CEF Energy launches EUR 600M call, EuroHPC backs AI Factories, and Horizon Europe Cluster 3 opens 20 topics

05 May 2026 · Strategic Funding Partners

Published 05 May 2026 · SFP Pulse · Weekly Research

> A major CEF Energy call, a EUR 25M EuroHPC AI Factories action, and 39 Horizon Europe and CERV openings reshape this week’s EU funding landscape.

This week brings a rare concentration of new openings and deadline pressure. A new EUR 600 million CEF Energy call is now live, EuroHPC has launched a single, high budget action to coordinate Europe’s AI Factories ecosystem, and Horizon Europe is entering one of its busiest opening windows of the year across security, buildings and batteries.

Top News

CEF Energy launches EUR 600 million call for cross border energy infrastructure projects

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Energy programme supports cross border projects that strengthen Europe’s energy networks. For applicants, it typically focuses on Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI), helping bring strategic infrastructure from planning through to delivery.

This week, CINEA launched a new CEF Energy call making EUR 600 million available to co finance studies and works for electricity, smart grids, hydrogen, CO2 networks and electrolysers. The call closes on 30 September 2026, and a virtual info day is planned for 18 May 2026.

For infrastructure developers, TSOs and project consortia, the significance is simple: this is one of the biggest near term pots of public funding for cross border energy assets, and it can de risk the early phases of complex projects. If you are preparing a PCI or PMI pipeline, this is a timely moment to align scope, maturity and cross border value with the call requirements.

Applicants that tend to be a strong fit include transmission system operators, infrastructure developers, public authorities and permitting bodies, hydrogen and CO2 network actors, and technology providers supporting feasibility and implementation.

SFP can help you assess whether your project qualifies as a PCI or PMI aligned action, pressure test the intervention logic and cross border impact case, and shape a compelling work plan and budget narrative before submission.

> ⚡ Programme: Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Energy > > Budget: EUR 600 million (shared across studies and works calls) > > Scope: Electricity, smart grids, hydrogen, CO2 networks and electrolysers > > Deadline: 30 September 2026 > > Info day: 18 May 2026 (virtual)

> Source: CINEA

EuroHPC JU launches EUR 25 million call to strengthen the European AI Factories ecosystem

EuroHPC JU funds and coordinates Europe’s high performance computing capacity and related innovation initiatives. In practice, its calls often target infrastructure plus the services, data and community building needed to turn compute into real world capability.

EuroHPC JU has launched HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COAIF-03, a single, large action with an indicative budget of EUR 25 million under a Research and Innovation Action. The call aims to coordinate AI Factories and AI Factory Antennas, connect AI Factory Data Labs, and develop EU open web data services, with a deadline of 23 June 2026.

This matters because it is not a typical multi topic call. It is effectively a one consortium coordination opportunity. For consortia able to lead or meaningfully partner, it is a chance to shape standards, interoperability and service design for the AI Factories ecosystem, influencing how researchers and innovators access compute and data at scale.

This call is most relevant for national or regional AI Factory hosts, HPC centres, research infrastructures, major research organisations, and service providers able to deliver cross border coordination, data services and stakeholder engagement.

SFP can support consortium building, positioning and role selection, and proposal strategy for a competitive, single winner environment where clarity of governance and delivery plan will be decisive.

> 🧠 Programme: Horizon Europe (EuroHPC JU) > > Call: HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COAIF-03 (AI Factories Cooperation) > > Budget: EUR 25 million (single indicative project) > > Deadline: 23 June 2026 > > Action type: Research and Innovation Action

> Source: EuroHPC JU

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 digital call closes with 250 proposals submitted

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 funds research and innovation in digital, industry and space. For applicants, Cluster 4 calls are often highly competitive, with strong demand from consortia across Europe and beyond.

HaDEA reported that the Cluster 4 call HORIZON-CL4-2026-05 closed on 15 April 2026 with 250 submitted proposals across three topics, spanning innovative advanced materials enabled sensing, next generation AI agents for real world applications, and agile and intelligent robotics platforms.

The practical takeaway is that competition remains intense in these areas. If you are planning to apply to upcoming digital or robotics topics, early consortium formation, a sharp role definition, and strong exploitation planning can be the difference between a credible and a top tier submission.

This update is most useful for research organisations, universities, deep tech SMEs, and industrial partners planning to bid into Cluster 4, particularly those building new consortia without prior track record.

SFP can help you interpret competitiveness signals from the call landscape, shape the narrative against the expected outcomes, and align partner roles, work packages and impact pathways ahead of submission.

