Horizon Europe 2027 Cluster 4 calls: €496M for industry and AI

The European Commission has published the 2027 calls of Horizon Europe - Cluster 4. The programme is dedicated to strengthening European industry and digital and emerging technologies. The funding opportunities of the Horizon Europe 2027 calls include five invitations. The overall budgets range from €30.5 to €224.7 million. All calls are set to close on 2 February 2027. For Italian startups, SMEs and research centres, this is a concrete window. It allows access to non-repayable grants on topics such as advanced materials, automation, decarbonisation and artificial intelligence applied to work.

What the 2027 Industry Calls Under Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Include

Cluster 4 of Horizon Europe pursues three stated objectives. The first is to accelerate the green and digital transition. The second is to reduce Europe’s strategic dependencies on critical raw materials. The third is to improve the competitiveness of businesses and the European industrial system. The five invitations cover materials and manufacturing, energy and digital technologies, industrial innovation, decarbonisation and automated scientific discovery.

The budgets of the five invitations exceed €496 million in total. Each invitation contains specific topics with different types of action. RIAs (Research and Innovation Actions) fund research projects. IAs (Innovation Actions) fund demonstration and scale-up. CSAs (Coordination and Support Actions) fund networks and support services.

Materials and Manufacturing: €224.7 Million

The call HORIZON-CL4-2027-01, dedicated to materials and manufacturing, is the largest with €224.7 million. It funds advanced materials, industrial automation, circular economy, textile technologies, exploitation of research results and direct support for startups and SMEs.

Among the eleven topics highlighted by the European Commission, those with the most immediate relevance to the innovation ecosystem stand out. These include pilot access schemes to Technology Infrastructures for startups, scaleups and innovative SMEs. Another topic is an initiative on “proof of market” to improve the commercialisation of results generated by Horizon. And a European network to scale up the role of venture builders in research organisations. The IA-type topics on critical and strategic raw materials and on advanced manufacturing fall within the Made in Europe, Processes4Planet and Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnerships.

The Other Opportunities: Energy, Digital, Innovation and Decarbonisation

The call HORIZON-CL4-2027-02 on materials, energy and digital technologies has €82.5 million available. The funds cover two topics with a two-stage procedure. The interventions concern energy efficiency in industrial processes powered by renewable sources and collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence for the future of work. The opening was scheduled for 13 October 2026, with the first deadline on 2 February 2027.

The call HORIZON-CL4-2027-06 on industrial innovation has a budget of €33.6 million for two topics. The topics are in Fast Track to Innovation mode. They are dedicated to breakthroughs in the action plan for the chemical industry and in industrial technologies. Industrial decarbonisation, under the call HORIZON-CID-2027-01, will attract €125 million for one topic. The topic concerns the Clean Industrial Deal initiative. It is aimed at reducing emissions in energy-intensive sectors. Finally, HORIZON-RAISE-2027-01 makes €30.5 million available for three topics of the RAISE pilot. The topics concern the automation of scientific discovery, including in the food sector. One topic also concerns a Data Lab model for science connected to EOSC.

Deadlines and How to Prepare the Application

All Horizon Europe calls are set to close on 2 February 2027, the same deadline for the five invitations. Those working on human-AI collaboration and energy efficiency face a two-stage procedure. The first stage closes on 2 February 2027. It is therefore advisable to choose the most suitable topic right away and to assess whether the planned types of action, RIA, IA or CSA, match the maturity of the project.

For Italian startups and SMEs, the most direct entry points are the topics with explicit support for businesses. These include the access schemes to Technology Infrastructures, the “proof of market” and the European network on venture builders. Preparing consortia with industrial and research partners from the partnerships involved increases the relevance of the proposal. The partnerships involved can be Made in Europe or Processes4Planet. This better responds to the criteria expected by the European Commission.

Sources:

• Horizon Europe: aperti i bandi Industry 2027 del Cluster 4 | europainnovazione.com