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Horizon Europe for UK businesses: you can still apply, and how to win

The UK has been in Horizon Europe since 1 January 2024. Three ways in, how bids are scored, and the North West winners already paid by the EU.

FoundersSMEsCharitiesResearchersFreelancers19 min readChecked 26 October 2026
On this page
  1. North West organisations the EU already pays
  2. The facts, with dates
  3. The numbers, honestly
  4. Three ways in, easiest first
    1. 1. Cascade calls: small grants, short forms
    2. 2. Join a consortium as a funded partner
    3. 3. Lead a bid, or go for the EIC
  5. How proposals are judged
    1. What changed in 2026-27 (older advice is now wrong)
  6. What makes winning proposals win
    1. Answer every expected outcome, in the topic's order
    2. Give every objective its own measure
    3. Cut the plan to what you can deliver, and name the difficulties
    4. Build the team before the bid, and show it
  7. Free help in the UK and the North West
  8. Watch-outs
  9. Checklist
  10. Questions
    1. Can UK companies apply for Horizon Europe after Brexit?
    2. What is cascade funding?
    3. How do I find partners for a Horizon Europe bid?
    4. Can a sole trader or freelancer get Horizon Europe funding?
    5. How long does it take to get Horizon Europe money?
    6. Can I use AI to write a Horizon Europe proposal?
    7. Can UK organisations apply for Erasmus+ again?
  11. Sources

Brexit did not shut you out. Since 1 January 2024 the UK has been associated to Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme: UK firms, charities, freelancers and universities apply on the same terms as EU ones and are paid by the European Commission. Only the EIC Fund's equity and a handful of topics are closed.111

On 26 October 2026, 86 of 93 open Horizon Europe topics had no rule shutting out the UK, nor did any of the 41 open cascade calls on the EU portal.10 One takes founders with no company yet: EIT Culture & Creativity's Spark, up to €30,000, UK included, closes 16 November 2026.37 Bearings lists them all, small calls first: open EU calls.

  • You can apply, paid by the Commission: the UKRI Guarantee closed on 27 November 2025.13
  • Easiest door: cascade calls, "normally up to EUR 60 000 per recipient", often a short form; some fund individuals.7
  • Second door: a funded partner role. Three North West creative organisations won €182,375 to €456,960 each from 2024 calls.414243
  • Scoring: 0 to 5 on three criteria, pass at 10 of 15, but "around 70% of proposals rated high enough for funding could not be financed". Aim for 14.120
  • Odds: 14% programme-wide (2021 to 2025); one creative cascade call 28%.2029
  • Free help: National Contact Points (NCPs), a new UKRI Horizon Europe website from 2 November 2026, and up to £5,000 for Cluster 4 bids until 2 February 2027.7071

North West organisations the EU already pays

Technovative Solutions, Manchester: from one consultant to coordinating a €5m project

Technovative "began life in 2012 as a one-person consultancy founded by materials scientist Dr Fahim Chowdhury" and now "employs around 150 people". After 11 Guarantee-backed grants, it has 12 projects paid directly by the EU (starts October 2024 to November 2026), worth €7.6m to it (our count of CORDIS data).3840 It coordinates EcoPlast, a circularity platform for automotive plastics: 18 participants in three countries, €5.0m, €577,500 to Technovative, June 2025 to May 2028.39

Chief operating officer Dr Tamanna Khan: "You can't achieve everything inside one organisation." On the odds: "For every successful bid, there are three that do not make it." The advice: "Do not chase the funding, chase the problem you want to solve. The partnerships will follow."38

Why it won: not published. A decade of joint projects is what evaluators score as "Capacity and role of each participant".1

Three North West creative organisations, paid directly from 2024 calls

  • Salsa Sound, Manchester (audio-AI SME): €309,814 in AMPLIFY, AI and XR tools for music, led by Vicomtech in Spain, November 2024 to October 2027.41
  • Zecora Ura Theatre (ZU-UK), registered in Bootle according to CORDIS: €456,960 in Larpocracy, live-action role-play for democratic deliberation, led by Uppsala University, 2025 to 2027.42
  • In Place of War, Manchester (charity): €182,375 in INTRACOMP, participatory arts with displaced young people, led by Nord University, Norway. "In Place of War leads on co-creative community interventions".43

Why they won: not published. Each brings a capability the coordinator lacks: the "valid role" evaluators look for.6

In the North West, by our count

Since 1 January 2024: 254 North West participations, about €136.5m; 18 North West SMEs funded; 14 collaborative projects led from the region, one by an SME (our count of CORDIS open data, October 2026; not an official statistic).40

The facts, with dates

What people believe The fact When
"It's the UKRI Guarantee" It covered 2021 to 2023 calls and closed on 27 November 2025. Now UK applicants "are eligible to receive funding directly from the European Commission"1312 Work Programmes 2024 to 2027
"Quantum, space and AI are closed to us" UK access to restricted topics is recorded for the 2025 and 2026-27 Work Programmes. Seven open topics excluded the UK: six EuroHPC, one for "Widening countries"1410 26 October 2026
"It's for universities, and you must lead ten partners" "Any legal entity" can take part; 907 projects involved a UK SME. The minimum is three organisations in three countries, and partners don't lead116 9 January 2026

EU programmes are not one club. Check which one a call belongs to.

