Horizon Europe HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 Next-Generation AI Agents for Real-World Applications in GenAI4EU Priority Sectors

Horizon Europe HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 Next-Generation AI Agents for Real-World Applications in GenAI4EU Priority Sectors is sponsored by European Commission (Horizon Europe Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space). HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 funds Research and Innovation Actions developing next-generation autonomous AI agents for real-world applications across the seven GenAI4EU priority sectors (healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, climate and the green deal, virtual worlds, …

EU Funding & Tenders Portal * Results & Innovation support * SME Self-assessment tool Home)FundingCalls for proposals)Next-Generation AI Agents for Real-World Applications in the Apply AI sectors (RIA) (Partnership in AI, Data and Robotics) Next-Generation AI Agents for Real-World Applications in the Apply AI sectors (RIA) (Partnership in AI, Data and Robotics) HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 * Conditions and documents DIGITAL (HORIZON-CL4-2026-05) HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] 15 April 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time While today’s AI agents still have limited capabilities, advances in model architecture, memory, reasoning, and autonomous behaviour are paving the way to unlocking their potential across economic sectors.

The Apply AI Strategy[1]acknowledges this trend and the need to advance research on next-generation AI agents. Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes: * Significant improvements in the autonomy, robustness and reliability of AI agents through advanced planning mechanisms, memory management, and reasoning capabilities.

* Innovative multi-agent frameworks and protocols demonstrating effective decentralized coordination and collaboration among multiple AI agents beyond the capabilities of individual agents.

Next-generation AI agents are autonomous systems powered by large AI language models (e.g., large language models or large multimodal models), that can plan, utilize tools and perform actions autonomously to achieve specified goals based on high-level instructions. The large AI model acts as the agent's "brain," capable of interpreting instructions, generating plans, and using tools.

This capability enables agents to autonomously plan and adapt behaviour in real-time to accomplish complex, multi-step tasks. AI Agents hold significant promise in numerous applications areas such as data analytics and coding. Effective AI agents require careful design, incorporating structured planning and reasoning methods to manage complex tasks, and be equipped with appropriate validation and monitoring techniques.

Multi-agent collaboration frameworks further enhance capabilities by enabling structured interactions among multiple agents. Key aspects in designing effective AI agents include robust planning, reasoning, and search mechanisms that allow agents to approach complex tasks by breaking them down into structured subgoals.

Effective memory and state management are necessary to maintaining coherent long-term interactions, achieved through a balanced integration of short-term and external long-term memory solutions. Moreover, integrating external tools and APIs is essential for overcoming limitations in large AI models, enhancing agent performance in tasks requiring accuracy and reliability.

All proposals are expected to incorporate mechanisms for assessing and demonstrating progress, including qualitative and quantitative KPIs, benchmarking, and progress monitoring. When possible, proposals should build on and reuse public results from relevant previous funded actions. Communicable results should be shared with the European R&D community through the AI-on-demand platform.

Projects selected in this topic should link to the resources offered by the AI Factories, including the Data Labs. The results may be validated in the Testing and Experiment Facilities and further deployed via the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) and will contribute to the Apply AI strategy.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, data, and robotics (ADRA), and all proposals are expected to allocate tasks for cohesion activities with ADRA and the CSA HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-18: GenAI4EU central Hub. Proposals should also build on or seek collaboration with relevant projects and develop synergies with other relevant International, European, national, or regional initiatives.

Activities are expected to start at TRL 2 and achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. [1] COM xxxx(2025) Apply AI Strategy - PLACEHOLDER Available budget: EUR 85,500,000.

00 The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows: HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03 HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-MAT-PROD-25 Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)83 59 108 Number of inadmissible proposals 1 2 0 Number of ineligible proposals 3 1 1 Number of above-threshold proposals 64 42 99 Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals 1,170,345,703.

75 €499,059,353. 25 €682,299,097.

77 € Number of proposals retained for funding 2 2 3 Number of proposals in the reserve list 1 2 2 Funding threshold 1 15 15 15 Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14 13 6 24 Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13 15 8 23 Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10 36 28 52 1 Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions (for HE, in the General Annexes to the Work Programme or specific arrangements in the specific call/topic conditions).

For HE, to determine the ranking for ‘Innovation actions’, the score for ‘Impact’ is given a weight of 1. 5. **Summary of observer report:** The evaluation of the proposals of this call followed the standard procedure for single stage call evaluations.

The evaluation was performed in two phases: a remote one and a central one in Brussels. The evaluation ran smoothly, and all deadlines were met. The evaluation complied with the applicable rules.

