The Horizon Europe Springboard Scheme for Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space Industry Themes provides financial support to eligible UK organisations to strengthen the development of Horizon Europe proposals under eligible topics in the Cluster 4 Industry and Horizontal Activities Work Programme 2027 only.
The current draft implementing decision – work programme 2026-2027 (Part 7 – digital, industry and space amendment) and draft implementing decision – Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027 (Part 14 Horizontal Activities amendment) documents are available to view.
Grant funding of up to £5,000 (excluding VAT) for up to 20 eligible UK organisations (one grant per eligible entity) is available to support the development of Horizon Europe pre-award proposal development activities including:
- Partnership building: joining relevant co-programmed partnerships, attending multinational consortium-building events in eligible European countries, and undertaking scoping visits to develop international collaborations.
- Proposal development: engaging external proposal writing expertise or supporting dedicated internal resource to prepare, develop and finalise a Horizon Europe proposal in accordance with the relevant Research and Innovation Action (RIA), Innovation Action (IA) or Coordination and Support Action (CSA) application template.
- Feasibility & scoping: undertaking preliminary feasibility studies, project development workshops, and market opportunity assessments in eligible countries to strengthen the proposed Horizon Europe project.
The scheme aims to increase UK participation and success in the above mentioned opportunities in Horizon Europe by supporting organisations to develop high-quality collaborative proposals.
Before starting your application, you must contact the UK Cluster 4 Industry National Contact Point (NCP) on NCP-Industry@iuk.ukri.org, discuss your proposal concept and activity plan for the identified topic, and receive written confirmation that you are eligible to submit an application.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. Funding will be awarded on a first come, first served (FCFS) basis until the available budget has been fully allocated. A maximum of 20 applications will be supported, with one application per eligible organisation. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their application as early as possible. The final application deadline is 2 February 2027.
Successful applicants will subsequently be invited to complete the relevant Innovate UK Innovation Funding Service (IFS) processes and submit eligible expenditure evidence to claim the awarded grant.
-
The application form contains the full list of eligibility criteria as well as the application guidance.
This opportunity is open to UK organisations interested in participating in Horizon Europe, particularly businesses, universities, research organisations, and other organisations developing proposals under the eligible Cluster 4 Industry topics and Horizontal Activities.
Before starting your application, please ensure you have contacted the UK Cluster 4 Industry National Contact Point (NCP) on NCP-Industry@iuk.ukri.org, discussed your proposal concept and activity plan for the identified topic, and received written confirmation that you are eligible to submit an application.
-
Horizon Europe is the world’s largest collaborative research programme worth £80bn+ over 7 years (from 2021). It is aimed at driving research excellence, fostering innovation and tackling global challenges through collaborative projects and funding opportunities.
The available topics in Cluster 4 can be viewed on our opportunity pages. For 2026-27, they have been subdivided into 5 Destinations:
- Leadership in materials and production for Europe
- Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data services and trustworthy artificial intelligence services
- Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies
- Open Strategic Autonomy in Developing, Deploying and Using Global Space-Based Infrastructure, Services, Applications and Data
- Digital and industrial technologies driving human-centric innovation
For further details on each call, view the 2026-27 Cluster 4 Work Programme.
Cluster 4 info days were held online on 29 January (covering destinations 1 and 4 above) and 30 January (covering destinations 2, 3, and 5). Recordings are now available.
-
- Can my organisation submit more than one application?
No. Only one application is permitted per eligible organisation. - Can I apply without contacting the National Contact Point?
No. Applicants are expected to write to the UK National Contact Point on NCP-Industry@iuk.ukri.org and obtain a written confirmation before submitting an application. Please note that a meeting, phone call or online discussion alone does not constitute a formal NCP approval. - Are two-stage Horizon Europe topics eligible?
Yes. Eligibility depends on the status of the relevant Horizon Europe topic. Where Stage 1 has already closed, only applicants invited to Stage 2 are eligible. Where Stage 1 remains open, applicants may apply to support the preparation of their Stage 1 proposal. Please refer to Annex A for the list of eligible topics. - Can I request more than £5,000 (excluding VAT)?
No. The maximum grant available is £5,000 (excluding VAT). If your proposed activities cost more than this, you must explain how the additional costs will be funded. - When will funding be paid?
Grant offer Letters (GoLs)expected by 31 March 2027 at the latest, with payments expected between 1-15 April 2027, subject to completion of the GoL process and the applicable grant terms and conditions. - Can more than one UK consortium member working on the same proposal submit applications?
Yes, however, this must be approved in advance by the National Contact Point to ensure the same activity is not funded more than once.
- Can my organisation submit more than one application?