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Digital, Industry & Security

Digital, Industry & Security

Drive innovation in digital technologies, advanced industry and secure solutions through European research and innovation programmes. We support collaborative projects across key areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, quantum technologies, space and digital transformation. Our experience spans Horizon Europe, including EIC and MSCA, as well as Eurostars and other European funding programmes that strengthen Europe's industrial competitiveness and technological leadership.

Ready to get started?

We provide expert support for every stage of your European research and innovation project.

Andreia Cruz

Research & Innovation Project Manager
FA - Digital

Horizon Europe Clusters 3 & 4: Civil Security, Digital, Industry and Space

Clusters 3 & 4 – Civil Security for Society and Digital, Industry & Space are part of Horizon Europe's Pillar II – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, with a combined budget of around €24 billion for 2021–2027. They fund collaborative research and innovation projects that typically involve 10–25 partners, receive €6–12 million and run for 3–5 years. The programmes bring together universities, research organisations, SMEs and industry partners to advance digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, space technologies and resilient societies.

MSCA Doctoral Networks

MSCA Doctoral Networks (DNs) are Horizon Europe's flagship programme for doctoral training. They fund international research consortia that typically run for four years and fund 10–15 doctoral candidates through joint research, international mobility and cross-sector collaboration. Bringing together universities, research organisations and companies, DNs strengthen research excellence and support the development of future researchers advancing digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data-driven innovation.

EIC Pathfinder Open & Challenges

EIC Pathfinder supports collaborative, high-risk research that lays the foundations for future breakthrough technologies. Open to interdisciplinary consortia of at least three independent organisations from different eligible countries, projects typically receive €3–4 million in funding over 3–4 years. Alongside the bottom-up Pathfinder Open, Pathfinder Challenges target predefined strategic areas, helping researchers transform pioneering ideas into future digital, AI, quantum and cybersecurity technologies.

EUREKA Eurostars

Eurostars is a funding programme for innovative SMEs developing market-driven research and innovation projects in collaboration with international partners. Supported by the EUREKA network and co-funded by the European Union, it supports small consortia of 2–7 partners from at least two Eurostars countries. Projects typically run for 2–3 years, with two submission deadlines each year. Funding rates vary by country, making Eurostars a flexible programme for bringing innovative products and services closer to market.

Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU)

Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) is Europe's flagship public-private partnership for semiconductor technologies, microelectronics and digital innovation. It funds collaborative projects that typically involve 10–30 partners, receive €5–25 million and run for 3–5 years. Bringing together universities, research organisations, SMEs and industry, Chips JU strengthens Europe's capabilities in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced computing and secure digital infrastructure.

Other European funding opportunities

Researchers and innovators in digital technologies, advanced industry and security can also benefit from a broad range of European funding opportunities. These include European Partnerships such as SNS JU, EuroHPC JU and AI, Data and Robotics Partnershipas well as Digital Europe Programme, EIT Digital, EIT Manufacturing, EUREKA, COST Actions and national funding programmes. We help identify the funding schemes that best support your technology, consortium and innovation roadmap.

Open calls

Here some of the many EU funding opportunities we can help you succeed in.
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-09

Energy efficiency and sustainability of AI data processing in Data Centres (IA)

Horizon Europe
Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space
IA
Deadline

18.03.2027, 17:00

Budget

€ 10 million (approx.)

Single-stage

Our experience

See our track record in this area.
HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-03

New approaches for decentralized, federated and sustainable AI data processing (RIA)

Horizon Europe
Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space
RIA
Deadline

18.03.2027, 17:00

Budget

€ 17.5 million (approx.)

Single-stage

Our experience

See our track record in this area.
HORIZON-CL4-2027-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-52-two-stage

New approaches for Human/AI collaboration for the workforce of the future (RIA) (Made in Europe and AI, Data and Robotics partnerships)

Horizon Europe
Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space
RIA
Deadline

02.02.2027, 17:00 (first stage); 02.09.2027, 17:00 (second stage)

Budget

€ 4 - 6 million

Two-stage

Our experience

See our track record in this area.

Proposal writing

Our Proposal Writing service provides end-to-end support for health research consortia, from shaping a competitive project concept to delivering a high-quality proposal ready for submission. We translate scientific excellence into a compelling, evaluator-focused narrative by developing robust work plans, maximising impact pathways, designing credible implementation structures, coordinating partner contributions, and managing all administrative requirements. Supported by proven proposal templates and accelFINANCE® for structured budget development, we ensure every proposal is coherent, compliant, and strategically aligned with the call objectives. With success rates more than three times the European average, we help clients secure funding for ambitious, high-impact health research and innovation projects.

