Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme: Draft Updates and What Applicants Need to Know

17 June 2026 · Strategic Funding Partners

Last updated: 17 June 2026. This is a living page: as the draft work programmes are amended, we will update it and revise this date.

The Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme was officially adopted in December 2025 (European Commission Decision C(2025) 8493). Since then, the Commission has circulated a series of draft documents proposing important changes across several parts of the programme. Between April and May 2026, four areas saw significant proposed updates: Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space), the General Annexes (the rules that govern every Horizon Europe call), the New European Bauhaus Facility, and the Horizontal Activities work programme.

If you are preparing a proposal, reviewing eligibility, or advising on Horizon Europe strategy, here is what is proposed and what it would mean for you.

> ⚠️ These are draft updates and have not yet been formally approved. Everything below is drawn from draft work programme documents circulated by the European Commission in April and May 2026. They were recently made available through Science Business's Horizon Papers library and require a formal amendment to the adopted work programme before they take legal effect, so the detail may still change. Always confirm against the official Horizon Europe work programmes before acting.

At a glance

• Cluster 4 (30 Apr 2026): Three quantum topics suspended and six quantum SGAs removed (€13.00M out of the 2026 Digital call), with the funding expected to move to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. The 2027 Industry calls open three weeks later (13 Oct, not 22 Sep).

• General Annexes (18 May 2026): China-control restrictions on Innovation Actions expand from four to ten critical technology areas; a new ownership and control guidance document becomes mandatory reading; a new "partial randomisation" evaluation option is introduced.

• New European Bauhaus Facility (13 May 2026): REGEN-03 (railway and motorway corridors, €11.00M) cancelled and replaced by REGEN-04 (circular construction enablers, €9.00M); a new NEB Academy support centre added.

• Horizontal Activities (18 May 2026): An entirely new €229.45M nature-positive and biodiversity call (HORIZON-NATURE-2027) and a new ~€193M Bridging Actions package (HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027).

• Cluster 6: No substantive changes.

The full detail of each change is set out below.

Cluster 4 Update (30 April 2026): Quantum Suspended, Industry Calls Delayed

Three Quantum Topics Suspended

The most significant change in the CL4 April 2026 draft is the suspension of three quantum technology topics from Call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04 (DIGITAL 2026):

These changes reduce the overall indicative budget of the DIGITAL 2026 call from €221.80M to €208.80M, a cut of €13.00M. The topics still appear in the draft call overview table but are explicitly marked "CANCELLED" with zero budget allocated.

Why have they been suspended? This is not a withdrawal of EU funding from quantum research. The change follows the adoption of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/150 of 16 January 2026, which amended the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking regulation to enlarge its mandate to encompass quantum technologies. As a result, these topics are expected to be relaunched under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), potentially opening for submission in the second half of 2026. The submission platform for the three topics has already been closed, applicants with proposals in progress have been individually notified, and a formal amendment to the work programme is foreseen for Q4 2026. In short, the topics are being moved rather than scrapped: anyone targeting them should now follow the EuroHPC JU work programme instead of the CL4 call.

Six Quantum Computing SGAs Removed

Linked directly to the topic cancellations, the entire Specific Grant Agreements (SGAs) section has been removed from the work programme. The Final WP contained six second SGAs under existing Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) for Quantum Computing platforms. All six are gone:

• Quantum Computing – 2nd SGA for Millenion FPA (trapped-ions)

• Quantum Computing – 2nd SGA for OpenSuperQPlus FPA (superconducting)

• Quantum Computing & Simulation – 2nd SGA for PASQuanS2 FPA

• Quantum Communication – 2nd SGA for QSNP FPA (quantum key distribution)

• Quantum Testing Infrastructure – 2nd SGA for Qu-Test FPA

• Quantum Experimental Pilot Lines – 2nd SGA for Qu-Pilot FPA

For organisations already in FPA relationships with the Commission on these quantum programmes, this is a material change: the expected second round of SGA funding no longer appears in the current work programme. As with the suspended topics above, this is consistent with the planned shift of quantum funding towards the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, though FPA partners should confirm the exact pathway directly with the Commission.

2027 Industry Calls: Opening Dates Pushed Back Three Weeks

All three 2027 INDUSTRY calls have had their opening dates moved from 22 September 2026 to 13 October 2026. Call deadlines remain unchanged, meaning applicants have three fewer weeks to review documentation, build consortia, and draft proposals.

Other Budget Adjustments

• HORIZON-CL4-2027-06 (INDUSTRY-FTRI): The Chemical Industry Action Plan topic (MAT-PROD-62) is reduced from €15.00M to €13.60M, cutting the overall FTRI call budget by €1.40M.