Programme UK status Source
Horizon Europe (EIT, EIC grants, MSCA, ERC) Associated from 1 January 2024 (deal of 7 September 2023); EIC equity excluded General Annexes, 29 September 2026115
Erasmus+ UK organisations can join "any kind of Erasmus+ projects funded in 2027" (announced 15 April 2026); the call is expected in autumn 2026 European Commission, 5 May 202617
Creative Europe Out: the UK chose "to end UK participation" during Brexit Scottish Government, 27 March 202518
Digital Europe Not on the Commission's list of participating countries List V7.0, 1 December 202519

The numbers, honestly

  • 14.0% UK proposals, 2024, after a 19.6% peak in 202221
  • 38.9% vs 5.5% UK in 38.9% of eligible Cluster 2 (culture and creativity) proposals in 2024, but 5.5% of its funding21

That gap is your opening: UK organisations are in nearly four in ten culture and creativity bids yet take about one euro in eighteen, so bigger partner roles and UK-led bids have room to grow (our reading).21

By route (funders count differently, so compare roughly):20222324262932

Success rates by route (latest published)
EIT Culture & Creativity accelerators, cohort 2, 202528%37 of 130, cascade
NGI Zero via NLnet, lifetime to June 202614%about 1,215 of 8,500, cascade
Horizon Europe overall, 2021 to 202514%Commission report
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, 20259.6%1,610 of 17,066
EIC Accelerator full proposals, Oct 20245.9%71 of 1,211
EIC Pathfinder Challenges, 20254.6%30 of 647
Women TechEU call 4, 20253.6%40 of 1,107, cascade

Even at under 4%, the UK took 9 of 40 Women TechEU awards in July 2025, the most of any country.25

Three ways in, easiest first

Ranges from the calls and CORDIS records cited below:733394456

Three ways in, easiest first
  1. Cascade call€5,000 to €60,000 typical, up to €400,000 on a few topics; short form; some for individuals
  2. Funded partnera defined slice of a consortium: €50,000 to €500,000 in the examples here
  3. Lead, or the EICcoordinate three or more countries; EIC Accelerator grants below €2.5m (no equity for UK firms)

1. Cascade calls: small grants, short forms

Cascade funding, or financial support to third parties (FSTP), is EU money a funded project passes on through its own calls. Recipients "are NOT party to the Grant Agreement". The cap is "normally up to EUR 60 000 per recipient, but higher amounts are possible" (a few Cluster 4 topics allow €150,000 to €400,000), and support "may be given to natural persons": freelancers and artists can win where a call allows.72

What Rule or example
Where listed EU portal filter "Calls for funding in cascade (issued by funded projects)"; Bearings cards9
Open for At least two months1
Time to apply NLnet: "less than an hour", for grants "between 5.000 and 50.000 euro"33
Who judges EIT Culture & Creativity 2025: "two external experts and one internal expert", pass at "13 out of 25", then a pitch30
Payment Often by milestone: NLnet's grant "is not paid out up front"33
Red flag Projects may not charge you "membership fees" or "participation fees"8
Rules "NOT harmonised and may be very different from call to call": check countries, company status, licence (NLnet software must be open source)834

Live now: EIT Culture & Creativity Spark (closes 16 November 2026)

Up to €30,000 and a nine-month incubation for creative-tech founders in fashion or architecture who "do not yet have a registered company" and are "already testing, building or validating your concept"; register one by month 3. UK founders qualify: "this includes the UK".37 Also live: Women TechEU (€75,000, UK included; next full-proposal deadline 14 January 2027, eligibility check at least three weeks before) and NLnet (next deadline 3 November 2026).2834

Check UK eligibility. "Horizon Europe Associated Countries" includes the UK; "Member States" alone does not. Watch for local-footprint rules: HERIFORGE's €50,000 heritage XR call took outsiders only with a "local footprint" in Cyprus, Poland or Türkiye.10 If the call doesn't say, ask its helpdesk in writing.

University of Manchester, AI4Media: €49,565 for a question UK councils wouldn't fund

A Manchester team won €49,565 (one of 10 from 60 proposals) in a Horizon 2020 cascade call for AI-written explanations of why a claim is true or false, built on Full Fact's fact-checks (2022 to 2023). It was "a research question that we were passionate about and were struggling to get funded through UK councils". Their lesson: "You can never plan ahead enough!"31 Why it won: not published; it fitted the call's theme with a named data partner.

What cascade evaluators score

Small calls read like investors. Women TechEU (2024 rules) scores "How critical this grant is for the company" and whether the woman founder "is the decision-maker"; "The video pitch cannot exceed three minutes", and a phone will do.27 NLnet wants "a breakdown clarifying how the requested budget would be used", "in your own words": "We are not interested in AI-generated projects or proposals."35

2. Join a consortium as a funded partner

Most North West wins are partner roles: €50,000 to €500,000 for one job, such as a demonstration site, a technology module, community work or doctoral training (our reading).44414345

Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Wright Farm Produce, Preston: PALUS DEMOS (2025 to 2029)

A €10m demonstration of wetter farming on peat, led by the University of Galway, with nine UK partners paid directly. The Trust (€420,165) runs demonstration sites and monitors greenhouse gases, including a six-hectare bulrush trial in Greater Manchester; Wright Farm Produce (€52,063) is trialling sphagnum moss on four hectares. Why they won: not published; the project builds on trials the Trust was already running, so it arrived with sites and data.44

Notpla, London: a £700 travel award, an info day, then leading a €4.04m project

Notpla was one of ten firms given an Innovate UK Business Connect travel award (up to £700) for a CBE JU info day in Brussels, 23 April 2024. Notpla's Zaid Moosa: "I made some great connections at the event which led us to join … a consortium applying for one of the 2024 CBE JU Calls for Proposals."47 Notpla now coordinates NO-PLASTI-CUPS (from October 2025, €4.04m, €708,878 to Notpla) with "a consortium of 14 great partners".48 The sources don't say which bid grew from the info day: read it as "after", not "because of".