Grant advice

Our grant funding advice service helps researchers, universities, hospitals, SMEs and companies identify the most suitable European and national funding opportunities for health and life science innovations. We assess project ideas, recommend the most appropriate funding instruments and support strategic grant planning to maximise funding potential. Using our proprietary accelGRANTS® platform, we systematically identify relevant calls and align them with your scientific objectives, technology readiness and long-term strategy. Whether you are considering MSCA Doctoral Networks, Horizon Europe Cluster 1, IHI, Cancer Missions or EIC Pathfinder, we help you make informed funding decisions and build a strong foundation for successful proposals.

Project management

Our Project Management service supports international health research consortia throughout the entire project lifecycle, from grant preparation to final reporting. We coordinate governance, meetings, finances, reporting, risk management and communication with funding agencies, allowing researchers to focus on scientific excellence. Our team has supported more than 100 EU-funded projects, involving over 1,000 project partners and more than €300 million in collaborative research funding. Using accelCOCKPIT®, accelFINANCE® and accelINNO®, we ensure efficient project delivery, financial control and innovation management.

Project communication, dissemination and exploitation

Our Project Communication service helps health research projects maximise visibility, engage stakeholders and increase the impact of their results. We develop communication, dissemination and exploitation strategies, create websites and digital content, manage social media and organise workshops and stakeholder events. From patient engagement and clinical communities to policymakers and industry, we translate complex scientific results into clear messages that maximise project outreach and impact throughout and beyond the funding period.

Training

Our Training courses help researchers, proposal writers and project managers develop the skills needed to secure and deliver successful research projects. We offer practical workshops on European funding opportunities, proposal writing, project management, communication and dissemination, as well as transferable skills modules for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers. Tailored to the needs of health and life science organisations, our training combines current funding requirements with hands-on experience from European collaborative projects, providing practical knowledge that participants can apply immediately.

What our clients say

“We quickly found a common language; our interaction was fruitful and professional. Accelopment spare no effort for achieving the goal.“

Prof. Atanas Gotchev

ImmerSAFE Project Coordinator
Tampere University, Finland

Programme:

H2020-MSCA-ITN

Duration:

01.01.2018 – 30.11.2022

Area:

Security, ICT, mobility

Budget:

3.96 million euro

Frequently asked questions

Horizon Europe offers substantial funding for digital, industrial and security research and innovation. Cluster 4 Digital, Industry and Space supports areas including artificial intelligence, data technologies, advanced computing, robotics, manufacturing, advanced materials and other key enabling technologies. Cluster 3 Civil Security for Society addresses areas including cybersecurity, disaster-resilient societies, border management and the protection of infrastructure and citizens. Relevant opportunities can also be found in European Partnerships, the European Innovation Council and other EU programmes. accelopment helps organisations identify the funding opportunities best suited to their innovation and consortium.

accelopment helps digital and industrial research consortia translate technically complex concepts into coherent Horizon Europe proposals. Support can include call analysis, proposal strategy, coordination of partner contributions, proposal writing and review, impact development and preparation of communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. We work alongside technical experts to ensure that the proposal clearly explains not only what will be developed, but also why the innovation is needed, who will use it, how it advances beyond the state of the art and how it contributes to the outcomes and impacts expected by the European Commission.

Horizon Europe supports a broad portfolio of digital and industrial technologies. Depending on the Work Programme and call topic, opportunities may cover artificial intelligence, data and cloud technologies, robotics, advanced computing, digital twins, photonics, quantum technologies, advanced materials, manufacturing technologies and solutions for the digital transformation of European industry. Funding is generally linked to specific European policy and strategic objectives, so organisations should assess not only whether their technology fits a topic but also whether their proposed application can credibly deliver its expected outcomes and impacts.

A strong impact pathway should explain how the project's technology will move from research and development towards meaningful adoption and European benefit. This involves identifying the relevant users and stakeholders, demonstrating the need for the proposed solution and defining credible routes towards technical deployment, industrial uptake, standardisation, policymaking or commercialisation. Projects involving artificial intelligence and data may also need to consider issues such as trustworthiness, interoperability, security, privacy, ethics and regulatory requirements. Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities should then support these pathways rather than operate as standalone tasks.

Digital and industrial projects often develop technologies with significant potential for commercialisation, industrial deployment, licensing, standardisation or further investment. Exploitation planning helps the consortium identify these opportunities early and determine how individual project results can be used after EU funding ends. This includes analysing key exploitable results, intellectual property, target markets and users, competitive positioning, regulatory or standardisation requirements and potential business models. A credible exploitation strategy strengthens the project's impact case and helps transform successful research outputs into innovations that can be adopted at European scale.
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