Since 1 January 2024, UK businesses have been able to apply to Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme, on the same terms as companies in France, Germany or the Netherlands. It is the largest research and innovation fund in the world, and a UK company can lead a project in it.
Most UK businesses we talk to still assume they can't. The years when the UK's place in the programme was uncertain left an impression that hasn't worn off, and the result is that a very large pot of money is being competed for by fewer UK applicants than it could be.
This guide covers how Horizon Europe actually works for a UK business, the one rule that shapes almost every application, and five calls that are open or opening soon.
What Horizon Europe is
Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027 and is organised in pillars. The two that matter to most businesses are:
The thematic "clusters". Health, digital and industry, climate and energy, food and environment, and civil security each publish calls on specific topics, such as next-generation batteries, AI in manufacturing or wave and tidal energy. Each topic has a budget, a closing date and a defined scope.
The European Innovation Council (EIC). This is the part built for individual companies. The EIC funds start-ups and small businesses taking a technology from the lab towards market, and some of its schemes accept a single company applying alone.
What links all of it is that Horizon Europe funds research and innovation, not running costs. As with UK innovation funding, the question is whether you are trying to find out something nobody yet knows. If you are new to that distinction, our guide to innovation grants for UK businesses covers it.
Who qualifies, and the consortium rule
A UK-registered business can take part in nearly every Horizon Europe call. A small number of topics in strategic areas, mainly parts of quantum and space, are restricted to EU-based organisations, and the call text says so when that applies.
The rule that shapes most applications is the consortium. Most cluster calls require at least three independent organisations from three different countries, with at least one based in an EU member state. A UK company can coordinate the project, but it cannot do it alone.
That has three practical consequences:
You need partners before you need a proposal. The strongest applications are built by people who already know each other. If you have no European partners yet, start with the call you want and work backwards: trade associations, the UK's National Contact Points and partner-search tools on the EU funding portal all exist for exactly this.
The grant is shared. A topic paying around £4 million is usually the whole project's budget, split across every partner. Your share depends on your role in the work.
Funding rates are generous. Research and Innovation Actions usually cover 100% of eligible costs. Innovation Actions, which are closer to market, usually cover 70% for businesses. That is often better than equivalent UK competitions.
How the money is quoted
Horizon Europe budgets are set in euros. The figures below have been converted to pounds, so they move a little with the exchange rate. Two things to check on every call:
Topic budget versus project size. Some calls quote the whole topic budget, meaning the total across every project funded. Others quote a typical grant per project. They read alike and differ by a factor of three or four.
Forthcoming versus open. The EU publishes calls months before they open. A "forthcoming" call is one you can plan for, find partners for and start writing, but cannot yet submit. That lead time is the main advantage for a first-time applicant.
Five open or opening soon
These were checked against our listings on the day this was written. Deadlines can move, so confirm on the call page before you commit time.
EIC Accelerator — grants of up to €2.5 million (about £2.1 million), short proposals accepted until 17 December 2026. This is the EIC's flagship scheme for single companies, mainly start-ups and SMEs, with a technology already proven in the lab (at least Technology Readiness Level 5). It is one of the few Horizon routes a UK company can apply to alone. The process starts with a short proposal before a full application is invited. The scheme also offers equity investment alongside the grant, and UK applicants should check the current terms on that part, as the UK's association to Horizon Europe treats it differently from the grant.
Fast Track to Research and Innovation for breakthroughs in industrial technologies — up to £2.1 million per project, opens 13 October 2026, closes 2 February 2027. An open topic, so there is no narrow brief to match. It funds early-stage breakthrough work in manufacturing, process industries, steel, advanced materials and textiles, at the research end of the scale (up to Technology Readiness Level 4).
Innovative technologies and solutions to improve wave and tidal energy systems — around £36.5 million topic budget, opens 3 December 2026, closes 31 March 2027. Aimed at making ocean energy cheaper, more reliable and easier to maintain across the whole life of a farm, from installation to decommissioning. The UK has one of the strongest wave and tidal sectors in Europe, which makes this a call where UK companies are natural partners rather than add-ons.
Apply AI: Challenge-Driven AI Innovation Booster — around £11.9 million topic budget, opens 17 November 2026, closes 18 March 2027. Funds AI-powered solutions to set challenges in three sectors: healthcare, advanced manufacturing (including AI-powered robotics) and autonomous driving. Suited to a software business with a working product looking for a demanding first application.
Demonstration of zero emission coaches and buses in long-distance operations — around £11.5 million topic budget, opens 15 December 2026, closes 14 April 2027. Zero-emission buses work in cities. This call funds the harder problem of range, weight and charging on regional and long-distance routes, with demonstrations run by real passenger transport operators.
Note the shape of the list: one call a single company can apply to, four that need a consortium, and three that are not open yet. That is typical. Horizon Europe rewards the applicant who sees a call coming months ahead.
Before you apply
Read the topic's "expected outcomes" first. Assessors score you against them, and a project that is excellent but answers a different question will not be funded.
Check the type of action. A Research and Innovation Action and an Innovation Action are funded at different rates and judged differently. The call page says which one you are writing.
Line up your partners early. The most common reason a UK company misses a call is not a weak idea but running out of time to form a consortium.
Finding Horizon Europe calls on Grants Hub
Horizon Europe calls sit on Grants Hub alongside 3,700+ live UK funding opportunities from 1,400+ funders, checked daily, including calls that are published but not open yet. Search by what your project does and you will see the European calls that fit it next to the UK competitions, rather than in a separate portal written in a different vocabulary. Set an alert and the next relevant call reaches you while there is still time to build a consortium. We take 0% commission on anything you win.