Stryker Design, an Oxford SME, used its award to "build a consortium and submit our first Horizon proposal in 2024"; its one Horizon Europe project in CORDIS is a €76,825 role in Manchester's EcoPlast.4739

Why coordinators need you. Evaluators ask: "Is there industrial/commercial involvement in the project to ensure exploitation of the results?"6 In 129 evaluation reports, missing industry involvement drew "more harsh critique" than gaps in gender or open science.49 A small firm that will use the results is a scoring asset. Say so.

How to get found What it is Next date
EU portal partner search Each topic page lists "organisations that have expressed an interest in collaborating"51 Ongoing
Cluster 2 Community Platform Profiles, meetings and a "Pre-Proposal Check with Horizon Europe evaluators and NCPs"52 Online brokerage 1 December 2026
Industry 2027 brokerage (Cluster 4) Pitching and matchmaking53 Register by 29 January 2027
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) UK access to its partnership database "has now resumed"54 Ongoing

Send coordinators one page, not a brochure:

PARTNER PITCH: [Your organisation], [town], UK  (one page)
Topic: [HORIZON-CL2-2027-...] "[topic title]"   Deadline: [date]

1. The expected outcome we help deliver (quote the topic):
   "[expected outcome n]" -> we deliver it by [one sentence].
2. Our role in one line: [pilot site / technology module / community and
   user work / exploitation and market route / doctoral host]
3. Proof we can do it: [2-3 results with numbers and dates: users,
   venues, trials, sales, past projects]
4. What we would use after the project (exploitation): [product, service,
   licence, venue programme]; first customers or users: [named]
5. Effort and budget we expect: [person-months] / [EUR amount], in WP[x]
6. Eligibility: UK, associated to Horizon Europe since 1 January 2024;
   PIC [number or "registering"]; SME [yes/no]
7. Contact: [name, role, email, phone]; available for a call on [dates]

3. Lead a bid, or go for the EIC

North West coordinators since 2024 include the University of Liverpool (ROBUSTIFAI, €7.36m, 12 countries) and one SME, Technovative, which was a partner first. So partner, then lead.4046

The European Innovation Council (EIC) lets a single UK company apply alone. UK terms in 2026:56

EIC scheme UK terms 2026 dates
Accelerator Grant only, below €2.5m, for TRL 6 to 8 (technology readiness level). "Equity funding is not available to any UK applicants." See KTP and the EIC Last full-proposal cut-off 4 November 2026
Pathfinder Challenges Single applicants allowed, "including UK applicants"; 4.6% funded in 202524 Closes 28 October 2026
Pathfinder Open; Transition Open: UK "as part of a 3-country consortium", up to €4m. Transition: "only if you have already carried out a Horizon-funded project" 2026 rounds closed

Is your business an EIC business?

The Dutch NCP's red flags (May 2025) include "Government as main customer" and "Most software-only projects have a low chance of success".57 Software-only creative firms usually do better with cascade calls, partner roles or Innovate UK. A 2025 winner: "The jury interview is an investment pitch, not a PhD viva."58

How proposals are judged

Research and innovation actions (RIA) and innovation actions (IA) are scored on three criteria:1

Criterion What is scored (quoted) Pass mark
Excellence "Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives, and the extent to which the proposed work is ambitious, and goes beyond the state of the art"; "Soundness of the proposed methodology", including gender and open science 3 of 5
Impact "Credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts specified in the work programme"; the dissemination, exploitation and communication measures 3 of 5
Implementation "Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, assessment of risks, and appropriateness of the effort assigned to work packages"; "Capacity and role of each participant" 3 of 5
Total The sum; Innovation Actions weight Impact 1.5 for ranking only 10 of 15

Scores run 0 to 5 in half marks. A 3 is "Good. The proposal addresses the criterion well, but a number of shortcomings are present"; a 5 "successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor."4 With about 70% of fundable proposals unfunded, aim for 14: no shortcoming an evaluator can name.20

The rule Work Programme 2026-27
Page limit 40 pages for a full RIA or IA (45 with lump sums); 10 for a first stage. "excess pages will be automatically made invisible"1
Two-stage calls Stage 1 scores Excellence and Impact only, 4 each to pass; the overall cut is "expected normally to be set at 8 or 8.5"1
Lump sums "50% of the call budget"; you need "a detailed budget table"31
Funding rates RIA 100%; IA 70%, non-profits up to 100%; plus 25% flat-rate indirect costs1
No fixing later "Applications must be evaluated as they were submitted, NOT on their potential if certain changes were made."4

What the evaluator is told to ask

Of objectives: "Are they clear and pertinent to the topic?" "Are they measurable and verifiable?" "Are they realistically achievable?" Of partners: "Does each of them have a valid role, and adequate resources in the project to fulfil that role". And proposals "with resources being seriously over-estimated must not receive above-threshold scores".6

What changed in 2026-27 (older advice is now wrong)

From the experts' briefing V14.0 and the application form V5.1:65

Older advice Now
"Show the scale and significance of your impact" "Scale and significance of contributions are no longer considered" from WP2026/7; still give "quantified estimates where possible and meaningful"
"Never admit to using AI" You "may use generative AI tools" and must disclose them; evaluators may not treat that use "as a reason to penalise a proposal"
"Lead with your track record" Two-stage first stages are blind by default: name your organisation, logo or staff in Part B or the abstract and the proposal is inadmissible
"Fill every page" "Please, do not consider the page limit as a target!"