The process was transparent and fair. The quality of the consensus reports and the evaluation summary reports was excellent. All experts complied with the requirement to act with independence, impartiality, objectivity, accuracy, and consistency.

All experts worked at the highest level of quality and performance. The guidance provided by the responsible HaDEA service through briefings, documents, and direct consultation, was excellent. The quality of this evaluation was excellent and achieved its purpose of funding proposals of the highest quality.

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals. For questions, please contact _:_ the Research Enquiry Service. Call **HORIZON-CL4-2026-05**has closed on**15 April 2026.

** A total of **250** proposals were submitted in response to this call.

The number of proposals for each topic is shown below: **HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02** - Next-Generation AI Agents for Real-World Applications in the Apply AI sectors (RIA) (Partnership in AI, Data and Robotics) 83 proposals submitted (indicative topic budget 38 EUR million) **HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03** - Apply AI: Next-Generation Agile and Intelligent Robotics Platforms for Industrial and Service Applications (Partnership in AI, Data and Robotics) (RIA) 59 proposals submitted (indicative topic budget 25 EUR million) **HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-MAT-PROD-25** - New or enhanced Innovative Advanced Materials (IAM) enabled sensing functionality (RIA) 108 proposals submitted (indicative topic budget 22.

50 EUR million) The evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2026.

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-MAT-PROD-25, HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03 Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies (2026-27) Leadership in frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum, Photonics and Semiconductors is essential to Europe’s economic security and global competitiveness.

Building on the ambition of becoming the “AI Continent” and in line with the concrete actions devised in the Apply AI Strategy[1], the EU will consolidate its world-class research ecosystem through initiatives like the RAISE network of AI science labs, the development of safe and efficient frontier AI models, and the deployment of next-generation AI agents and robotics in strategic sectors.

In parallel, a long-term quantum strategy will reinforce Europe’s excellence across quantum computing, sensing and communication, supported by new infrastructures and standardisation to secure technological sovereignty.

Photonics and semiconductor technologies will remain critical enablers for the digital and green transitions, with investments in advanced integrated photonic devices and resilient semiconductor ecosystems ensuring Europe’s capacity to innovate, scale and compete globally.

Foresight and support to emerging materials and technologies will further strengthen Europe’s position at the cutting edge to make sure Europe’s does not miss the emergence of new disruptive technologies, aligning with the Draghi report and the Competitiveness Compass to secure a cohesive, sovereign and future-proof European industrial base.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes. [1] COM(2025)723 Apply AI Strategy Topic conditions and documents #### 1.

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. **Proposal page limits and layout:** described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. #### 2.

Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

#### 3.

Other Eligible Conditions In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and address any strategic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and high-risk dependencies which put at risk the attainment of its ambitions.

For this reason, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, entities established in third countries which may become associated to Horizon Europe during 2026 and 2027 may be eligible to participate in this topic if the third country is identified for this topic as an eligible country in the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe at the time of submission of the application[See the [List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe available at https://ec. europa.

eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en. pdf.]] In any case, the association agreement to the Programme must apply by the time of the signature of the grant agreement.

For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity, may not participate in the action unless it can be demonstrated, by means of guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their participation to the action would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.

Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment within the meaning of ‘restrictions for the protection of European communication networks’ (or entities fully or partially owned or controlled by a high-risk supplier) cannot submit guarantees.

[[The guarantees shall in particular substantiate that, for the purpose of the action, measures are in place to ensure that: a) control over the applicant legal entity is not exercised in a manner that retrains or restricts its ability to carry out the action and to deliver results, that imposes restrictions concerning its infrastructure, facilities, assets, resources, intellectual property or know-how needed for the purpose of the action, or that undermines its capabilities and standards necessary to carry out the action; b) access by a non-eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity to sensitive information relating to the action is prevented; and the employees or other persons involved in the action have a national security clearance issued by an eligible country, where appropriate; c) ownership of the intellectual property arising from, and the results of, the action remain within the recipient during and after completion of the action, are not subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries or non-eligible country entity, and are not exported outside the eligible countries, nor is access to them from outside the eligible countries granted, without the approval of the eligible country in which the legal entity is established.]]

Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. #### 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

#### 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. #### 5b.

Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. #### 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

#### 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

#### Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): **Application form templates**_— the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System_ Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) **Evaluation form templates**_— will be used with the necessary adaptations_ Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) **Model Grant Agreements (MGA)** **Call-specific instructions** Ownership Control Declaration Annex #### Additional documents: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1.

General Introduction HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15.

General Annexes HE Framework Programme 2021/695 HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement No submission system is open for this topic.

Topic Q&As**0** item(s) found Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application. Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant. Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.

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