• MAT-PROD-44 (CL4-2026-01): The expected EU contribution per project is corrected from ~€3.00M to ~€2.50M (aligning it with the unchanged total topic budget of €2.50M).

One New Topic Added

One new topic is added to HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 (INDUSTRY 2027):

HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-50: European network for upscaling venture builders' roles in research performing organisations (CSA, €1.00M, ~1 project)

This supports strengthening the role of venture builders within research organisations across Europe, a potentially significant addition for RPOs and universities with commercialisation strategies.

General Annexes Update (18 May 2026): Major Expansion of China Restrictions and New Evaluation Rules

The General Annexes govern all Horizon Europe calls. The May 2026 draft introduces four changes, three of which relate to China/third-country eligibility and one of which introduces a new evaluation procedure.

1. New Mandatory Guidance on Ownership and Control Restrictions

The Introduction now directs all applicants to a new fourth reference document: "the guidance on Participation in EU calls with ownership and control restrictions."

Previously, applicants were directed to three documents: the Programme Guide, the Online Manual, and the AGA (Annotated Grant Agreement). This new guidance document has been inserted between the Online Manual and the AGA, with a footnote explaining that it "explains the requirements to be fulfilled by the applicants when applying in EU calls with ownership and control restrictions."

This is not a cosmetic change. It reflects the growing complexity of the ownership and control framework and signals that dedicated compliance guidance is now considered essential reading for all applicants, especially those in international consortia.

2. China RIA Restrictions: One New Eligible Destination Added

Annex B contains a list of work programme destinations where Chinese-established entities are permitted to participate in RIAs, as an exception to the general RIA exclusion for Chinese entities. The May 2026 draft adds one new entry to this list:

Horizontal Activities → Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society

This is an additive, relatively narrow change. Chinese entities that were previously excluded from this topic area can now participate in RIAs within this specific destination. All other RIA exclusions remain in place.

3. Critical Technology Areas for China-Controlled IA Entities: Expanded from 4 to 10

This is the most consequential change across both updates. Annex B restricts participation of entities controlled by China (rather than merely established there) in Innovation Actions (IAs) covering sensitive technology areas. The May 2026 draft substantially expands the scope of these restrictions.

Final WP, four critical technology areas:

1. Advanced semiconductors

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3. Quantum technologies

4. Biotechnologies

May 2026 Draft, ten critical technology areas (six new areas added):

1. Advanced semiconductors

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3. Quantum

4. Biotechnologies

5. Advanced connectivity, navigation and digital technologies (new)

6. Advanced sensing (new)

7. Space & propulsion (new)

8. Energy (new)

9. Robotics and autonomous systems (new)

10. Advanced materials, manufacturing and recycling technologies (new)

The justification text has also been revised. The Final WP expressed concern about Chinese participation "particularly those related to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnologies and quantum technologies." The May 2026 draft replaces this with the broader formulation: "innovation actions focusing on the development of those technology areas identified as critical for the EU's economic security". This broader language aligns with the full 10-area list drawn from Commission Recommendation 2023/2113 of 3 October 2023.

What this means in practice: Any Innovation Action falling within one of the six newly added technology areas is now subject to the same China-control eligibility restriction that previously applied only to semiconductors, AI, quantum, and biotech. Any entity established in an EU Member State, Associated Country, or eligible third country that is directly or indirectly controlled by a Chinese entity or a legal entity established in China will not be eligible to participate in such IAs, where the specific call conditions invoke this restriction.

The six new areas span some of the most active R&I domains in Horizon Europe. Organisations in energy, space technology, advanced manufacturing, robotics, connectivity, and sensing sectors should urgently screen their consortia and corporate structures before applying to Innovation Actions in these fields.

4. New Evaluation Option: Partial Randomisation

Annex F (Procedure) introduces a new evaluation mechanism:

> "Partial randomisation – Where specified in the conditions of the relevant call or topic evaluation procedure, the topic may be subject to 'partial randomisation' selection, following a specific evaluation procedure deviating from the general conditions described above."

This provision does not automatically apply to any call; it must be explicitly invoked in the specific call or topic conditions. Partial randomisation is typically used to select among proposals that all exceed the quality threshold but cannot all be funded due to budget limits: a lottery element is introduced among equally-ranked fundable proposals to improve fairness and reduce evaluator workload. Applicants should check specific call conditions for any reference to this procedure, particularly in heavily oversubscribed topic areas.