What makes winning proposals win

Evaluation reports are confidential, so each rule below rests on a published winning proposal or evaluator comments.

Answer every expected outcome, in the topic's order

Missing the topic's expected outcomes was the top shortcoming in CBE JU's 2023 call.50 The best public model is Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE), a €17m winner with the University of Manchester as a partner, which published its proposal in 2026. It takes each topic line in turn: "EC Topic Objective 5: Pan-European barcoding of pollinators… How we respond: We perform a gap analysis and subsequently build a high-quality, well-curated reference library for European pollinators". And: "Our Milestones are purposefully drafted to monitor progress across these KPIs."59 Its follow-on, BGE+ (€148,584 to Manchester), gives each objective "What we will do", "How we address Topic expectations" and "KPIs".60

Mirror the topic without parroting it: "Don't paraphrase the Work Programme. Translate it into your proposal."55

EXPECTED OUTCOMES: HOW WE RESPOND   Topic: [HORIZON-CL2-2027-...]

Expected outcome | How we respond     | Result, and KPI     | WP, deliverable, | Who uses it after
(quote the topic)| (what we will do)  | (measured by...)    | month            | the project, and how
-----------------|--------------------|---------------------|------------------|---------------------
EO1 "..."        | [one or two lines] | [result]; [number]  | WP3, D3.2, M24   | [named user group or
                 |                    | by M30, measured by |                  | partner], [route]
                 |                    | [method]            |                  |
EO2 "..."        | ...                | ...                 | ...              | ...
Barriers         | [market, rules, behaviour that could block uptake] -> [mitigation, WP]

Give every objective its own measure

SYNTHESYS+, a Horizon 2020 bid led by the Natural History Museum in London, "scored 14.5 of a possible 15 points". Every objective ends with its yardstick in brackets.61

Weak: what evaluators wrote (real comments, Horizon 2020 reports)

Objectives "remain too general and not very concrete"; "there are no indications on how to measure their achievement"; impacts are "described in a rather generic way".62

Strong: SYNTHESYS+, 14.5 of 15 (real text)

"[1] Invest in the development of balanced multi-modal access to collections to reach new and expanded user communities, through delivery of an integrated programme of transnational (TA) and virtual (VA) access … (measured by delivery of 7,017 days of TA prioritising new communities, as well as successful delivery of VA calls and tracking of outputs from both)".61

The same technique for a North West creative-tech SME (invented)

Weak objective: "We will use AI to transform live music experiences across Europe."

Strong objective: "O2: By month 24, validate a low-latency spatial-audio module in three live venues (Manchester, Lisbon, Tallinn) with 1,500 audience members, reaching under 20 ms end-to-end (today's best product: [cite]). Answers topic outcome 2. Measured by venue test logs (D3.2) and an audience survey (D5.1)."

Strong risk (not "Technical delays. Mitigation: close monitoring"): "R4: a partner venue withdraws before the M18 pilot (likelihood Medium, severity High; WP5). Mitigation: two reserve venues in our network have agreed in principle (letters in annex); the pilot design is venue-agnostic, so a switch costs about four weeks; decision at milestone MS3 (M14)."

Cut the plan to what you can deliver, and name the difficulties

The same ERC idea: 6.38 of 8, then 8.0 of 8 a year later

Sylvain Deville published both evaluation reports for his ERC Starting Grant (2010 and 2011 calls: older, but the lesson travels). 2010, 6.38, not funded: "laid out too broadly and a clear structure in the workplan is missing"; "Half of the proposed program would have been sufficient." 2011, 8.0, funded up to €1,469,036: "The project is divided in different partial objectives identifying in each objective the expected difficulties and the alternatives."63 Even 8.0 came with weaknesses, starting with missed "pioneering work": cite the prior art your evaluator knows.

"Don't oversell your idea with too many or too ambitious objectives."55 Give each risk a likelihood, severity, work package and mitigation, as the form asks.5 A 2024 MSCA winner's evaluation: "The research risks of the project are clearly identified and mitigation measures are explained."64

Build the team before the bid, and show it

FOSTERLANG: a Cluster 2 bid scored 14.5 of 15 (2024 call)

"Fostering Linguistic Capital", €3.0m, led by the University of Warsaw, with two UK universities (€233,045 and €297,910). The UK Cluster 2 NCP presented the team's own reasons in January 2025: "Intense short-term planning built on long/medium-term stable network of researchers and civil society organizations"; "Clear, shared vision"; "Trust and familiarity"; "Detailed, visualized work packages".65

Tate's GREENART bid grew from an earlier EU project with the same coordinator: "Without this collaboration, we wouldn't have been part of the project."66 A UK evaluator's tip: "State within the 'Excellence' chapter, previous collaborations with a partner".67 More winning texts: Real winning applications and The questions every grant application asks.

Free help in the UK and the North West

UK National Contact Points give "impartial advice on Horizon Europe. Their service is free to use."68 Start here:69

You need NCP mailbox
Where to start, any topic ncp-crosscutting@iuk.ukri.org
Rules, money, legal ncp-rules@iuk.ukri.org
Cluster 2: culture, creativity, society ccisncp@esrc.ukri.org
Cluster 4: digital / industry ncp-digital@iuk.ukri.org / ncp-industry@iuk.ukri.org
EIC / EIT ncp-eic-transition-accelerator@iuk.ukri.org / ncp-eit@iuk.ukri.org

UK support moves on 2 November 2026

The UKRO portal was switched off on 21 October 2026. A new UKRI Horizon Europe website "will be live from Monday 2 November 2026", replacing UKRO and Innovate UK Business Connect's Horizon hub, so older links may change. The NCPs carry on as normal.70

  • The University of Manchester's Horizon Europe Support Fund pays up to £20,000 for "external grant writing, consortium fees, other activities to support EU bids" on staff-led bids (next deadline 6 November 2026): partner with its academics.73
  • We found no Horizon Europe service at the region's Growth Hubs in October 2026: go to the NCPs and see Relationships first.

