Filter Search for grants
Call Navigation
Call key data
Facilitated cooperation for AI in Science
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space
Call number
HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-62
deadlines
Opening
22.05.2025
Deadline
23.09.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 3,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 3,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The project should develop a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for AI in Science by mobilising large groups of domain and AI researchers in different fields to identify key long-term research challenges in a diverse range of scientific areas where AI can make a meaningful difference for scientific breakthroughs, which are compelling to the EU competitive, environmental and social policy agenda.
Call objectives
Artificial intelligence is a game-changer for science and innovation, and promises significant opportunities to boost the European competitive edge in R&I that need to be capitalised on. The aim of the CSA is to structure AI-enabled research in Europe and assess options towards optimising the ecosystem for AI in Science in Europe, through a Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda and assessing the potential for possible future R&I initiative(s), in line with the recommendations of the Scientific Advice Mechanism, and the European Commission President’s political guidelines, for the setting up of an AI Research Council.
The project should come up with pilot areas from across Horizon Europe Pillar II Clusters, building on Europe’s competitive advantages in science and AI technologies. The research challenges should be related to prediction and design problems in the different scientific fields identified that could be solved with AI.
The SRIA should also include areas where AI can improve generic scientific tasks e.g virtual research assistant / tools for literature-based discovery, for improving / enabling research workflows, lab automation and collaborative human-AI work in science. Research priority areas involving the use of models based on frugal AI, which are more compact, more efficient and less energy intensive, as well as human-centric and trustworthy AI for scientific work should also be explored.
read more
Expected effects and impacts
The project should build evidence and assess the needs and potential for R&I initiatives for AI in Science beyond the CSA, in an effort to identify ways to improve the EU landscape for support for AI in Science, to be discussed and agreed upon with the Commission and the Member States. The assessment should identify the ways for improving data access, infrastructure and support services, as well as skills and talent-related needs to boost the integration of AI in different fields of science at larger scale in Europe in research processes and lab automation, while promoting reproducibility, transparency and open science. It should also identify options for EU to better enable cooperative development and sharing of AI models for scientific discovery across different scientific fields. It should also take into account existing EU efforts to support access to data, research infrastructures, networks, HPC.
Different scenarios of R&I initiatives and infrastructure improvements should be prototyped together with a diverse range of users and stakeholders from the research community, industry, start-ups, civil society and policy-maker communities. Based on the feasibility test results, the project should develop a roadmap on the needed steps for a more effective coordination between the domain and AI scientific communities in Europe and the needed upgrades in service and infrastructure provision at EU level for the integration of AI in different scientific fields, including research processes engaging citizens and civil society, e.g. Citizen Science.
The proposals should also provide coordination and dissemination for interdisciplinary AI-enabled science to facilitate stakeholder engagement, coordination and promotion of AI in Science initiatives across Europe. The CSA should develop a website, organise awareness raising events for the benefits of AI in Science and create opportunities for exchanging on good practices.
Projects should build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives, funding programmes and platforms, in particular with EU-level initiatives such as EOSC,EuroHPC Joint Untedtaking, ESFRI, AI Factories, the EU AI, Data and Robotics Partnership, AI4EOSC the AI on Demand Platform and the GenAI4EU Central Hub.
read more
Expected results
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- Identify the long-term research challenges where AI can make a meaningful breakthrough contributing to EU’s competitive edge in selected scientific disciplines/areas, through a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.
- Provide evidence to structure the resources for AI in Science at European level, as a feasibility test towards potential R&I initiatives beyond the CSA that could optimise access to relevant data, infrastructure and talent across different scientific domains for more and better AI-enabled research.
- Coordinate, strengthen the network and raise awareness and a community of scientists, including citizen scientists, research organisations and stakeholders towards new paradigms of research with AI.
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 33 pages.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission system.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and SpaceHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space(kB)
Contact
To see more information about this call, you can register for free here
or log in with an existing account.
Log in
Register now