New European Bauhaus Facility Update (13 May 2026): Topic Cancelled, New Topic, New Academy Action

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility (Part 13 of the Work Programme, 85 pages in the Final WP) has also been updated in May 2026. All changes are confined to the 2027 call (HORIZON-NEB-2027-01) and the Other Actions section. The 2026 call and the joint NEB-Soil Deal call are entirely unchanged.

REGEN-03 Cancelled: Railway and Motorway Corridor Topic Dropped

HORIZON-NEB-2027-01-REGEN-03 (Revitalising neighbourhoods around existing railway and motorway corridors) is explicitly marked "TO BE CANCELLED" in the May 2026 draft. In the Final WP this was an Innovation Action carrying a budget of €11.00M (approximately 2 projects at €5.50M each).

This topic, which focused on transforming underused land and neighbourhoods flanking major transport infrastructure, was somewhat atypical within the NEB Facility's broader neighbourhood-transformation remit. Its removal rebalances Destination 2 (Circular and regenerative approaches for the built environment) towards topics more squarely concerned with construction materials, renovation, and circular design.

New Topic REGEN-04: Enabling Environments for a Sustainable and Circular Construction Sector

A new topic is introduced in Destination 2 of the 2027 call to replace REGEN-03:

HORIZON-NEB-2027-01-REGEN-04 (Enabling environments for a sustainable and circular construction sector): €9.00M, Innovation Action, approximately 2 projects (around €4.50M per project).

Rather than demonstrating specific physical interventions in individual neighbourhoods, this topic addresses the systemic conditions (policy frameworks, market incentives, regulatory environments, and skills) that must be in place for sustainable and circular construction to scale across the EU. It sits naturally alongside the EU's Circular Economy Act, Clean Industrial Deal, and Renovation Wave, and broadens the pool of eligible applicants beyond neighbourhood-level practitioners to include actors working at sectoral and policy levels within the construction ecosystem.

Net budget impact: HORIZON-NEB-2027-01 overall indicative budget falls from €93.76M (Final WP) to €91.76M (May 2026 draft), a reduction of €2.00M, reflecting the gap between the cancelled €11.00M REGEN-03 and the new €9.00M REGEN-04.

New Other Action: The NEB Academy Coordination and Support Center

The draft adds a fifth Other Action to the NEB Facility: "The NEB Academy Coordination and Support Center." The NEB Academy supports education, capacity-building, and skills development in line with NEB values across Europe. The new coordination centre joins the existing four Other Actions (two Commission expert groups, the NEB R&I and NCPs support mechanism, and the NEB Hub Phase II) in the non-call implementation infrastructure of the NEB Facility.

What Is Unchanged in NEB

The 2026 call (HORIZON-NEB-2026-01) is entirely unchanged: all nine topics, budgets (€101.10M total), call opening (05 May 2026), and deadline (01 Dec 2026) remain identical to the Final WP. The joint NEB-Soil Deal call (HORIZON-NEB-2027-02, €15.00M) is also unchanged.

Horizontal Activities Update (18 May 2026): New €229M Nature-Positive Call and Bridging Actions

The Horizontal Activities Work Programme (Part 14) has been comprehensively updated on 18 May 2026, expanding from 39 pages to 145 pages. The most significant change is the introduction of an entirely new €229.45M call for "Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society": a biodiversity and nature restoration call with no equivalent in the Final WP. A second entirely new call package, Bridging Actions (~€193M), is also introduced.

The Nature-Positive Call: Entirely New to Horizontal Activities

The Final WP Part 14 contained only three call packages: R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal (CID), AI in Science (RAISE), and RAISE Doctoral Networks. There was no biodiversity or nature-positive call at all. The May 2026 update adds the HORIZON-NATURE-2027 series: four sub-calls with eleven topics totalling €229.45M.

An earlier partial draft (circulated as the "Biodiversity call first draft") had introduced ten topics with placeholder "XXX" identifiers and no budgets. Between that draft and the May 2026 finalisation, the call identifier was confirmed as "NATURE", the structure was reorganised into four sub-calls, two new topics were added, and one topic was dropped.

The largest single topic is HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02-02: Living labs co-creating solutions for ecosystem restoration at €60.00M (~6 projects at €10M each). The ocean topic (HORIZON-NATURE-2027-04-01) receives €50.00M for a single project; the May 2026 draft explicitly frames it as a response to "reduced engagement by key international partners" in global ocean observing, and asks proposals to prefer European technology providers.

Two Topics Added vs Earlier Draft

HORIZON-NATURE-2027-01-01: Effects of PFAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services (RIA, €11.45M, ~2 projects): Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are persistent pollutants with wide biodiversity impacts. This topic was absent from the earlier partial draft and reflects the growing EU policy push on PFAS.

