Strengthening the international dimension of ESFRI and/or ERIC research infrastructures

This summary outlines the Horizon Europe funding opportunity, specifically aimed at strengthening the international dimension of ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) and ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) research infrastructures. This call is identified as HORIZON-INFRA and targets Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with a focus on enhancing cooperation between European and international infrastructures. Eligible applicants include legal entities operating or hosting ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs, and at least one legal entity from a non-associated third country must be part of the consortium. This requirement underscores the international focus of the initiative, which is open to EU member states, associated countries, and selected non-associated countries. Funding mechanisms include lump sum grants, offering between €1,000,000 and €1,500,000 per project, with a total budget of €8,000,000 allocated for the year 2026. There are five expected grants to be awarded through this call. Proposals must adhere to a single-stage application process, which will open on March 10, 2026, and close on June 16, 2026. The goal is to develop cooperative structures that enhance long-term relationships between European research infrastructures and their international counterparts, focusing on essential knowledge exchange, data sharing, and the establishment of reciprocal access agreements. Successful projects are expected to yield effective collaborations that align with global challenges, such as health research and environmental monitoring. They should also specify the sustainability of joint activities, ensuring ongoing access and data sharing for European scientists. The absence of explicit success rate information suggests competitive conditions in the funding landscape, making the importance of strong consortium partnerships and proposal quality critical for success. Essentially, this funding opportunity emphasizes existing infrastructure consolidation rather than new infrastructure development and seeks to operationalize European scientific leadership on a global scale. Proposals need to address long-term sustainability, interoperability, and best practice sharing among research communities.

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals focusing on Research Infrastructures in 2026, specifically targeting the strengthening of the international dimension of ESFRI and/or ERIC research infrastructures. The call, HORIZON-INFRA, is for HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and offers HORIZON Lump Sum Grants [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The planned opening date is March 10, 2026, and the deadline for submission is June 16, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of funded projects include:

New or enhanced, effective cooperation of European research infrastructures with key international partners.

Strengthened position of European research infrastructures in the global research infrastructure landscape.

Increased opportunities for the development of global research infrastructures, including proposals expanding the geographical coverage of ongoing collaborations.

Increased capacity to address societal challenges with a global dimension, including collaborations in areas such as environmental monitoring or health.

Reinforced global competitiveness and performance of the European Research Area.

The scope of this topic is to support cooperation between pan-European research infrastructures and their international (non-European) counterparts, and/or to foster the international engagement of ESFRI and ERIC research infrastructures through their involvement in global research infrastructure initiatives. Proposals should describe shared objectives and governance of the collaboration, building on the criteria developed by the Group of Senior Officials on Global Research Infrastructures.

Proposals should pay attention to:

The long-term sustainability of joint activities, describing prospects for sustained collaboration beyond the project's immediate results, exploring methods and governance models, and welcoming activities leading to agreements on data sharing or co-financing reciprocal activities.

Opportunities (access and data sharing) available to European scientists, elaborating on the data dimension of activities and ensuring access over time.

Fostering global interoperability and coverage (when appropriate) of data.

Exchanging best practices between user communities and managers of research infrastructures regarding harmonisation of tests, standards, reference materials, interoperability, and data handling.

While the main target is cooperation between an individual pan-European infrastructure and its international counterparts in one or more third countries, proposals could also involve a set of pan-European infrastructures with their international counterparts if relevant for the chosen research field. Proposals should describe the EU benefit of any EU contribution requested by non-associated third countries, by explaining the new services or knowledge made accessible to EU researchers via the collaboration. Proposals should consider the Council Recommendation of 23 May 2024 on enhancing research security and take into account its principles for responsible internationalisation.

General conditions include:

1. 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.

2. Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions:Legal entities from non-associated third countries may participate under certain conditions. Consortia must include at least one ESFRI Landmark and/or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) as a beneficiary, and at least one legal entity established in a non-associated third country as a beneficiary or associated partner.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5. 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. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. 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):

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 is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include HE MGA, Lump Sum MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA.

Call-specific instructions include a 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 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 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 indicates that the HORIZON-INFRA topic has a budget of €8,000,000 for the year 2026, with contributions ranging from 1,000,000 to €1,500,000 and an indicative number of 5 grants.

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 March 10, 2026.

Support resources include 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 bolster international collaboration within the European Research Area by providing support for coordination and support actions that enhance the engagement of European research infrastructures with their global counterparts. It seeks to foster sustainable partnerships, improve data interoperability, and address global challenges through collaborative research initiatives. Eligible consortia must include both European and non-European entities, and proposals should clearly demonstrate the benefits for EU researchers and the long-term impact of the collaboration.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types include legal entities such as ESFRI Landmarks, European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs), and other legal entities established in non-associated third countries. The primary focus is on pan-European research infrastructures and their international counterparts.

Funding Type:The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) being HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The call includes both HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement:A consortium is required. The consortium must include, as a beneficiary, at least one ESFRI Landmark and/or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) and, as a beneficiary or associated partner, at least one legal entity established in a non-associated third country.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and non-associated third countries. Specific provisions exist for funding participants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:The target sector is research infrastructures, with a focus on enhancing cooperation and fostering international engagement. This encompasses various research fields supported by the involved infrastructures, including but not limited to environmental monitoring, health, and data interoperability.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states, associated countries, and non-associated third countries. It focuses on cooperation between pan-European infrastructures and their international counterparts, indicating a global scope.

Project Stage:The project stage varies depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from research and innovation actions (RIA) to coordination and support actions (CSA). This suggests that projects can be in various stages of maturity, from development to implementation and coordination.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary significantly depending on the specific topic. Some topics offer a single grant around €40 million, while others provide multiple grants ranging from €1 million to €10 million. The budget overview lists the following indicative funding ranges: under €50K, €50K–€200K, €200K–€1M, €1M–€5M, over €5M, variable, or other.

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.

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. For example, some topics aim to award only one grant, while others may award up to 11 grants.

Co-funding Requirement:The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the Research Infrastructures 2026 work programme, aims to strengthen the international dimension of European research infrastructures. It supports cooperation between pan-European infrastructures (ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs) and their counterparts in non-European countries. The call encompasses various topics, including research and innovation actions (RIA) and coordination and support actions (CSA), with funding ranging from approximately €2 million to €40 million per project. Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes at least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as a beneficiary, and at least one legal entity from a non-associated third country as a beneficiary or associated partner. The call seeks to enhance the position of European research infrastructures in the global landscape, increase opportunities for global research infrastructure development, and reinforce the global competitiveness of the European Research Area. Proposals should address the long-term sustainability of joint activities, opportunities for European scientists, fostering global interoperability, and exchanging best practices. The application process involves a single stage, with eligible costs covered as a lump sum.