Space critical EEE components for EU non-dependence – Radiation Hard FPGA on 7nm

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity, identified as HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81, focuses on developing radiation-hardened Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) on 7nm technology, aimed at enhancing the European Union's strategic autonomy in space technology. The call is categorized as a Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a planned opening date of March 10, 2026, and a submission deadline of September 3, 2026. The total budget allocated for this initiative is approximately €12,740,000, with grants expected to range from €12,000,000 to €13,000,000, indicating one high-value project will be funded.

Eligible applicants are limited to legal entities based in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland, with stipulations that entities controlled by non-eligible countries may participate only under strict conditions that do not threaten EU strategic interests. The project aims to create a resilient supply chain that eliminates reliance on non-EU suppliers for critical space electronics components.

The expected outcomes include reducing dependencies on external sources for critical space technology, facilitating unrestricted access to EEE components relevant to EU space missions, and fostering competitive capabilities that meet or exceed those available from non-EU suppliers. The scope requires extensive collaboration among multiple participants to tackle the project's technological and supply chain complexities effectively.

Proposals must achieve a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and encompass detailed documentation on supply chain processes, evaluations to ensure compliance with export regulations (such as ITAR and EAR), and a comprehensive industrial roadmap with commercialization strategies. Beneficiaries will also need to commit to making developed technologies available to EU entities for four years post-project.

Submissions must adhere to a single-stage application process, with a detailed proposal limit of 80 pages, outlining the technology, supply chain assessments, and relevant standards or guidelines for space evaluation and qualification. The nature of support will take the form of grants covering eligible project expenses, with no explicit co-funding requirement mentioned, although additional funding from national sources is expected. This highly competitive call anticipates low success rates due to the specialized nature of the technology and stringent eligibility criteria.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81, titled "Space critical EEE components for EU non-dependence Radiation Hard FPGA on 7nm". It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is March 10, 2026, and the deadline for submission is September 3, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this topic is EUR 12,740,000, with an indicative grant amount ranging from EUR 12,000,000 to EUR 13,000,000. It is expected that one grant will be awarded.

The expected outcomes of this call are:

 Reinforcing EU strategic autonomy by reducing non-EU dependencies on critical space EEE components and related technologies across their entire supply chain.
 Providing unrestricted access to critical space EEE components and related technologies relevant for EU space missions (Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, IRIS2 and EU pilot missions on In-Orbit Space Operations and Quantum Gravimetry).
 Developing or regaining capacity to operate independently in space by developing resilient space EEE components and related technologies supply chains, relying on EU supply chains and/or trustable and reliable supply chains not affected by non-EU export restrictions.
 Enhancing competitiveness by developing products and capabilities reaching equivalent or superior performance level than those from outside the EU and compete at worldwide level.

The scope of this call focuses on maturing critical space EEE components to reduce EU dependency from outside the EU. This involves establishing a long-term sustainable supply chain to support EU strategic autonomy in the space sector. The selected supply chains should be primarily based in the EU. If EU capabilities are lacking, services procured from outside the EU must ensure the overall supply chain remains trustable and unaffected by non-EU export control. The specific EEE component of interest is a radiation hard FPGA on 7nm technology.

Applicants are expected to include a dedicated proposal paragraph covering:

 A description of the technology and/or technology processes and high-level breakdown of the space EEE component supply chain to be used. Applicants should demonstrate that the supply chain and final product are free of any legal export restrictions or limitations, such as those established in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or equivalent instruments applicable in other non-EU jurisdictions. Applicants shall also report, in a dedicated subsection, if and which part of the supply chain is affected by non-EU export controls such as the Export Administration regulation (EAR) i.e. EAR99.
 A description of the suitable technology development process that has been identified and set up within the consortium for avoiding export restrictions of non-EU states and assess vulnerabilities of the supply chain.

