Horizon Europe funding opportunities are published on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal along with the Work Programmes. The Portal is the official European Commission website used to search for calls, register organisations, find partners, submit proposals and manage grants.
UK applicants can apply for eligible Horizon Europe calls through the portal. The UK is associated to Horizon Europe, which means UK researchers, businesses and organisations can apply to most calls on the same terms as applicants from EU countries and other associated countries.
Most Horizon Europe opportunities involve international collaboration, so you may need to join or create a consortium before applying.
Create an EU Login account
You need an EU Login account to use portal services and work on a proposal. EU Login gives you access to the Funding and Tenders Portal and other European Commission systems. You can create an account from the portal homepage by selecting Sign in.
Register your organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)
For your organisation can take part in a Horizon Europe proposal, it must be registered on the Funding and Tenders Portal. Registered organisations receive a 9-digit Participant Identification Code, known as a PIC. You will need your organisation’s PIC when you start or join an application.
Before creating a new registration, check whether your organisation already has a PIC. Your research office, grants team or international funding team may already manage your organisation’s portal profile.
- Check if your organisation is registered on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal
- Register your organisation on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal
Find a funding opportunity
Use our Horizon Europe opportunities overview to compare funding areas and identify those most relevant to your research, innovation or collaboration plans.
From the overview, follow links to guidance on each funding area. Each guidance page includes a ‘Find current calls’ section, which takes you to relevant open and upcoming calls in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.
Before starting an application, read the call topic carefully. Each topic page explains:
what the funding is for
- who can apply
- expected outcomes and scope
- eligibility conditions and type of action
- budget and expected project size
- application deadline
- proposal templates and required documents.
You can also use the EU Funding and Tenders Portal to search for open and upcoming Horizon Europe calls or check the Horizon Europe Work Programmes.
If you are based in the UK and new to Horizon Europe, then you can contact the cross-cutting National Contact Point for information on how to sign up for one of UKRI’s free one hour Horizon Introduction sessions.
Get support from your National Contact Point (NCP)
NCPs provide free guidance to help UK organisations apply for Horizon Europe funding. Contact the NCP for your funding area early to discuss your plans and understand the call requirements.
They can help you:
- identify relevant funding opportunities
- understand eligibility rules and call requirements
- find partner search services and networking opportunities
- access guidance and events on preparing a proposal
- find specialist support for legal and financial questions.
If you are unsure who to contact, the NCP for ‘Cross-cutting Horizon Europe advice’ can help you find the right support.
Check whether you need partners
Many Horizon Europe calls require a consortium with organisations from different countries. Depending on the call, your consortium could include:
- Universities
- Research organisations
- Businesses and SMEs
- Public bodies
- Charities or not-for-profit organisations
- International partners
- any other type of organisation.
Before applying, check the topic conditions to confirm whether you need partners, how many organisations are required and which countries they must be based in.
- Contact your National Contact Point to find out if there are partnering events and systems related to your call topic.
- Read more on finding partners and building a winning consortium
Prepare your proposal
Once you have selected the right call and confirmed your organisation details, prepare your proposal (if a consortium is required you will need to work with your partners to do this). Before submitting, make sure you have:
- read the call topic and Work Programme guidance
- checked the eligibility criteria
- confirmed whether partners are required
- agreed roles and responsibilities across the consortium
- gathered information from each partner
- checked each organisation’s PIC
- reviewed the proposal templates and page limits
- checked the submission deadline
- allowed enough time for internal approvals.
For collaborative projects, the coordinator usually leads the submission. Partners still need to provide information and complete their sections in the portal.
Submit your proposal
Proposals are submitted through the portal’s electronic submission system. To start a submission, go to the relevant topic page and select Start submission. The submission system will guide you through the steps, including adding participants, completing forms and uploading documents.
- Find out how to submit a proposal using the portal (European Commission)
- Discover the navigation process to submit a proposal
- Find your National Contact Point for support
Before submitting, run the validation check to identify issues such as missing information, page limits or file-size problems. After submission, you will receive an electronic receipt. You can update, download or withdraw your proposal until the deadline.
Follow up your proposal
After the deadline, you can monitor your proposal through your portal account. The portal is used to receive updates, check evaluation results and manage the next steps if your proposal is successful.