Dates to diarise, at 26 October 2026:7270345637522871

Horizon Europe dates, October 2026 to February 2027
  1. Free intro webinaralso 26 Nov and 16 Dec
  2. New UKRI Horizon Europe websiteUK support URLs change
  3. NLnet cascade deadlineevery odd month
  4. EIC Accelerator cut-offlast of 2026
  5. EIT Culture & Creativity Spark closesup to €30,000, UK included
  6. Cluster 2 online brokeragefind partners for 2027 calls
  7. Women TechEU deadline€75,000
  8. Springboard final deadlineCluster 4 industry calls close the same day

Watch-outs

Read equity terms before you sign

EIT Culture & Creativity's 2025 accelerator asked ventures for "Virtual Shares", "a percentage of their future equity (target between 5 -10%)"; its 2026 call documents include a call option agreement for this.3036

Co-funding and cash flow

Innovation Actions pay a for-profit 70%. €240,000 of direct costs plus the 25% flat rate (€60,000) is €300,000; the grant is €210,000 and you fund €90,000 (our arithmetic).1 Some cascade calls want co-funding too ("a minimum co-funding rate of 30%" on EIT Culture & Creativity's 2025 short projects), and many pay by milestone: use the cash-flow tool in Innovate UK money.3633

Admin takes longer than the writing

Register your organisation in the EU portal for a PIC (participant identification code) before you start; validation "is a prerequisite for the LEAR appointment" (legal entity appointed representative).7475 Sign a consortium agreement before the grant, usually on the DESCA 2.1 model (Intellectual property).776 Want money? Don't be an "associated partner": they "should bear their own costs".1

Checklist

Questions

Can UK companies apply for Horizon Europe after Brexit?

Yes. The UK has been associated since 1 January 2024; UK organisations are paid directly by the European Commission on the same terms as EU ones, except for EIC equity and a few restricted topics (seven of 93 open on 26 October 2026).11110

What is cascade funding?

EU money a funded project passes on through its own open calls, usually up to €60,000 per recipient, often with a short form and staged payments. Recipients don't sign with the EU; each call sets its own country rules.78

How do I find partners for a Horizon Europe bid?

Use the topic's partner search in the EU portal, brokerage events (Cluster 2's is online on 1 December 2026), your NCP and CORDIS ("Attend Info Days", says the Commission's research agency). Send coordinators a one-page pitch.515255

Can a sole trader or freelancer get Horizon Europe funding?

Yes, through cascade calls that allow it: projects may fund "natural persons", and Spark takes founders without a company. For consortium grants, ask ncp-rules@iuk.ukri.org.73769

How long does it take to get Horizon Europe money?

Results "around 5 months" after the deadline, grant signed "around 8 months" after it; NLnet's cascade assessment takes "between three and five months".133

Can I use AI to write a Horizon Europe proposal?

Yes, if you disclose the tools and how you used them; evaluators may not penalise you for it. NLnet differs: "We are not interested in AI-generated projects or proposals."635

Can UK organisations apply for Erasmus+ again?

Yes, for projects funded from 2027 (announced 15 April 2026); the Commission expects the 2027 call in autumn 2026. See open EU calls.17

Sources

  1. European Commission, Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 15, General Annexes (Commission Decision C(2026) 6687/2 of 29 September 2026): UK association footnote; eligibility; minimum consortium; funding rates; page limits; award criteria, thresholds and weighting; two-stage rules; timing; ties; FSTP publicity. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. European Commission, Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 7, Digital, Industry and Space (topics HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-08 at €150,000, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02 at €300,000 and HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02 at €400,000 per third party). https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-7-digital-industry-and-space_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf ↩

  3. European Commission, Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, General Introduction (lump sums are 50% of the call budget). https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-1-general-introduction_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf ↩

  4. European Commission, Standard evaluation form, Horizon Europe RIA and IA, V4.0, 12 November 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/temp-form/ef/ef_he-ria-ia_en.pdf ↩↩

  5. European Commission, Standard application form, Horizon Europe RIA and IA, V5.1, 22 January 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/temp-form/af/af_he-ria-ia_en.pdf ↩↩

  6. European Commission, Standard Briefing for experts, Horizon Europe, V14.0, 15 April 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/experts/standard-briefing-slides-for-experts_he_en.pdf ↩↩↩↩↩

  7. European Commission, EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement, V2.0, 1 April 2025, Article 6.2.D.1 (financial support to third parties; the €60,000 threshold; recipients not party to the grant agreement), consortium agreements. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/aga_en.pdf ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  8. European Commission, Good practices for implementing FSTP in EU grants, V1.0, 15 June 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/guidance_fstp-good-practices_en.pdf ↩↩↩

  9. EU Funding & Tenders Portal, "Cascade Funding Calls (Financial Support for Third Parties, FSTP)", read 26 October 2026. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/funding-tenders-opportunities/spaces/IT/pages/25559615/Cascade+Funding+Calls+Financial+Support+for+Third+Parties+FSTP ↩

