grants ranging between €2 million to €3 million per project, with a total of four expected grants, leading to an overall budget of €10 million for this specific topic. The program will be open for applications from March 10, 2026, with a deadline set for June 16, 2026. Proposals must involve multiple research infrastructures, emphasizing collaboration and multilateral initiatives, as projects should ideally involve various stakeholders including funding bodies, user communities, and researchers across different fields of research.

The successful projects will not only focus on creating new infrastructures but also on planning significant upgrades or extensions of existing facilities, provided they significantly transform outputs or approaches. It is crucial for applicants to address how their proposed developments fill existing gaps in the European research landscape and demonstrate their unique added value. Additionally, sustainability planning, ethical considerations, and the integration of technology and governance models should be part of the proposal framework.

The evaluation process entails a single-stage submission, examining the scientific merit, potential impacts, and implementation feasibility of the proposed projects. While specific success rates are not provided, historical metrics for research infrastructure calls suggest competitiveness in the 10–39% range. Co-funding from applicants is not a formal requirement, but comprehensive funding strategies that integrate various financial sources are strongly encouraged. This funding opportunity aims to enhance the European Research Area by facilitating collaborative research infrastructure development that is crucial for maintaining Europe's scientific excellence and competitiveness on a global scale.

This is a summary of a Horizon Europe grant opportunity focused on Research Infrastructures, specifically call HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01. The central aim is to support the development of new concepts for next-generation research infrastructures of European interest. These infrastructures can be single-sited, multi-sited, distributed, or virtual, and should be of a scale that few countries could implement individually. All research fields are eligible.

The grant also considers major upgrades or extensions of existing infrastructures, provided they are significantly transformative in terms of scientific outputs or technical approach, essentially creating a new infrastructure concept. Routine maintenance, incremental improvements, or adding a new component to an existing infrastructure are not within the scope of this funding.

Applicants are expected to first explore extending existing infrastructures or integrating pan-European and national capacities to meet research infrastructure service needs. If this isn't feasible, a clear justification is required. Proposals should highlight the unique value and contribution of the new, upgraded, or extended infrastructure to the European Research Area (ERA), considering the existing research infrastructure landscape, ESFRI analysis, and its potential to address scientific and societal challenges, especially in support of EU strategic research and innovation agendas and European Partnerships.

Concept development proposals must address key technical and conceptual feasibility questions for fully fledged user facilities, including: relevance to the ERA and advancement beyond the state-of-the-art; research challenges the infrastructure will enable, including at a global level; gaps in the research infrastructure landscape that will be filled, and synergies with other infrastructures; and potential regional impact.

Projects must demonstrate their effectiveness in: identifying technologies and architecture (considering technology sovereignty); identifying user communities and planning research services; defining governance options and stakeholder engagement strategies; developing initial financial and sustainability plans, including potential synergies with other funding sources like ERDF; and creating plans for efficient data curation, preservation, and FAIR access.

Ethical and environmental considerations, including climate-related impacts and resource optimization, should be integrated into the concept development. Gender analysis is not mandatory for this topic. Proposals can consider including Joint Research Centre (JRC) Flagship Research Infrastructure projects. The JRC may collaborate with successful proposals after approval.

Key definitions: A research infrastructure is of European interest if it attracts users from EU or associated countries beyond its host country. A major upgrade or extension must be transformative enough to be considered a new infrastructure concept.

General conditions for admissibility include adhering to proposal page limits and layout guidelines 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 are listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for some non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) can participate as a consortium member with zero funding or as an associated partner, but will not be involved in proposal preparation or submission.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award processes, criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D and Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F. Legal and financial aspects of the grants, including eligible lump sum costs, are defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 and Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Standard application forms for HE RIA and HE CSA are provided, along with standard evaluation forms. 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 the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Programme Guide, 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 for the call in 2026 includes several topics: HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-01 (40,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-02 (10,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-01 (10,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-02 (40,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-03 (9,900,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-04 (2,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-05 (8,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-06 (8,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-07 (10,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-SERV-01-01 (32,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-01 (110,000,000 EUR), and HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-02 (15,000,000 EUR). The opening date for submissions is planned for 10 March 2026, with a deadline of 16 June 2026.

This Horizon Europe call aims to foster the development of cutting-edge research infrastructures across Europe. It encourages projects that are beyond the scope of individual countries, promoting collaboration and innovation in all research fields. By supporting the creation of new infrastructures or the significant upgrade of existing ones, the call seeks to enhance the European Research Area, address societal challenges, and align with EU strategic priorities. The funding mechanism is based on lump sums, and applicants are expected to carefully consider ethical, environmental, and sustainability aspects in their proposals. The call provides a framework for researchers and institutions to contribute to the next generation of research capabilities in Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the context of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), the eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and development activities. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission can participate as a member of the consortium or as an associated partner. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries are also eligible for funding if they have made specific provisions.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. The program includes both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), each with different funding focuses.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium of multiple applicants. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner. The JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal - see General Annex B.

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 program targets the Research Infrastructures sector, supporting the development of new concepts for the next generation of research infrastructures of European interest. All fields of research can be considered.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states and associated countries, as well as non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is concept development, including feasibility and design studies for future research infrastructures or major upgrades/extensions of existing ones.

Funding Amount: The funding ranges vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-01: around €40,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01-EOSC-02: €3,000,000 to €5,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-01: €2,000,000 to €3,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-02: €4,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-03: €3,000,000 to €4,500,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-04: around €2,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-05: around €8,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-06: €1,000,000 to €1,500,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-07: €1,000,000 to €4,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-SERV-01-01: around €32,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-01: €5,000,000 to €10,000,000
HORIZON-INFRA-2026-TECH-01-02: €5,000,000 to €7,500,000

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 support their research and innovation actions.

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 success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly stated, but Horizon Europe typically funds a significant portion of the project costs, implying that some level of co-funding might be expected, although eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, Research Infrastructures 2026 (HORIZON-INFRA-2026-01), aims to foster the development of next-generation research infrastructures across Europe. It supports projects focused on creating new concepts, conducting feasibility studies, and planning major upgrades or extensions of existing infrastructures. The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and focus, ranging from the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) to technology development and service provision. Eligible applicants include a wide range of research and innovation actors from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU countries with specific funding arrangements. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, and projects are expected to contribute to a more efficient, sustainable, and impactful European research infrastructure landscape. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of June 16, 2026. This initiative seeks to align research infrastructure development with the latest scientific advancements and societal challenges, promoting collaboration and innovation across the European Research Area.