What this call funds
Expected Outcome
- Advanced integrated photonic devices and circuits with enhanced functionality and performance enabling wider application across multiple sectors including digital, automotive, industrial, health and security
- Reinforced competitiveness of EU photonics actors by demonstrating advancements in representative system configurations and validating real-world applicability
- Significantly improved performance of electro-optic systems in applications such as communication, computing, sensing, medical diagnostics, data processing, AI supporting the introduction of photonic elements into such systems
- Low power consumption sensors with increased performance in application domains
Scope
R&I should enhance the functionality, efficiency, and integration of photonic devices and circuits with a focus extended system performance. Action should address at least two of the following aspects.
- Enhanced performance through improved spectral purity, wavelength coverage, output power and noise characteristics.
- Increased modulation or detection speeds going beyond the capability of existing PIC material platforms, improved signal-processing capabilities, and integration of novel materials such as thin-film LiNbO3, BTO, graphene, silicon carbide, phase change materials and TMDCs.
- Miniaturised, high-complexity photonic circuits (e.g. multilayer photonics, chiplets, multiple integrated functional elements), scalable interconnects and electronics-photonics integration (co-packaged, heterogeneous, or monolithic) to improve performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
- Reduction of power consumption for example through improved electrical-to-optical conversion, lower optical losses, devices operable at higher temperatures to reduce cooling needs, and low-power circuit actuation and control.
Proposals should consider system-level impact and demonstrate advancements in representative configurations relevant to one or more application domains.
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on photonics.
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Activities are expected to start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 6 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Eligibility & conditions+
General conditions
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, associated countries, OECD countries and MERCOSUR countries.
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, shall not participate in the action.
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
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Documents
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)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide 
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Lump Sum MGA 
Call-specific instructions 
Detailed budget table (HE LS) 
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
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 Programme Guide
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
Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-10-13