Horizon Europe is structured into three pillars:

• Pillar I – Excellent Science: ERC, MSCA, Research Infrastructures
• Pillar II – Global Challenges & European Industrial Competitiveness: Thematic clusters (Health, Climate, Energy, Digital, Food, Mobility, Security)
• Pillar III – Innovative Europe: European Innovation Council (EIC), EIT

Together, these Horizon Europe programmes support research, innovation, and scale-up activities across sectors.

Horizon Europe funding is open to a wide range of organisations, including:

• Startups, SMEs, and large companies
• Universities and higher education institutions
• Research centres and technology organisations
• Public bodies, NGOs, and clusters
• International consortia (often mandatory for collaborative calls)

Eligibility depends on the specific call and action type.

The most common action types are:

• Research & Innovation Actions (RIA) – TRL 2–6
• Innovation Actions (IA) – TRL 6–8,
• Coordination & Support Actions (CSA) – non-R&D activities
• EIC instruments (Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator) under Pillar III

Each action has specific evaluation criteria, impact requirements, and funding rules.

Funding conditions under Horizon Europe depend on the type of action, the beneficiary, and the specific call, but they follow a common set of rules across the programme.

Funding rates:

• Research and Innovation Actions (RIA): Up to 100% of eligible costs for all beneficiaries.
• Innovation Actions (IA):
  • Up to 70% for for-profit entities
  • Up to 100% for non-profit organisations.
• Coordination and Support Actions (CSA): Up to 100% of eligible costs.
• ERC and MSCA actions: Typically up to 100% of eligible costs.

Eligible costs

Horizon Europe funds actual, eligible, and auditable costs, including:

• Personnel costs
• Subcontracting
• Equipment (depreciation)
• Travel and other direct costs
• 25% flat rate for indirect costs (over eligible direct costs, excluding subcontracting)

Project budgets

• Typical collaborative project budgets range from €3 million to €20+ million, depending on the call and scope.
• Funding is provided as a non-repayable grant (no equity, no loans under standard Horizon Europe actions).

Payment structure

• Pre-financing at project start
• Interim payments based on approved periodic reports
• Final payment after project completion and acceptance

• Calls are published under biennial Work Programmes
• Deadlines are fixed and non-extendable
• Preparation typically requires 6–12+ weeks, especially for consortia
• Competition is high, with success rates often below 15%

There is no single standard process, but Horizon Europe applications generally include:

1. Eligibility and strategic fit assessment
2. Programme and call positioning
3. Consortium creation and partner coordination (if required)
4. Proposal preparation and submission
5. Evaluation and Grant Agreement
6. Project implementation, reporting, and audits

All Horizon Europe proposals are evaluated against three core criteria:

1. Excellence
2. Impact
3. Quality and efficiency of the implementation

Highly competitive. Many calls have success rates below 10–15%, making proposal quality and strategy critical.

Eureka Eurostars is not a standalone Horizon Europe programme. It is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, which is implemented through the Eureka Network.

The partnership is co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and by national funding agencies, and Eurostars is the main funding instrument used to support collaborative R&D projects led by innovative SMEs.