  10. Bearings' read of the EU Funding & Tenders Portal search data, 26 October 2026: 93 open Horizon Europe topics (seven with eligibility limits that exclude the UK: six EuroHPC JU topics and HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-04-WIDENING-01), 41 open cascade calls, and each call's portal entry (EIT Culture & Creativity Spark deadline; HERIFORGE country rules). Live data, not a publication. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals ↩↩↩↩

  11. EU Delegation to the UK (EEAS), "Two-year anniversary of the UK's association to Horizon Europe", 5 January 2026. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-kingdom/two-year-anniversary-uk-association-horizon-europe_en ↩↩

  12. UKRI, Horizon Europe, updated 19 August 2026, read 26 October 2026. https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/horizon-europe/ ↩

  13. UKRI, Apply for Horizon Europe guarantee funding, updated 11 August 2026 (final deadline 27 November 2025). https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/apply-for-horizon-europe-guarantee-funding/ ↩↩

  14. GOV.UK, Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes, minutes of 15 December 2025, published 29 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/specialised-committee-on-participation-in-union-programmes-minutes-15-december-2025/specialised-committee-on-participation-in-union-programmes-minutes-15-december-2025 ↩

  15. GOV.UK, Joint statement by the European Commission and the UK Government on the UK's association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus, 7 September 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-european-commission-and-the-uk-government-on-the-uks-association-to-horizon-europe-and-copernicus ↩

  16. European Parliamentary Research Service, "Research and innovation: state of play of EU-UK cooperation", 16 March 2026 (Horizon dashboard at 9 January 2026). https://epthinktank.eu/2026/03/16/research-and-innovation-state-of-play-of-eu-uk-cooperation/ ↩

  17. European Commission, The UK and Erasmus+, last updated 5 May 2026, read 26 October 2026. https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/the-uk-and-erasmus ↩↩

  18. Scottish Government, Creative Europe reassociation: position paper, 27 March 2025. https://www.gov.scot/publications/creative-europe-reassociation-position-paper/ ↩

  19. European Commission, EU Grants: List of participating countries in the Digital Europe Programme, V7.0, 1 December 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/digital/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_digital_en.pdf ↩

  20. ERA Portal Austria, "Commission publishes report on research and technological development activities in 2025", 1 June 2026, summarising COM(2026) 255 (14% success rate; 15.3% a year earlier; "around 70%" of fundable proposals unfunded). The Commission report itself could not be opened. https://era.gv.at/news-items/commission-publishes-report-on-research-and-technological-development-activities-in-2025/ ↩↩↩↩

  21. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Statistics on UK Participation in EU Framework Programmes, 2014-2024, 5 June 2026. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a215a1c56e988a798b3861f/Statistics_on_UK_Participation_in_EU_Framework_Programmes_Report.pdf ↩↩↩

  22. MSCA, "MSCA awards €404.3 million to postdoctoral researchers", 9 February 2026 (17,066 applications, 1,610 selected, 9.6%). https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/news/msca-awards-eu4043-million-to-postdoctoral-researchers ↩

  23. European Innovation Council, "EIC Accelerator: 71 companies selected in most competitive funding round so far", 17 February 2025 (1,211 full proposals at the October 2024 cut-off). https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/eic-accelerator-71-companies-selected-most-competitive-funding-round-so-far-2025-02-17_en ↩

  24. European Innovation Council, "EIC awards €118 million to 30 breakthrough research projects under EIC Pathfinder Challenges", 1 April 2026 (30 of 647 eligible proposals). https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/eic-awards-eur118-million-30-breakthrough-research-projects-under-eic-pathfinder-challenges-2026-04-01_en ↩↩

  25. EISMEA, Winners of the third Women TechEU open call, 28 July 2025 (40 from 1,038 applications; UK 9). https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/news/winners-third-women-techeu-open-call-2025-07-28_en ↩

  26. EISMEA, Winners of the last Women TechEU open call, 20 November 2025 (40 from 1,107 applications). https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/news/winners-last-women-techeu-open-call-2025-11-20_en ↩

  27. Women TechEU, FAQ for Open Call 1, v20240514 (evaluation criteria; three-minute video). https://womentecheurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/WomenTechEU-FAQ_v20240514.pdf ↩

  28. Innovate UK Business Connect, Women TechEU 2026-27 ("this includes the UK"; stage 2 deadlines 14 January, 13 May and 12 August 2027; "Submit stage 1 eligibility application at least 3 weeks before"), read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/women-techeu-2026-27/ ↩↩

  29. EIT Culture & Creativity, second round of start-ups for its acceleration and post-acceleration programmes 2025, 18 September 2025 (37 ventures from 130 applications). https://eit-culture-creativity.eu/eit-culture-creativity-announces-second-round-of-startups-for-its-acceleration-post-acceleration-programmes-2025 ↩↩

  30. EIT Culture & Creativity, Open Call for Acceleration and Post-Acceleration 2025, guidelines dated 4 April 2025 (evaluators, threshold 13 of 25, Demo Day, Virtual Shares). https://euro-access.eu/_media/file/808_Open-Call-for-Acceleration-and-Post-Acceleration-2025_04_04_2025_CLEAN.pdf ↩↩

  31. AI4Media, Open Call #1 success stories booklet, September 2023, pp. 3 and 22-23 (University of Manchester; 60 proposals, 10 funded). https://www.ai4media.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Booklet_SuccessStories_final.pdf ↩

