Horizon Europe newsletter

On the road
In the run up to the Easter break, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of meetings, events and travel for the National Support Network team at home and abroad. Highlights included a visit by Professor of the European Research Council Maria Leptin to Dublin where she took part in the ERC Impact Forum hosted by Research Ireland. A delegation from Universities UK International also visited Ireland as part of a series of international visits to raise awareness of the UK rejoining Horizon Europe and future collaboration opportunities.

Irish women entrepreneurs win again

Irish entrepreneurs Rhona Togher and Elizabeth McGloughlin have been celebrated at the European Prize for Women Innovators. Rhona Togher, co-founder of Dublin-based Lios, won the first runner-up prize for her work on SoundBounce, a smart acoustic material. Elizabeth McGloughlin, co-founder of Galway-based Tympany Medical, secured third place for developing Solascope, an advanced surgical imaging tool. More from Silicon Republic here.

The awards were announced last week at the EIC Summit in Brussels attended by our EIC NCP team. Celebrating its fourth anniversary this year, the EIC has published a new impact report - Scaling deep tech in Europe.

Cross-border collaborations
Researchers across the island of Ireland will have the opportunity to engage in increased cross-border collaborations on the Horizon Europe programme with a new series of online workshops and match making/partner search opportunities happening in 2025 - find out more here.

Legal and Financial news
The European Commission has introduced a new audit procedure which classifies participants into three risk levels. If classified as low-risk, participants benefit from a higher threshold (€725k instead of €430k) for submitting a CFS (certificate on the financial statements) and face fewer or less detailed audits. Find out more about the "systems and process audit (SPA) procedure" here.

An update of the “AGA” (Annotated Model Grant Agreement) has been published – you’ll find it on the Funding and Tenders Portal webpage for HE reference documents here.

Success story series
The Horizon Europe-funded GoGreen Next project is led by Associate Professor of Environmental Psychology Tadhg McIntyre at Maynooth University and aims to support “cities and regions to achieve their climate targets by implementing novel nature-based approaches”. This video is part of our success story series highlighting Ireland-led projects dealing with global societal challenges.

National Support Network team updates
In this month's newsletter, Sergio Fernandez-Ceballos explores the Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Work Programme for 2025, while offering a glimpse into the 2026–27 Work Programme. Meanwhile, Fiona Grant showcases the latest marine research breakthroughs under Horizon Europe, and previews upcoming opportunities in the 2025 work programmes. Finally, Philip Cheasty shares insights on sustainable energy opportunities, focusing on Horizon Europe's 2025 calls.

Contact us
Our Horizon Europe directory contains contact information for each member of the team - please get in touch with your Horizon Europe enquiries or email horizonsupport@enterprise-ireland.com

Sergio Fernandez-Ceballos, National Delegate and National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Cluster 4 - Industry, Enterprise Ireland

The finalised Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry, and Space) Work Programme for 2025 focuses on advancing climate-neutral manufacturing, decarbonisation, sustainable raw materials, and innovative materials. Preliminary deadlines for funding applications will be shared later this month.

Sergio highlights these developments and looks ahead to the 2026–27 Work Programme, which aligns with key European initiatives like the Net-Zero Industry Act. Explore Sergio's article for more insights here.

Fiona Grant, National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Cluster 6 – Natural Resources and NCP for Ocean and Waters Mission, Marine Institute

Discover the latest breakthroughs in marine research and innovation as Horizon Europe reaches its midpoint. With over €76.5m awarded to Irish partners, Fiona highlights exciting projects like AEROSUB and GuardIAS that are paving the way for sustainable solutions in offshore wind farms and combating invasive species.

May is set to bring fresh opportunities with the 2025 work programmes. Key events to look out for include the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Information Days and the European Maritime Day in Cork. Read Fiona's full article here.

Philip Cheasty, National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Cluster 5 - Energy, NCP Nuclear Fission and Fusion Energy and NCP for Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission, Enterprise Ireland

Philip shares the latest opportunities in sustainable energy with insights on the Horizon Europe and LIFE Clean Energy Transition calls for 2025. Horizon Europe's Destination 3: "Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply" offers €407 million for 27 topics and Destination 4: " Efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use” provides €84 million for 6 topics. Philip also highlights key events such as the Info Day and brokerage events to connect with potential project partners. Read the full article here.

Upcoming events:

Mon 5 & Tue 6 May - Brokerage Event - Cluster 1. Details here.
Tue 6 May - Horizon Europe Info days - Cluster 5. Details here.
Tue 6 May - GREENET Brokerage - Cluster 5. Detail here.
Tue 13 May - Horizon Europe info days - Cluster 4. Details here.
Thu 15 May - Photonics Partnership Annual Meeting 2025. Details here.
Thu 15 May - Horizon Europe Info Day - Cluster 2. Details here.
Fri 16 May - Net4Society Brokerage - Cluster 2. Details here.
Mon 19 May - Horizon Europe Info Days - Research Infrastructures. Details here.
Tue 20-21 May - Horizon Europe Info Days - Cluster 6. Details here.
Tue 20 May - Horizon Europe Info Days - WIDERA. Details here.
Thu 22 May - Horizon Europe Info Days - Cluster 1. Details here.
Tue 22-23 May - Horizon Europe Info Days - EU Missions. Details here.
Tue 27 May - (Warsaw) Care4Bio Brokerage - Cluster 6. Details here.
Wed 28 May - (Warsaw) Applicant Training - Cluster 6. Details here.