> 📈 Programme: Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) > > Call: HORIZON-CL4-2026-05 > > What happened: 250 proposals submitted across 3 topics > > Why it matters: Clear signal of high competition in Cluster 4 digital topics

> Source: HaDEA

EIC 2026 Pathfinder grant ceiling increased to EUR 4 million per project

EIC Pathfinder supports early stage, high risk deep tech research. For many applicants, it is the flagship route to fund frontier ideas that are too early for market instruments but too ambitious for smaller research schemes.

The EIC confirmed that from 2026, Pathfinder grants can reach up to EUR 4 million per project, alongside process simplifications including shorter forms and a lump sum funding model. The Pathfinder Open deadline is 12 May 2026, with a total budget of EUR 166 million.

The key implication is that Pathfinder is becoming more attractive for ambitious consortia with higher cost experimental work packages. With the deadline close, teams that already have a credible consortium and concept should focus on crisp ambition, sound methodology and a realistic pathway to follow on investment.

This is most relevant for research organisations, universities and deep tech SMEs exploring breakthrough technologies, particularly in AI, materials, photonics, biotech and space.

SFP can provide last mile proposal review, positioning and clarity checks, and support to align excellence, impact and implementation narratives under the 2026 format.

> 🧪 Programme: European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder > > Max grant: Up to EUR 4 million per project > > Budget: EUR 166 million (Pathfinder Open) > > Deadline: 12 May 2026 > > Funding model: Lump sum

> Source: European Innovation Council

EU and the Committee of the Regions adopt a Joint Action Plan on regional research and innovation

Beyond calls and deadlines, policy signals shape how programmes are implemented on the ground. Regional and local authorities play a growing role in building innovation ecosystems and helping organisations access EU funding.

The European Commission and the Committee of the Regions have adopted a Joint Action Plan to strengthen the regional and local dimension of EU research and innovation policies. The plan focuses on building stronger local and regional innovation ecosystems, enabling green and digital transitions at local level, improving access to EU funding opportunities and supporting evidence based policymaking.

For innovation agencies, universities and ecosystem builders, the immediate value is direction of travel: more emphasis on place based ecosystems, better coordination between local priorities and Horizon Europe pathways, and more visibility for funding access support.

This is particularly relevant for regional development agencies, public bodies in Widening countries, clusters, and organisations delivering ecosystem services and policy support.

SFP can help authorities and ecosystem organisations translate this direction into practical pipelines, including opportunity scanning, stakeholder engagement and consortium building strategies aligned to EU priorities.

> 🏛️ Source: European Commission Press Corner > > Focus: Regional and local innovation ecosystems, green and digital transitions, access to EU funding

> Source: European Commission

EDPB opens consultation on processing personal data for scientific research

Data governance remains a practical barrier for many EU funded projects, especially in health, mobility and AI where personal data can be central to research and validation.

The European Data Protection Board has opened a public consultation on Guidelines 1/2026 covering the processing of personal data for scientific research purposes. The consultation runs from 16 April to 25 June 2026.

For research organisations and project coordinators, this is a chance to anticipate how expectations around lawful basis, safeguards, data minimisation and secondary use may evolve. It is also a reminder to treat ethics and data management as strategic parts of proposal and project design, not end of process compliance tasks.

Organisations that should pay particular attention include universities, hospitals, biobanks, AI developers working with sensitive datasets, and coordinators managing multi partner data sharing.

SFP can help teams structure data governance and compliance narratives for proposals, and support project stage planning for data management, ethics and stakeholder assurance.

> 🔒 Body: European Data Protection Board (EDPB) > > Consultation: Guidelines 1/2026 on processing personal data for scientific research > > Open: 16 April 2026 > > Closes: 25 June 2026

> Source: European Data Protection Board

Featured Calls

These are the most popular calls on Discovery this week. Get in touch if you would like to find out whether you could be a fit.

> 🛰️ HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-32 ⇢ Preparing demonstration missions for Earth Observation and Satellite telecommunication for Space solutions (Space Partnership > > Budget: €26,000,000 | Deadline: 3 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe | Status: Open > > Thematic Areas: Space, Digital / Telecommunications > > Fit signal: Satellite operators, Earth observation companies, telecoms innovators, space SMEs and research organisations preparing demonstration missions that combine EO and satcom capabilities for commercial or public sector space solutions.

> 🔋 HORIZON-CL5-2026-09-D2-01 ⇢ Producing battery grade materials for electrodes (BATT4EU Partnership) > > Budget: €28,300,000 | Deadline: 15 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe | Status: Open (opens Monday 5 May) > > Thematic Areas: Energy, Manufacturing / Industry 4.0 > > Fit signal: Battery materials companies, mining and refining operations, circular economy innovators, and advanced materials labs developing sustainable electrode production for lithium ion and next generation batteries.