  32. NLnet, NGI Zero stocktaking, June 2026 (1,215 projects funded from "almost 8500 applications"; 14% is our arithmetic). https://nlnet.nl/news/2026/20260612-NGIZero-stocktaking.html ↩

  33. NLnet, Restack FAQ ("less than an hour"; "not paid out up front"; "between three and five months", counted from the deadline) and funding page ("between 5.000 and 50.000 euro"). https://nlnet.nl/restack/faq/ and https://nlnet.nl/funding.html ↩↩↩↩↩

  34. NLnet, Funding ("There is a deadline on the 3rd of every odd month"; software "must be published under a recognised free and open source license in its entirety"), read 26 October 2026. https://nlnet.nl/funding.html ↩↩↩

  35. NLnet, "Send in your ideas" proposal form, read 26 October 2026. https://nlnet.nl/propose/ ↩↩

  36. Bearings research notes on cascade calls, 26 October 2026, from the calls' own documents: EIT Culture & Creativity Short Innovation Projects 2025 (30% co-funding) and Shape and Scale 2026 (Financial Sustainability Mechanism call option agreement template in the call documents). Shape and Scale 2026: https://eit-culture-creativity.eu/your-opportunities/calls-funding/financial-support-startups-and-scaleups-shape-acceleration-scale ; Short Innovation Projects 2025: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/eit-culture-creativity-short-innovation-projects-2025-single-applicants/ ↩↩

  37. Innovate UK Business Connect, EIT Culture & Creativity: New Ventures in Creative Tech (Spark Incubation), opens 6 October 2026, closes 16 November 2026 at 4pm, read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/?p=138949 ↩↩↩↩

  38. UKRI, "Manchester firm shows European partnerships power UK innovation", 8 December 2025, read 26 October 2026. https://www.ukri.org/who-we-are/how-we-are-doing/research-outcomes-and-impact/manchester-firm-shows-european-partnerships-power-uk-innovation/ ↩↩

  39. CORDIS, EcoPlast, project 101182147 (HORIZON-CL6-2024-CircBio-02-2-two-stage; coordinator Technovative Solutions; Stryker Design €76,825). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101182147 ↩↩↩

  40. Bearings' count of the EU's CORDIS open dataset "EU research projects under Horizon Europe (2021-2027)", downloaded 26 October 2026; North West by NUTS code UKD or postcode; projects starting 1 January 2024 or later. Not an official statistic. https://cordis.europa.eu/data/cordis-HORIZONprojects-csv.zip ↩↩↩

  41. CORDIS, AMPLIFY, project 101177413 (HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-03; Salsa Sound €309,813.88). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101177413 ↩↩↩

  42. CORDIS, Larpocracy, project 101177307 (HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-08; Zecora Ura Theatre €456,960); Uppsala University news, 17 January 2025. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101177307 and https://www.uu.se/en/news/2025/2025-01-17-democracy-training-through-larp-to-be-studied-in-eu-project ↩↩

  43. CORDIS, INTRACOMP, project 101177351 (HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-08; In Place of War €182,375); In Place of War, INTRACOMP project page. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101177351 and https://www.inplaceofwar.net/projects/intracomp ↩↩↩

  44. Lancashire Wildlife Trust news on PALUS DEMOS, 1 April 2025; CORDIS, PALUS DEMOS, project 101182338. https://www.lancswt.org.uk/node/8269 and https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101182338 ↩↩↩

  45. CORDIS, StraDiVarious, project 101226609 (MSCA Doctoral Network; Eluceda Ltd, Burnley, €348,738). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101226609 ↩

  46. CORDIS, ROBUSTIFAI, project 101212818 (coordinator University of Liverpool; €7,362,490). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101212818 ↩

  47. Innovate UK Business Connect, "European event travel awards for UK SMEs", 14 November 2024, read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/news/european-event-travel-awards-uk-smes/ ↩↩

  48. CORDIS, NO-PLASTI-CUPS, project 101181970; Packaging Insights, 14 January 2026. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101181970 and https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/notpla-eu-plastic-free-coffee-cups.html ↩

  49. LERU, Evaluation Summary Report analysis, Horizon Europe Pillar 2, 22 May 2024 (129 above-threshold reports, 2022 proposals). https://leru.org/files/LERU-evaluation_Horizon-Europe_Pillar2.pdf ↩

  50. CBE JU, Lessons learnt from call 2022-23 (Dieter Brigitta), 23 April 2024. https://www.cbe.europa.eu/system/files/2024-04/Lessons%20learnt%20from%20call%202022-23.pdf ↩

  51. UKRI, Find partners and collaborators (Horizon Europe), updated 9 February 2026. https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/horizon-europe/find-partners-and-collaborators/ ↩↩

  52. Cluster 2 Community Platform (Net4Society NCP network), read 26 October 2026. https://cluster2-community-platform.b2match.io/components/26010/home ↩↩↩

  53. Horizon Europe Industry 2027 brokerage event (NCP4Industry+ and EEN), read 26 October 2026. https://www.b2match.com/e/horizon-europe-industry-2027 ↩

  54. Innovate UK Business Connect, Partnership opportunities (EEN), undated, read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/business-growth/enter-new-markets/partnership-opportunities/ ↩

  55. European Research Executive Agency, "Do's and don'ts when applying for funding", undated (© 2026), read 26 October 2026. https://rea.ec.europa.eu/dos-and-donts-when-applying-funding_en ↩↩↩

  56. Innovate UK Business Connect, European Innovation Council Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator 2026 (Accelerator lump sum "below €2.5 million" for TRL 6-8; 2026 cut-offs to 4 November 2026; Pathfinder Challenges deadline 28 October 2026), read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/european-innovation-council-pathfinder-transition-accelerator-2026/ ↩↩↩

