Horizon Europe’s 2026-2027 Cluster 1 Health draft Work Programme – any call topic of interest to you in 2026?
16th October 2025 at 12:27 pm
This blog post was updated following the official release of version 4 of the CL1 2026–2027 Health Work Programme (dated 11 November 2025).
The European Commission has pre-published drafts of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme through its Comitology Register. With the fourth version of the draft Health Work Programme 2026 already available online, it is time to start planning resources and putting consortia together for proposal submissions next year. It’s worth remembering that these drafts remain works in progress and may be revised before their official publication, expected at the end of 2025.
According to the draft 2026–2027 Work Programme, four calls are currently planned for 2026. These will open at the latest in February 2026, following the official adoption of the work programme later in 2025.
Unlocking the future: Insights for 2026 proposal submission
The main Cluster 1 Health call HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01 (with deadline 16 April 2026) covers the six familiar Destinations and includes 17 call topics, with 68 projects expected to be funded. The remaining three calls refer to European Partnerships (see section below), adding to a total of 20 call topics and 71 expected funded projects.
Horizon Europe 2026 Health call topics – key facts for you to know
Take a closer look at the HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01 call: the tables below distil everything you need to know to plan. Whether you are chasing funding for breakthrough treatments or tackling global health challenges, this is your roadmap to the next big opportunity.
| Topics | Type of Action | Budgets (EUR million) | Expected EU contribution per project (EUR million) | Indicative number of projects expected to be funded |
| Opening: 10 Feb 2026 Deadline(s): 16 Apr 2026 | ||||
| Destination – Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-02: Behavioural interventions as primary prevention for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among young people | RIA | 20.60 | 9.00 to 10.00 | 2 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-03: Building public trust and outreach in the life sciences | CSA | 1.90 | 1.50 to 2.00 (lump sum) | 1 |
| Destination – Living and working in a health-promoting environment | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-01: Towards a better understanding and anticipation of the impacts of climate change on health | RIA | 55.00 | 7.00 to 8.00 (lump sum) | 7 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-04: Towards climate resilient, prepared and carbon neutral populations and healthcare systems | RIA | 45.00 | 7.00 to 8.00 (lump sum) | 6 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-05: Support for a multilateral initiative on climate change and health research | CSA | 3.00 | Around 3.00 (lump sum) | 1 |
| Destination – Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-02: Innovative interventions to prevent the harmful effects of using digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults | RIA | 44.20 | Around 8.00 | 6 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-03: Advancing research on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of post-infection long-term conditions | RIA | 39.30 | 6.00 to 8.00 (lump sum) | 5 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-04: Development of novel vaccines for viral pathogens with epidemic potential | RIA | 44.20 | 9.00 to 11.00 | 5 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-09: Multisectoral approach to tackle chronic non- communicable diseases: implementation research maximising collaboration and coordination with sectors and in settings beyond the healthcare system (GACD) | RIA | 9.8 | 3.00 to 4.00 (lump sum) | 3 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-11: Understanding of sex and/or gender-specific mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases: determinants, risk factors and pathways | RIA | 39.30 | 6.00 to 7.00 (lump sum) | 6 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-15: Scaling up innovation in cardiovascular health | CSA | 1.90 | Around 1.90 (lump sum) | 1 |
| Destination – Ensuring equal access to innovative, sustainable, and high-quality healthcare | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-01: Public procurement of innovative solutions for improving citizens’ access to healthcare through integrated or personalised approaches | PPI | 24.50 | 3.00 to 8.00 | 4 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-CARE-03: Identifying and addressing low-value care in health and care systems | RIA | 38.00 | Around 10.00 | 4 |
| Destination – Developing and using new tools, technologies and digital solutions for a healthy society | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-03: Integrating New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to advance biomedical research and regulatory testing | RIA | 49.00 | 5.00 to 8.00 (lump sum) | 7 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-05: Pilot actions for follow-on funding: Leveraging EU-funded collaborative research in regenerative medicine | IA | 29.50 | 6.00 to 8.00 (lump sum) | 4 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-06: Support to European Research Area (ERA) action on accelerating New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to advance biomedical research and testing of medicinal products and medical devices | CSA | 2.90 | Around 2.90 (lump sum) | 1 |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-TOOL-07: Establishing a European network of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for Advanced Therapies Medicinal Products (ATMPs) | CSA | 3.90 | Around 3.90 (lump sum) | 1 |
| Destination – Maintaining an innovative, sustainable, and competitive EU health industry | ||||
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-IND-03: Regulatory science to support translational development of patient-centred health technologies | RIA | 19.60 | 4.00 to 6.00 (lump sum) | 4 |
In addition, there are three calls foreseen on Partnerships. It needs to be noted that those are not fully funded, and eligibility conditions apply with respect to the coordinator:
- HORIZON-HLTH-2026-02 is part of the Partnerships in Health framework (ERDERA), with deadline 15 September 2026. The proposal must be submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-DISEASE-07-01: “European Partnership on Rare Diseases” and the funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs.
- HORIZON-HLTH-2026-03 is part of the Partnerships in Health framework (Pandemic preparedness), with deadline 13 April 2027. The proposal must be submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-12-01: “European partnership for pandemic preparedness” and the funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs.
- HORIZON-HLTH-2026-04 is part of the Partnerships in Health framework (EP PerMed), with deadline 16 April 2026. The proposal must be submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-CARE-08-01: “European Partnership on Personalised Medicine” and the funding rate is 30% of the eligible costs.
Horizon Europe Health initiatives: Our team helps you turn your ideas into projects
At accelopment, we have extensive experience in securing EU funding for research and innovation projects, with a strong track record in Horizon Europe Health projects. Our team of experts supports researchers, companies and institutions throughout the entire funding process – from strategic grant planning, to proposal writing, project management and communication and dissemination. With deep knowledge of Pillar II Health funding opportunities, we help our partners maximise their chances of success in securing European health research grants. We are currently involved in several significant health projects, including EDiHTA, EU PAL-COPD, GENEGUT and more, and look forward to supporting researchers in the upcoming calls.
