Europe Unlocks €14 Billion in Horizon Funding with €90M AI in Science Call
February 27, 2026 · 2 min read
Arthur Griffin
The European Commission has opened its largest-ever research funding cycle, with the €14 billion Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme now accepting proposals across health, climate, digital industry, and a dedicated €90-100 million AI in Science initiative.
The programme — adopted December 11, 2025 — allocates 35% of its budget to climate action, making it the most climate-aligned Horizon work programme in history. But the AI-specific funding may attract the widest international attention.
A €90 Million Bet on AI for Research
The horizontal AI in Science call supports trustworthy AI applications in advanced materials, agriculture, and healthcare. The initiative is building toward what the Commission describes as a "virtual institute envisioned as a 'CERN for AI'" — a pan-European research infrastructure called RAISE that would concentrate computational resources and expertise at a scale no single nation could sustain alone.
This runs in parallel with Google.org's $30 million AI for Science Challenge, which carries an April deadline — giving AI researchers two major funding opportunities on overlapping timelines.
Health Cluster: 18 Topics, April 16 Deadline
The Health cluster alone opens 18 topics across six destinations, with all proposals due April 16, 2026 at 17:00 CET. Priority areas include digital technology's effects on youth mental health, post-infection long-term conditions, novel vaccines for epidemic-prone pathogens, and climate-resilient healthcare systems. The Health cluster carries a budget exceeding €1.33 billion.
Who Can Apply — Including Non-EU Researchers
Horizon Europe is not EU-only. Researchers based outside Europe can request up to €2 million in relocation funding — up from €1.5 million in the previous cycle — with additional personnel cost coverage during the first year. The EIC Accelerator opens its first 2026 submission window on March 4.
Proposals are evaluated on Excellence, Impact, and Implementation, each scored 0-5 with a minimum threshold of 3. Registration requires a validated Participant Identification Code through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.
For U.S.-based researchers eyeing European collaboration, platforms like Granted can surface international opportunities alongside domestic ones, helping teams build multi-funder strategies before the April deadlines close.