Sustainability and resilience of climate projections and related data records for European and global science and policy

HORIZON-BRIDGING is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (Bridging actions 2027) to strengthen the sustainability, resilience and long-term operational capacity of climate projections, related data records and the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). The action promotes European climate data sovereignty, global access, FAIR data practices and interoperability with EOSC, Copernicus and relevant AI/HPC initiatives. Indicative EU contribution is around €5,000,000 for one lump-sum grant and the call is single-stage with planned opening 06 October 2026 and deadline 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Eligible applicants are consortia of legal entities established in Horizon Europe eligible countries, including research infrastructures, modelling centres, data providers and relevant stakeholders, and proposals must follow Horizon Europe CSA and lump-sum rules.

Call: Bridging actions 2027 (HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-08)

Type: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) · Deadline: 16 Feb 2027 (17:00 Brussels time)

Footnotes

1. 1Horizon Europe coordination and support actions under this topic use the lump-sum funding model; see the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe for details: ec.europa.eu

Call and Administrative Summary

Scope and Required Outputs

The topic addresses the threat to continuity and access to essential climate data posed by geopolitical changes and shifts in science funding and data access policies. The action must address the aspects listed below and contribute to the topic expected outcomes.

Proposals must build on existing efforts, engage with national, European and international initiatives and stakeholders (for example the ENES modelling community), maintain regular consultation on data status and prepare concepts and actions to secure long-term operational solutions and resilience of ESGF in Europe and globally.

Expected Outcomes (must contribute to all)

Budget and Grant Modality

Eligible Applicant Types and Consortium Requirement

This Coordination and Support Action is open to legal entities established in eligible countries listed in Horizon Europe General Annex B. Indicative eligible applicant types include: universities, research institutes, national research organisations, pan-European research infrastructures, ERICs, international organisations, non-profit organisations and public bodies. Private sector organisations (including large enterprises and SMEs) may participate when they bring essential expertise, but CSAs typically are led by research organisations or consortia with operational responsibilities for research infrastructures or data systems. The action can exceptionally include legal entities established in low- to middle-income automatically eligible third countries as beneficiaries or affiliated entities where justified. The call allows participation of non-EU/associated countries under the rules in the Work Programme General Annexes. Consortium requirement: a consortium is expected. The topic foresees a single grant and is designed for multi‑stakeholder consortia (European-wide and international), including national research infrastructure operators, data node operators, modelling centres, climate service providers, storage/data centres, ESFRI or ERIC representatives, EOSC/EOSC-aligned actors, and representatives of user communities (IPCC/WCRP/ENES).

Beneficiary Geographic Scope

Funding Type and Nature of Support

Target Sectors, Themes and Technologies

Project Stage and Expected Maturity

The action targets organisational, operational, architectural and governance maturity rather than basic research TRL. Expected project work will advance preparedness, demonstrators, piloting of service interoperability, governance options and roadmaps towards long-term operational solutions for ESGF and climate data stewardship. Anticipated primary stages: gap analysis, concept development, architecture design, pilots and demonstration, governance design, stakeholder agreements, and pathways to operations.

Application, Evaluation and Award

Application Requirements and Templates

Applicants must use the Application Form in the Submission System. Follow Part B instructions on page limits and layout as set out in Annex A and E of the Work Programme General Annexes. Include: detailed work plan and work packages; stakeholder map (e.g. ENES modelling community, Copernicus, WMO, GCOS, ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF); plan for coordination with relevant Horizon projects and topics listed in the topic text; FAIR data plans; EOSC and ESFRI alignment; pilot service specifications; risk register; sustainability and financing plan; monitoring and KPIs; communication and dissemination plan; GDPR and data protection compliance; ethics self-assessment where relevant; and Letters of Support from key stakeholders and national nodes. If providing financial support to third parties (very limited and only where allowed by the call), include the separate Information on financial support to third parties template (if applicable). Use available templates for Certificates and any required annexes as specified by the Portal (e.g. detailed budget table for lump-sum projects where requested).

Evaluation Criteria and Scoring

The action is evaluated as a Horizon CSA. Award criteria are Excellence, Impact and Quality and efficiency of the implementation as described in General Annex D. For CSAs: thresholds typically 3/5 for each criterion and an overall threshold of 10/15 unless otherwise specified. Evaluation forms to be used: Standard evaluation form (HE CSA). For lump-sum topics, evaluators will also assess lump-sum budget estimations.

Co-funding, Financial Rules and Compliance

Risks and Mitigation

Key Partners and Stakeholders to Engage

Deliverables and Timescales (examples)

How to prepare a competitive proposal

References and Relevant Documents

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how would you explain it?