HORIZON-NATURE-2027-04-02: Detection, monitoring and attribution capabilities for Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) activities (RIA, €10.00M, 1 project): SRM refers to interventions that reflect sunlight to reduce warming. The topic's scope is monitoring and attribution of SRM's climate and ecosystem impacts, not deployment. Its appearance in an EC work programme is significant; it is the only SRM-focused topic in the 2026–2027 Work Programme.

One Topic Dropped vs Earlier Draft

The topic "Championing the case for nature protection and restoration" (a Coordinated and Support Action focused on biodiversity communications, outreach, and countering misinformation) does not appear in the May 2026 draft. It was present in the earlier partial draft.

New Call Package: Bridging Actions (~€193M)

The May 2026 draft also introduces HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027, five sub-calls focused on translating Horizon Europe R&I results towards market and societal uptake (~€193M total). Key topics include the Skills Bridging Action (€30M CSA, ~130 small projects at €0.15–0.30M each), Valorising Horizon results via innovation ecosystems (€20M RIA), Advancing Pillar II results through the innovation journey (€32.50M IA), and several AI deployment "Apply AI" actions: EU AI Media Platform (€10M IA), Autonomous Drive Ambition Cities (€15M IA), and EU Frontier AI Initiative for advanced high-performance AI models (€15M RIA). Three genomics and protein database sustainability actions are included as Other Actions under this call.

Minor Change: RAISE-2027-01 Budget Reduction

The pre-existing HORIZON-RAISE-2027-01 (Automated Scientific Discovery) call has its budget reduced from €32.00M to €29.50M (−€2.50M) in the May 2026 draft, with the opening date moved from 22 September to 13 October 2026. All other CID and RAISE calls are unchanged.

What About Cluster 6?

The Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment) April 2026 draft shows no substantive changes. All call topics, budgets, opening dates, and deadlines are identical to the Final WP. The only identified difference is a minor renaming under Other Actions: "Green Transition Support Office" becomes "Green Transition Support Services." No action is required by CL6 applicants.

Summary and Action Points

Key actions for applicants and advisors:

1. Quantum / CL4 FPA partners: The suspended topics and the six quantum SGAs are expected to move to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking following Council Regulation (EU) 2026/150. Monitor the EuroHPC JU work programme and website for the relaunched topics, which may open in the second half of 2026, and confirm the status of any second-SGA pathway under your existing Quantum FPA with the Commission or CINEA.

2. Innovation Action applicants in energy, space, robotics, advanced materials, connectivity, or sensing: Screen your consortium now for entities controlled by China. Where specific call conditions invoke the Article 22(5) restriction, Chinese-controlled entities will be ineligible.

3. All applicants in international consortia: Read the new guidance on participation with ownership and control restrictions before submitting proposals.

4. 2027 Industry call applicants: Revise your timeline: calls open 13 October 2026, not 22 September.

5. All applicants: Check individual call conditions for any invocation of the partial randomisation evaluation procedure.

6. NEB Facility applicants targeting the 2027 call: Note that REGEN-03 (railway/motorway corridors, €11M) is cancelled and replaced by REGEN-04 (enabling environments for circular construction, €9M). Review REGEN-04 topic conditions if your work addresses sectoral or systemic enablers in the construction sector.

7. Nature-positive / Biodiversity applicants: A new €229.45M envelope (HORIZON-NATURE-2027) is available under Horizontal Activities. Four sub-calls run to deadlines in January and February 2027 (14 Jan 2027 for NATURE-01 and 02, 16 Feb 2027 for NATURE-04), except One Health (NATURE-03), which closes later on 16 September 2027. Topics cover living labs for ecosystem restoration (€60M), ocean observing (€50M), One Health (€20M), clean/digital industry biodiversity impacts (€18M), biodiversity monitoring (€16M), wildlife trafficking (€13M), PFAS (€11.45M), systemic approaches (€12M), and Solar Radiation Modification monitoring (€10M). Note that this call destination permits RIA participation by Chinese-established entities per the General Annexes update. Also review HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027 for topics on translating R&I results towards market and skills development.

These changes are based on the European Commission's 30 April 2026 (Cluster 4), 13 May 2026 (New European Bauhaus Facility), and 18 May 2026 (General Annexes and Horizontal Activities) draft work programme updates, made available via Science Business's Horizon Papers. For the official, final versions, see the European Commission's Horizon Europe work programmes page. Always consult the official call documentation before submission.