No suitable call topics in Cluster 4? More EU funding opportunities for your digital, industry and space research!
28th March 2025 at 7:28 am
The advanced drafts of Horizon Europe’s 2025 Pillar 2 Work Programmes (WPs) are now available, offering a great opportunity to pinpoint key call topics for your research and innovation projects. If the available topics do not align with your goals, there are alternative funding options, including bottom-up schemes like the EIC Pathfinder and Transition, the MSCA Doctoral Networks and many top-down calls within the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), offering pathways to bring your project to life. Since Horizon Europe instruments have become increasingly popular, resulting in more competition and lower success rates, why not look into alternative programmes?
Alternative funding opportunities for digital, industry and space research
Beyond Cluster 4, the following EU programmes also offer opportunities for research and innovation fostering digital transformation:
- Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL): focuses on key capacity areas such as supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced digital skills. The DIGITAL WP 2025-2027 is the last one for the 2021-2027 MFF and will be focused on developing and ensuring the sustainability of actions started and pursued under the previous WPs, such as various data spaces, bringing them from the preparatory to the deployment phase. The WP 2025-2027 is yet to be published.
- Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital): supports investments devoted to safe, secure and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, in particular, Gigabit and 5G networks across the EU. The WP 2024-2027 indicates that new calls for Digital Global Gateways should be expected in 2025 and 2026 with an estimated total budget of M€496.
- InvestEU Programme: helps to mobilize private investments for the EU’s top policy priorities such as the green and digital transition, innovation and social investments and skills. The InvestEU Fund provides financial backing and advice. The overall investment to be mobilised is estimated to be more than €372 billion across the EU, of which 30% will contribute to climate objectives.
- European Partnerships: Amongst the established European Partnerships, several address digital, industry and space topics, including the institutionalised partnerships on Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), Metrology, and Smart Networks and Services.
Given the complexity of navigating multiple Work Programmes to find suitable call topics, we have developed streamlined processes to assist you in identifying and securing the right funding opportunities.
How to find the best fit? Strategic grant planning for you!
To find European funding opportunities, check the draft Work Programme, search online and attend Cluster-specific Information Days or workshops hosted by National Contact Points (NCPs). You can also explore the EU Funding and Tenders Portal’s event calendar for upcoming events – we would be happy to connect with you there!
Unlock the full potential of your digital, industry and space research with our strategic grant planning (sgp) service. We will help you pinpoint the best funding opportunities and provide expert guidance to craft winning grant applications, ensuring you are set for success in the years ahead. Using accelGRANTSTM, our intelligent, data-driven tool, we analyse funding opportunities within Horizon Europe and beyond, ensuring that your innovative ideas align with the most relevant opportunities. Let us help you identify the most promising funding opportunities early, giving you a competitive advantage and positioning you for success in the ever-evolving research landscape.