This Horizon Europe bridging call topic is a one-off Coordination and Support Action that asks consortia to address a major strategic need: secure the continuity and resilience of climate projection data and related observational records for European and global science and policy. The action must track global availability, identify gaps and geopolitical risks to data access, coordinate Europe-wide solutions for mitigating data access risks for IPCC and international assessments, and prepare robust technical, governance and financial roadmaps to strengthen and evolve ESGF in Europe and globally. The project must seek sustained national investments, explore options for expanding node networks and storage capacity, foster interoperability with EOSC and European Data Spaces, promote equity and inclusiveness for vulnerable countries, and pilot demonstrators for improved architecture and operational resilience. This is a high-impact, strategic coordination action aimed at ensuring that Europe retains and expands its leadership and sovereignty in climate data and that the global climate science community has resilient, FAIR access to the data needed for policy, assessments and public good.

Quick checklist for applicants

Opportunity summary

This is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action under the Bridging actions 2027 call, focused on strengthening the sustainability, resilience and long-term operational basis of climate projections, related data records and the Earth System Grid Federation, with an emphasis on European climate data sovereignty, global access and policy relevance for IPCC and UNFCCC processes.6 The topic is HORIZON-BRIDGING, with a planned opening date of 6 October 2026 and a deadline of 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.6

What the funding is about

The topic supports actions that protect continuous production, maintenance and open access to climate observations and projections, track risks and data gaps arising from geopolitical change, and coordinate Europe-wide responses to safeguard access to data needed for major climate science initiatives such as IPCC, WCRP, CMIP and CORDEX.6 It also aims to improve the resilience, governance, interoperability, service quality and operational sustainability of ESGF in Europe and globally, while aligning the resulting data and tools with FAIR principles and with European data and digital infrastructures such as EOSC, Copernicus, and relevant AI and HPC initiatives.6

Expected outcomes

The action is expected to strengthen EU climate data and infrastructure sovereignty, secure access to essential observation and modelling data for the European research community, improve delivery of climate information relevant for European and global climate policy, and reinforce ESGF resilience while laying foundations for a sustainable long-term operational solution.6

Who can apply

Eligibility snapshot

The topic is open under Horizon Europe rules for Coordination and Support Actions, with eligible countries defined by the Horizon Europe general annexes and programme guide.6 Non-EU and non-associated countries that are not automatically eligible may still participate where the programme allows, and low- to middle-income countries automatically eligible for Horizon Europe may exceptionally participate as beneficiary or affiliated entity in this CSA.6

Application relevance

The topic is aimed at consortia with strong climate science, data infrastructure, research infrastructure coordination, international policy interface and open science expertise, especially organisations able to connect scientific communities, data service providers and infrastructure stakeholders across Europe and internationally.6

Key application conditions

General conditions

The call is single-stage and uses the Horizon Europe lump sum grant model.6 Proposal page limits and layout follow the standard Horizon Europe application form instructions and the general annexes, while award and evaluation procedures follow the standard Horizon Europe rules and online manual.6

Other eligibility and compliance requirements

If satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation or timing data and services are used, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and or Galileo or EGNOS, although other data and services may also be used.6 The topic also expects strong international cooperation, regular consultation with relevant stakeholders, and coordination with related Horizon Europe projects to avoid duplication and maximise complementarities.6

Funding amount and budget

Budget overview

The indicative EU contribution for this topic is €5,000,000, with one grant expected.6 The topic sits within the Bridging actions 2027 call and is a CSA with a lump sum grant setup.6

Funding rate and cost model

Eligible costs take the form of a lump sum under the Horizon Europe lump sum decision and the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement.6 Because this is a lump sum action, the proposal budget is assessed through the lump sum framework rather than reimbursement of actual costs, and the call-specific budget table and lump sum guidance apply.6

Duration and timeline

Timeline

The topic is planned to open on 6 October 2026 and close on 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.6 The published material provided does not state a fixed project duration for this topic, so applicants should check the final call conditions and model grant agreement when the submission system opens.6

What applicants should pay attention to

Practical priorities

A strong proposal should show how it will monitor climate data availability and risks, coordinate European mitigation measures, support ESGF resilience and long-term sustainability, mobilise national investments and node expansion, and connect effectively with ENES, ESFRI, EOSC, Copernicus, WMO, GCOS, ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and relevant AI and HPC initiatives.6 It should also explain how FAIR principles will be applied in data and data management tools, and how the project will coordinate with closely related Horizon Europe projects to avoid overlap.6

Evaluation approach

Award criteria

For Horizon Europe CSA proposals, the standard evaluation structure assesses excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation, with a threshold of 3 for each criterion and an overall threshold of 10 out of 15 points.6 The evaluation forms provided for CSA topics confirm this scoring approach and require evaluators to assess the proposal as submitted.6

Additional applicant notes

The call documentation indicates that partner search is available and that the submission system opens on the planned opening date.6 Applicants should also review the Horizon Europe general annexes, the programme guide, and the lump sum guidance before submission.6

Footnotes

Official topic and budget details are available in the Horizon Europe Work Programme and related topic page for HORIZON-BRIDGING.6