Proposals targeting a final Technology Readiness Level (TRL) equal to or higher than 5 should include a list of proposed applicable standards or technical guidance (e.g. EN, ECSS, ESCC, MIL, JEDEC,…) that are considered relevant for implementing a formal space evaluation and/or qualification. Projects aiming for formal space qualification should include the full data pack planned for submission to the qualification authority as a deliverable, marked as sensitive. Hardware that successfully completes space evaluation/qualification is expected to promote EU support by displaying the EU emblem on the package.

The proposal should include specific tasks in the work plan and related confidential deliverables within six months of the project start, with the objective of:

 Analyzing and describing, in detail, the full supply chain, each entity and its role in the supply chain, level of criticality and, if relevant, identify dependencies from outside EU.
 Describing the industrial technical roadmap and a business plan for commercialization with accurate understanding of applications needs, space mission insertion, including time to market indication, of the developed product.
 Reporting the list of relevant non-EU export control with extra territorial applicability for the specific technology/product under development, independently from the supply chain established for the EU-COM project.
 Undertaking a comprehensive literature review of the relevant technology/product reporting the state-of-the-art and highlighting potential gaps between current EU solutions and competition from outside EU.

Beneficiaries must ensure that subcontractors are not established in ineligible countries, unless otherwise agreed with the granting authority. The consortium and beneficiaries must ensure that for four years after the project's end, supply and availability of developed hardware, manufacturing, and assembly processes are available to any entity in the EU, Norway, and Iceland at fair market prices, without legal restrictions like ITAR. Beneficiaries intending to transfer ownership or grant exclusive licenses must notify the granting authority, which may object within four years.

The integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content is not relevant for this topic. The proposal page limit is 80 pages.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Norway and Iceland. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may not participate unless guarantees are provided and assessed to ensure no negative impact on the Union’s strategic interests.

The evaluation committee will be composed partially by representatives of EU institutions and the 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. 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 are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) and Evaluation form templates. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is the HE MGA. A compulsory questionnaire on the declaration of ownership and control is to be filled by all project participants as part of the application.

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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action aims to bolster the EU's strategic independence in the space sector by fostering the development and production of critical EEE components within the EU, specifically radiation-hard FPGAs on a 7nm node. The call seeks to fund projects that can establish sustainable, EU-centric supply chains for these components, reducing reliance on external sources that may be subject to export controls or present security risks. Successful projects will not only enhance the EU's autonomy in space missions but also boost the competitiveness of its space industry by creating high-performance, reliable components that can compete globally. The call emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the entire supply chain is free from restrictions like ITAR and encourages collaboration between space and non-space industries to leverage terrestrial market innovations.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are legal entities established in Member States, Norway, and Iceland. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may participate if they demonstrate their participation would not negatively impact the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security, with guarantees assessed by their eligible country of establishment.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe program, utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] model.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland.

Target Sector: The target sector is space, specifically focusing on critical space Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) components and related technologies. The specific technology is radiation hard Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) on 7nm.

Mentioned Countries: European Union Member States, Norway, Iceland.

Project Stage: The project stage targets technology developments with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) equal to or higher than 5.

Funding Amount: The funding range for the topic HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81 is between 12,000,000 to 13,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to finance their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the topic HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81 is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81, aims to reinforce the EU's strategic autonomy in the space sector by reducing its dependence on non-EU sources for critical space-grade EEE components, particularly radiation-hard FPGAs on 7nm. The call seeks to finance projects that can establish long-term, sustainable, and trustworthy supply chains within the EU, Norway, and Iceland, ensuring that the developed technologies are free from restrictive export controls like ITAR. Projects should focus on maturing these components to a TRL of 5 or higher, adhering to relevant space evaluation and qualification standards. Applicants are required to form a consortium and provide a detailed breakdown of their proposed supply chain, a technology development process that avoids export restrictions, and a clear roadmap for commercialization. The call emphasizes the importance of collaboration between space and non-space industries and the complementarity of proposed activities with existing national and European efforts. The total budget for this specific topic is between 12,000,000 to 13,000,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 1 grant to be awarded. The call opens on March 10, 2026, and closes on September 3, 2026.