  57. RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), Red and Green Flags for EIC Accelerator, V2, May 2025. https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2025-05/Red-and-Green-Flags-EIC-Accelerator-V2.pdf ↩

  58. Silicon Republic, "Inside the EIC Accelerator: practical advice from one Irish founder", 6 March 2026, read 26 October 2026. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/inside-the-eic-accelerator-practical-advice-from-one-irish-founder ↩

  59. Koureas D et al., "Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) Project – Abridged Grant Proposal", Research Ideas and Outcomes 12: e187550, 27 February 2026; CORDIS project 101059492 (€17,080,738). https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.12.e187550 ↩

  60. "Biodiversity Genomics Europe plus (BGE+) Project – Abridged Grant Proposal", Research Ideas and Outcomes 12: e214291, 16 September 2026; CORDIS project 101289347 (€11,999,887.50; University of Manchester €148,583.75). https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.12.e214291 ↩

  61. "SYNTHESYS+ Abridged Grant Proposal", Research Ideas and Outcomes, 9 September 2019 (Horizon 2020, H2020-INFRAIA-2018-1; 14.5 of 15). https://zenodo.org/records/3425590 ↩↩

  62. Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education, Proposals to Horizon 2020: analysis of Evaluation Summary Reports, November 2017 (250 above-threshold, unfunded proposals). https://ufm.dk/en/publications/2017/proposals-to-horizon-2020-analysis-of-evaluation-summary-reports ↩

  63. Sylvain Deville, "My successful ERC Starting Grant Proposal", Figshare record 7110767 (evaluation reports, ERC-2010-StG and ERC-2011-StG). https://figshare.com/articles/My_successful_ERC_Starting_Grant_Proposal/7110767 ↩

  64. Richard Rak, "Tips & tricks on how to prepare a successful proposal for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship", University of Rijeka workshop, June 2025 (slides labelled "Example evaluation"; CORDIS project 101210413). https://zenodo.org/records/16894494 ↩

  65. Innovate UK Business Connect, Horizon Europe roadshow, Cardiff, 28 January 2025, Pillar 2 slides (FOSTERLANG case study; Cluster 2 tips); CORDIS FOSTERLANG. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Pillar-2-Slides-HEU-Roadshow-Cardiff.pdf ↩

  66. UKRI, "Expanding Horizons" magazine, March 2025, pp. 15-16 (GREENART). https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/UKRI-180325-ExpandingHorizonsMagazine.pdf ↩

  67. UK NCP (Zale Johnson) with Prof. Hamid Bouchachia, "Horizon Europe Hour: Evaluators Tips for Proposals", February 2025 (cover dated 2024). https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Evalutors-tips-feb-12th-2025-with-text-boxes.pdf ↩

  68. UKRI, Get guidance and help with Horizon Europe, updated 13 August 2026. https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/horizon-europe/get-guidance-and-help/ ↩

  69. GOV.UK, Find your UK National Contact Point (NCP), DSIT, updated 14 April 2026. https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support/horizon-europe-funding ↩↩

  70. UKRI, UKRO closure notice (ukro.ac.uk redirects here), read 26 October 2026. https://reg.nerc.ac.uk/ukro-closure ↩↩↩

  71. Innovate UK Business Connect, Horizon Europe Springboard Scheme for Cluster 4 Industry Themes, read 26 October 2026. https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/opportunities/horizon-europe-springboard-scheme-for-cluster-4-industry-themes/ ↩↩↩

  72. Innovate UK Business Connect, Introduction to Horizon Europe 2026 (webinar dates). https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/events/introduction-to-horizon-europe-2026/ ↩↩

  73. University of Manchester, Horizon Europe Support Fund 2026/27 (staff pages). http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/rbe/research-strategy/horizon-europe-support-fund/ ↩

  74. UKRI, Apply for Horizon Europe funding, updated 9 February 2026. https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/horizon-europe/apply-for-funding/ ↩

  75. EU Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Registration and validation of your organisation. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/funding-tenders-opportunities/display/OM/Registration+and+validation+of+your+organisation ↩

  76. DESCA, Horizon Europe model consortium agreement, version 2.1, February 2026. https://www.desca-agreement.eu/ ↩

Written for businesses, founders and researchers in the North West of England and checked against the sources listed above on 26 October 2026. Funders change their rules, so always read the current call before you apply. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Start hereReal winning applications, decks and bids, and why they wonA library of real funded proposals, Innovate UK openers, investor decks, scored tenders and arts awards, each with who, when, how much and the published reason it won.29 min readGrantsThe questions every grant application asks, and how to answer each one wellThe dozen questions every grant form asks under different names, what each funder really wants, a skeleton for each, and the limits, timelines and templates.22 min readGrantsKTP and the EIC Accelerator: the high-odds route and the hardest oneA KTP pays 67% of a university-led project in your firm; the EIC Accelerator funds about 6% of full proposals, grant only for UK firms. Scoring, odds, North West examples.22 min readResearch fundingWinning research grants: UKRI, Future Leaders, Horizon Europe, ERC and NIHRUKRI's real odds by council, the 1 to 6 scale reviewers use, word limits, Horizon Europe and ERC thresholds, and the five failures that lose marks everywhere.26 min readPeople and relationshipsRelationships first: who to talk to before you apply, and the North West events worth your timeKnown applicants win far more often. How to talk to funders, investors and buyers within the rules, and the North West rooms worth your time, with dates and costs.18 min read

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