Horizon Europe newsletter

30 months remaining in Horizon Europe
Speculation on the future structure, governance and budget of FP10, the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, continues, however Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently clarified at the Annual EU Budget Conference 2025 that “Our framework programme Horizon Europe will stay as a self-standing programme. It is an outstanding brand – the most renowned research programme worldwide. But it will be tightly connected to our Competitiveness Fund. We need a seamless flow from fundamental research to applied research to start-ups to scale-up.”

More clarity on FP10 is expected on July 16th. In the meantime we are staying focused on the two and a half years remaining in Horizon Europe. To date, Irish organisations have been awarded €943.6m according to the Horizon Dashboard. Our national drawdown target is €1.5bn, so lots more to do, and many more project and funding opportunities still available for Irish SMEs, Higher Education Institutes, larger companies, Research Performing Organisations and other stakeholders.

Startup and Scaleup Strategy
‘Choose Europe to Start and Scale’ is the new EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy which was launched at the end of May. The strategy aims to tackle barriers for companies in transforming research into market-ready solutions and sets out target actions across five main areas. You can read more here.

Women TechEU and European Prize for Women Innovators
Women TechEU is a two-year EU-funded project supporting women leading deep tech start-up companies from Europe. The project is launching its fourth call for applications - beneficiaries can receive €75k grants as well as a personalised business development programme. An online info day takes place tomorrow, 11 June and the deadline for applications is 4 August.

Separately, the 2026 European Prize for Women Innovators will open soon for applications. A webinar will take place on 24 June where you can hear from previous winners and learn more about the award criteria. Applications open on 17 June and you can find the details here.

All-island collaborations

National Contact Point Patrick Lansley was joined by colleagues from Intertrade Ireland and Research Ireland at a recent event fostering all-island collaboration for Horizon Europe Cluster 2 Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society.

A similar event for Cluster 5 Climate, Energy and Mobility will take place this Friday in Dublin - researchers, companies and other stakeholders from Ireland and Northern Ireland can find out more about the upcoming calls. Find the details here.

National Support Network team updates
Funding opportunities under Cluster 4 are the focus of NCP Stephen O'Reilly's update in this month's newsletter while Jane Carrigan gives a full report on MSCA activity. Maria Nash highlights major updates in the ERC, including ERC Super Grants, and International Technical Expert Jean-Michel Portefaix focuses on the potential for AI collaboration between France and Ireland. You'll find these articles further below.

Finally, congratulations to our Cluster 6 National Delegate Fiona Grant who been honoured with a prestigious University of Galway Alumni Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contribution to marine science!

Here to help!
You'll find contact information for Ireland's National Delegates and National Contact Points in our Horizon Europe directory - get in touch with any Horizon Europe enquiries or email horizonsupport@enterprise-ireland.com

Stephen O Reilly , National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Cluster 4 - Digital and National Representative for the Chips Joint Undertaking, Enterprise Ireland

Cluster 4 of Horizon Europe covers Digital, Industry, and Space and represents a major EU investment in innovation. Irish organisations have already secured more than €151 million in funding. In this update, Stephen outlines key developments, funding opportunities, and Ireland’s growing role in digital and semiconductor initiatives. Read the full article here.

Jane Carrigan, National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), Irish Universities Association

With over €110 million secured by Irish organisations under Horizon Europe, MSCA remains a key funding opportunity. Jane highlights current 2025 calls, including Postdoctoral Fellowships, Staff Exchanges, and a new pilot, MSCA Choose Europe for Science, encouraging researchers to apply or prepare for 2026. You'll find all the details here.

Maria Nash, European Research Council National Delegate (ND) and ERC National Contact Point (NCP) for both the Physical Sciences & Engineering and Life Sciences domains, and NCP Research Infrastructures

Major updates are coming to the European Research Council (ERC), with new funding boosts, evolving application formats, and planning for "ERC Super Grants". As we head into a new era of frontier research, keep up to date with all these developments in Maria's article here.

Upcoming events:

Wed 11 June - Cluster 3 Info day and Brokerage Event 2025. Details here
Fri 13 June - Cluster 5 Climate, Energy, Mobility information session and brokerage event. Details here
Wed 18 June - GenAI4EU Booster on-line info day. Details here
Thurs 19 June - How to become an expert for Horizon Europe. Details here.
Thurs 19 & 20 June - NGI Forum 2025. Details here.
Tues 24 June - Horizon Europe – MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 – Call info day. Details here
Wed 2 & 3 July- The Future of Digital Investments in the EU. Details here.