At a glance
- Calls:
- Calls open from February 2026 onwards, with the main closing dates in February 2027, as well as some call topics in September 2027.
- Opportunity type:
- International collaborations, funding
- Award:
- Most projects receive between €1.5 million and €12 million. Funding can cover up to 100% of eligible costs, depending on the call and type of project.
- Sectors:
- Biotechnology, global, health
Overview
Health is one of the 6 clusters within Horizon Europe’s Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.
It funds research and innovation that helps people stay healthy, prevents and treats disease, and improves health and care systems.
Projects often bring together organisations from research, healthcare, industry, technology, patient groups, public health, policy and the voluntary sector.
What Health funds
Cluster 1 Health funding covers research and innovation across the full health pathway, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, care and health system improvement.
Call topics are grouped into 6 destinations (sub-areas).
Who this is for
Cluster 1 Health research and innovation funding is mainly for organisations working together in international consortia.
It may be relevant for:
- universities and research organisations
- NHS organisations and other healthcare providers
- public health bodies
- businesses, start-ups and SMEs
- biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical technology companies
- digital health, data and artificial intelligence organisations
- charities and not-for-profit organisations
- patient organisations
- public authorities and policy organisations
- regulators and organisations involved in implementation
The partners and expertise needed will depend on the individual topic. Some calls may require clinical, industry, technology, policy, patient group, or social sciences and humanities (SSH) involvement.
Most calls are not intended for single organisations applying alone.
Eligibility
Most Health calls require an international consortium.
Unless the topic states otherwise, the consortium usually needs at least 3 independent legal entities:
- at least one established in an EU Member State
- at least 2 others established in different EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries
The UK is associated to Horizon Europe, so UK organisations can take part and receive funding as members of an eligible consortium.
Individual topics may include additional requirements relating to:
- the types of organisations involved
- clinical, industry or patient participation
- access to data, facilities or research participants
- international cooperation
- technology readiness levels
- ethics, gender or social science
- the type of action and funding rate
Always check the full topic conditions before applying.
European Partnerships
European Partnerships provide another way to access research and innovation funding linked to this cluster. They bring together the European Commission with national authorities, industry and other organisations to support shared research and innovation priorities.
Partnerships may offer funding opportunities through Horizon Europe calls or through calls and programmes managed by the partnerships themselves.
Next steps and support
- To receive updates about funding opportunities, news and events, sign up for the UK Horizon Europe Health National Contact Point (NCP) newsletters – be sure to tick ‘Cluster 1 – Health’ under Pillar II when signing up.
- Read the Health Work Programme 2026–2027 (PDF) and the relevant call topics for the latest funding opportunities, eligibility rules, budgets and deadlines.
- Read the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Health webpage guidance for more useful information on how to plan and prepare your proposal.
- Build or join an eligible international consortium — find partners and build a consortium — and agree partner roles, activities, responsibilities and costs.
- Check the useful tools on the Health NCP website as well as their webpage listing events.
- Contact your UK Horizon Europe Health NCP for further guidance and support with your application.
Registering for EU Login and a PIC
To apply for funding through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, you need an EU Login account. If you do not already have one, register for an EU Login account on the EU Funding and Tenders portal.
Your organisation also needs a Participant Identification Code (PIC) to be included as a participant in a funding application and to manage the grant if the application is successful. If your organisation does not yet have one, find out how to register your organisation and get a PIC on the EU Funding and Tenders portal.