Horizon Europe 2025: Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
Funding to widen participation and strengthening the European Research Area, with up to €8m per project
Opportunity Details
When
Registration Opens
06/05/2025
Registration Closes
20/11/2025
Award
Up to €8m per project, which can fund up to 100% of costs depending on project type.
Organisation
Horizon Europe
This part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 addresses the area “Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area” (WIDERA). There are opportunities for different types of organisations, for example, universities, research performing organisations, research funding organisations, research infrastructures, academies and learned societies, civil society organisations, researchers’ organisations, tech startups, incubators, science parks, innovation hubs, and regional, national and city authorities. The work programme includes two components:
- I: Widening participation and spreading excellence (Destination: Improved access to Excellence)
- II: Strengthening the European Research Area (ERA) by reforming and enhancing the European research and innovation system
A list of calls in each Destination is given below. Closing dates are all in September, October, or November 2025.
The 2025 WIDERA work programme calls and other actions are designed to contribute
toward the implementation of the four priority areas of the Pact for R&I:
- Priority I: Deepening a truly functioning internal market for knowledge;
- Priority II: Taking up together the green transition and digital transformation and other
challenges with impact on society, and increasing society’s participation in the ERA; - Priority III: Enhancing access to R&I excellence across the Union and enhancing
interconnections between innovation ecosystems across the Union; - Priority IV: Advancing concerted R&I investments and reforms.
UK organisations and businesses can apply for Horizon Europe funding, working as part of a three-country consortium with at least one member from within the EU (see “Who can apply?” below). If you are interested in one of the calls and would like to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s European Programmes team.
Potential applicants should also sign up for the WIDERA Info Day on Tuesday 20 May 2025, starting at 8am CET (7am UK time).
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In line with Horizon Europe, all the actions supported by this call are open to actors from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in Horizon Europe actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State;
- and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries (this includes the UK).
Our European team can help you find eligible partners to form a consortium.
There may be further eligibility conditions for specific topics. Please check the Work Programme and contact our team to ensure your eligibility before applying.
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Single-stage call closing 4 Sep 2025:
- Hop-on facility – €40m total budget, c.€0.2-0.6m per project (expected number of projects is c.90) – will open the opportunity for new participants from widening countries
to join ongoing RIA projects under pillar 2 and the EIC pathfinder projects of Horizon Europe
that have not yet any partner from a widening country
Single-stage call closing 16 Sep 2025:
- Support for R&I policy making in the EU
enlargement countries – €3m for a single project
Single-stage call closing 15 Oct 2025:
- Implementing co-funded action plans for connected regional innovation valleys in widening countries – €24m total budget, c.€5-8m per project
Single-stage call closing 18 Nov 2025:
- EIC pre-accelerator – Widening – €20m total budget, c.€0.3-0.5m per project (expected number of projects is c.50) – aims to boost the innovation potential of early-stage deep-tech startups in widening countries
Single-stage call closing 20 Nov 2025:
- European Excellence Initiative (EEI) – €80m total budget, c.€2-5m per project (expected number of projects is c.27) – aims to raise the overall level of excellence of research undertaken in
higher education entities in European University alliances and beyond with a centre of gravity
in widening countries
- Hop-on facility – €40m total budget, c.€0.2-0.6m per project (expected number of projects is c.90) – will open the opportunity for new participants from widening countries
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Single-stage calls closing 18 Sep 2025:
Rolling out the ERA Policy Agenda results – €26m total budget, c.€1.5-2m per project (expected number of projects is c.13)
Enable sustained coordination and guidance at the European level on institutional non-profit open access publishing – c.€2m for a single project
Research and innovation to provide evidence that support reforms of research assessment – c.€2m for a single project
Investigating and addressing career barriers faced by underrepresented and marginalised researchers – c.€2m for a single project
Programme-level collaboration – €4m total budget, c.€2m per project – common priority setting and sustainable joint activities and funding programmes among national and regional research and innovation programmes
Strengthening of the European Science for Policy Ecosystem – c.€2m for a single project
Science comes to town 2027 – c.€6m for a single project – invites a small group of cities to design and implement jointly a vibrant and engaging yearlong programme of activities under the label “Science comes to town 2027”
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Related programme
Horizon Europe
Explore information on the UK’s official Horizon Europe Hub to help guide you on your research and innovation journey.