Transversal Centres of Excellence

This summary outlines a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, focusing on the establishment of Transversal Centres of Excellence (CoEs) designed to enhance the European High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. The initiative, titled HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-02, aims to create technical hubs that provide essential tools, expertise, and services to assist HPC application developers with various challenges across multiple sectors.

Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU member states and associated countries, and proposals must be submitted in consortia that balance participation from HPC specialists, domain experts, and private sector entities. The call encourages collaboration among various initiatives, including Community CoEs and Lighthouse Codes. The funding type is primarily through grants, with the total budget amounting to €60 million. Individual contributions for projects will vary depending on specific topics, with ranges from €1 million to €4 million.

The funding rate from the EU will cover up to 50% of eligible costs, thus applicants must co-fund the remaining amount. Proposals should specifically address areas such as application profiling, performance optimization, deployment, portability, and security within the HPC and AI framework. The timeline for submissions opens on June 10, 2025, and closes on January 20, 2026.

With an emphasis on enhancing interoperability, knowledge transfer, and training, the call seeks to streamline HPC application development and promote the use of new technologies. The objectives include improving efficiency and resilience while fostering collaboration across the European HPC landscape. The competitive nature of the call anticipates a limited number of grants will be awarded, highlighting the need for high-quality proposals.

In summary, the Transversal Centres of Excellence initiative aims to bridge existing gaps in the European HPC and AI ecosystem by providing comprehensive support and fostering partnerships aimed at advancing technological capabilities and driving innovation across various application domains.

This is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the establishment of Transversal Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to bolster the European High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. The call, titled HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-02, falls under the broader theme of HPC Centres of Excellence and HPC Lighthouse Codes (HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01). It aims to create technical hubs that provide critical expertise, tools, and services to support HPC application developers and advanced users in addressing cross-cutting challenges.

The primary objective is to enhance the performance and efficiency of HPC/AI applications through dedicated support, including performance assessments, optimization recommendations, proof-of-concept implementations, correctness-checking, energy-efficiency studies, and advisory services. The call also seeks to integrate tool development with user needs through feedback loops focusing on advanced profiling, debugging, and performance-tuning solutions, benefiting multiple application communities. Enhanced interoperability across the computing continuum, including cloud and HPC/AI environments, is another key goal, addressing security, data privacy, resilience, and energy efficiency. Furthermore, the call aims to increase knowledge transfer and skills development in HPC and AI integration through structured training programs. Stronger coordination and collaboration across the European HPC ecosystem are also expected, with CoEs serving as key enablers of knowledge exchange. Finally, the call aims to promote the uptake of new tools, technologies, methods, and processes by HPC application developers.

The scope of the call requires proposals to address a specific, well-defined transversal technical area supporting HPC application development. The focus should be on pooling European expertise and resources to provide technical assistance and services. Examples of cross-cutting domains include application profiling and performance optimization, application deployment and delivery, application portability, co-design, automated testing, data processing, resilience, security, and heterogeneous computing. The CoEs are expected to offer advanced training, collaborate with AI Factories and the EuroHPC Academy, and establish links with other EuroHPC initiatives. They will also play a coordination role, bridging activities between HPC software engineers, Lighthouse Code developers, and Community CoEs.

Consortia should include a balanced composition of partners, integrating HPC specialists and domain experts, with strong encouragement for private sector participation. Proposals should establish strong links with Community CoEs, Lighthouse Codes, and the Support Centre for HPC-powered AI Applications, engaging with national and EU-funded projects, and ensuring involvement in broader AI and HPC initiatives. Proposals should generally allocate at least 12 person months of resources for collaboration activities with other grants awarded under this call.

The call is a HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a budget-based HORIZON Action Grant. The submission deadline is January 20, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time, with a single-stage submission model. The opening date for submissions is June 10, 2025. The total budget for the call is 60,000,000 EUR, with individual contributions ranging from 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 EUR for HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-02, 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR for HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-01 and 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 EUR for HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-03. The indicative number of grants is 48.

Admissibility conditions include a 70-page limit for proposals, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Participation is limited to legal entities established in eligible countries. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D, while submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F.

Beneficiaries are subject to additional obligations regarding open science practices, including the coordinated provision of software and algorithms. Deliverables include a data management plan, a communication plan, and a plan for the dissemination and exploitation of results. Beneficiaries must disseminate training activities in collaboration with linked grants. The EU-funding rate for eligible costs will be up to 50%.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, along with standard evaluation forms. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and Model Grant Agreements (HE MGA and HE Unit MGA). Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 and various EU regulations and guidelines.

In summary, this call aims to establish centres of excellence that will act as technical hubs for HPC application developers across Europe. These centres will provide specialized support, training, and coordination to enhance the European HPC and AI ecosystem, streamline application development, and promote the adoption of best practices. The call encourages collaboration between academia, industry, and research institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced HPC and AI technologies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call targets legal entities established in eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Consortia should include a balanced composition of partners, integrating HPC specialists and domain experts with relevant technical expertise as appropriate. The participation of private sector entities is strongly encouraged.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-JU-RIA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Consortia should include a balanced composition of partners, integrating HPC specialists and domain experts with relevant technical expertise as appropriate.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Participation is limited to legal entities established in eligible countries described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe 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.

Target Sector: The program targets the High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) sectors. It focuses on strengthening the European HPC and AI ecosystem by providing expertise, tools, and services to support HPC application developers. Specific areas include application profiling, performance optimization, deployment, portability, co-design, data processing, interoperability, resilience, fault tolerance, security, data privacy, and energy-efficient computing.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but eligibility is limited to legal entities established in eligible countries described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This implies a focus on EU member states and associated countries, but specific details are found in Annex B.

Project Stage: The projects are expected to be in the research and innovation stage, focusing on enhancing existing HPC/AI applications and developing new tools and technologies. The call aims to support activities from development to validation and integration.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the call is EUR 60,000,000. Individual grants are expected to range from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000, depending on the specific topic:
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-01: EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-02: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,500,000
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-03: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 1,500,000

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call. The submission session opened on June 10, 2025, and the deadline for submission is January 20, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. The EU-funding rate for eligible costs will be up to 50% of the eligible costs.

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

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 48, but the success rate is not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: Yes, there is a co-funding requirement. The EU-funding rate for eligible costs will be up to 50% of the eligible costs, meaning the remaining costs must be covered by the beneficiaries or other sources.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the HPC Centres of Excellence and HPC Lighthouse Codes initiative, aims to establish Transversal Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to bolster the European HPC and AI ecosystem. The call seeks to enhance the performance, efficiency, and interoperability of HPC/AI applications by providing specialized technical support, advanced training, and fostering collaboration across the European HPC landscape. Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU member states and associated countries, forming consortia that integrate HPC specialists, domain experts, and private sector entities. The funding is provided through HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), with grants ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000, covering up to 50% of the eligible costs. Proposals must address specific transversal technical areas supporting HPC application development, such as application profiling, performance optimization, deployment, portability, co-design, data processing, resilience, and security. The call emphasizes collaboration with other initiatives, including Community CoEs, Lighthouse Codes, and the Support Centre for HPC-powered AI Applications, to maximize impact and knowledge transfer. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of January 20, 2026. The initiative aims to streamline software development, optimize performance, and facilitate the adoption of best practices, standards, and emerging HPC technologies across diverse scientific and industrial domains, ultimately strengthening Europe's position in the global HPC and AI landscape.