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The Cluster 4 Industry results are in for the HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD call. The call closed on 21 April 2026 with 647 proposals submitted across 15 topics, covering advanced manufacturing, circularity, innovative materials, critical raw materials, industrial CO2 utilisation and technology infrastructures. Following evaluation, 66 proposals were retained for funding and another 22 placed on reserve lists. What can applicants learn from the results?

Funded share calculated from the final evaluation figures published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

One of the clearest findings is how many proposals were considered good enough to pass the evaluation thresholds but could still not be funded. Across the 15 topics, 493 of the 647 submissions were above threshold, while only 66 were retained. For applicants, this illustrates an important feature of highly competitive Horizon Europe calls: meeting the evaluation thresholds is only the starting point. In several topics, proposals effectively needed scores of 14.5 out of 15 to obtain funding.

These results reinforce several points that are relevant to preparing future proposals. First, excellent topic fit matters. With final funding thresholds frequently reaching 14 or 14.5, there is little room for loosely addressed expected outcomes or scope requirements. Second, eligibility deserves attention from the beginning. The number of ineligible submissions (45) demonstrates how costly an eligibility issue can be, regardless of the quality of the project idea. Finally, applicants should build their proposal around competitive differentiation. When dozens of technically credible proposals target the same topic, evaluators need to understand precisely why your approach, consortium, industrial validation and pathway to impact are stronger than the alternatives.

These Cluster 4 results provide a valuable benchmark for organisations considering upcoming manufacturing, materials and industrial technology calls. They should not, however, be used to predict the success rate of future topics. Changes in scope, budgets, partnerships and applicant interest can substantially alter competition from one year to the next.