> 🌾 HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06 ⇢ Boosting agrobiodiversity for food security and sustainable competitiveness > > Budget: €12,000,000 | Deadline: 17 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe | Status: Open (opened 17 April) > > Thematic Areas: Agri-food, Biodiversity / Environment > > Fit signal: Farmers and farmer cooperatives, agri-food SMEs, plant breeders, agroecology and biodiversity researchers, agribusinesses, food processors and policy actors testing diversified production systems, nature credits, and decision-support tools to improve resilience, farm incomes and market access.

Are you an innovation authority or funding body? Get your opportunities in front of an active community of organisations already tracking EU funding. We can tailor placement to your target countries, sectors, or applicant profile. Get in touch to find out more.

New Calls This Week

[9] new calls were added since the last SFP Pulse Edition. Highlights below.

CEF (Connecting Europe Facility):

CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-STUDIES ⇢ Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO2 networks - Studies Budget: €600,000,000 | Deadline: 30 Sep 2026

CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-WORKS ⇢ Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO2 networks - Works Budget: €600,000,000 | Deadline: 30 Sep 2026

CERV:

CERV-2026-CHAR-LITI-CHARTER ⇢ Raising awareness of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights Budget: €26,000,000 | Deadline: 15 Sep 2026

CERV-2026-CHAR-LITI-CIVIC ⇢ Promoting an enabling civic space Budget: €26,000,000 | Deadline: 15 Sep 2026

CERV-2026-CITIZENS-TOWN-TT ⇢ Town Twinning 2026 Budget: €6,000,000 | Deadline: 23 Sep 2026

EIC (European Innovation Council):

HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-ICAPITAL-01 ⇢ European Capital of Innovation Award (iCapital Category) Budget: €1,800,000 | Deadline: 4 Aug 2026

HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-ICAPITAL-02 ⇢ European Capital of Innovation Award (Rising Innovator Category) Budget: €1,800,000 | Deadline: 4 Aug 2026

Horizon Europe:

HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COAIF-03 ⇢ AI Factories Cooperation Budget: €25,000,000 | Deadline: 23 Jun 2026

HORIZON-JU-SNS-2026-FEM-STREAM-B-02 ⇢ Microelectronic - Front End Module (FEM) Budget: €14,000,000 | Deadline: 3 Sep 2026

> To view more of these calls, sign up to Discovery.

Calls Opening This Week

Horizon Europe is entering a busy opening window this week, with a large batch of security topics (Cluster 3) and a wide wave of climate, buildings, batteries and New European Bauhaus topics (Cluster 5 plus NEB). If you are forming a consortium, now is the moment to move from scouting to role confirmation and work package planning.

Horizon Europe (Cluster 5 + New European Bauhaus) - opens Tuesday 5 May:

HORIZON-CL5-2026-09-D2-01 ⇢ Battery-grade materials for electrodes (BATT4EU Partnership) Budget: €28,300,000 | Deadline: 15 Sep 2026

HORIZON-CL5-2026-09-D4-02 ⇢ Low disturbance prefabrication for deep renovation (Built4People Partnership) Budget: €28,000,000 | Deadline: 15 Sep 2026

HORIZON-CL5-2026-09-D4-08 ⇢ Heat upgrade solutions in industrial processes Budget: €18,000,000 | Deadline: 15 Sep 2026

HORIZON-NEB-2026-01-PARTICIPATION-01 ⇢ Housing-led approaches to homelessness (NEB) Budget: €12,600,000 | Deadline: 1 Dec 2026

12 more calls open this week. View them all on Discovery.

Horizon Europe (Cluster 3) + CERV - opens Wednesday 6 May:

HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-01 ⇢ Advanced border surveillance and situational awareness Budget: €12,000,000 | Deadline: 5 Nov 2026

HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-INFRA-01 ⇢ Tools and processes for stress tests of critical infrastructure Budget: €9,670,000 | Deadline: 5 Nov 2026

HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-DRS-03 ⇢ Search and rescue tools for hazardous conditions Budget: €8,000,000 | Deadline: 5 Nov 2026

CERV-2026-CITIZENS-TOWN-TT ⇢ Town Twinning 2026 Budget: €6,000,000 | Deadline: 23 Sep 2026

19 more calls open this week. View them all on Discovery.

Closing Soon

HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDEROPEN ⇢ EIC Pathfinder Open Tuesday 12 May 2026

HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04 ⇢ Clean Aviation (18 topics, shared budget) Tuesday 19 May 2026

DIGITAL-ECCC-2026-DEPLOY-CYBER-10-NCH ⇢ National Cyber Hubs Thursday 28 May 2026

ESF-2026-EURES-TMS ⇢ EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme Tuesday 26 May 2026

Call to Action

> 🚀 Explore EU funding on Discovery: strategicfundingpartners.eu/discovery > > Strategic Opportunities Report: If you would like a tailored report identifying the Horizon Europe opportunities best aligned with your strategy and capabilities, email info@strategicfundingpartners.eu