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Overview
Cluster 6 is the part of Horizon Europe, the EU's €95.5 billion research and innovation programme, that funds the green transition of how Europe grows food, manages land and water, and turns biological resources into value. It backs collaborative projects (a "consortium" means a partnership of organisations from different countries working on one grant) across seven themes: biodiversity and ecosystems, fair and healthy food systems, the circular economy and bioeconomy, zero pollution, climate action on land and sea, rural and coastal communities, and environmental governance and digital solutions. The 2026-2027 work programme, adopted on 11 December 2025, carries an indicative budget of roughly €959 million, with over €580 million in calls closing in 2026. Two things changed materially this cycle: lump-sum grants (a single fixed payment instead of itemised cost claims) are now the default for around half of the budget, and the Commission cut the number of topics by about 35% versus 2023-2024 — fewer, larger calls — while shortening the standard RIA/IA proposal to 40 pages. Most grants are Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) funded at 100% of eligible costs, with EU contributions typically between €3 million and €15 million per project. This is not startup money — it is multi-country research funding for universities, research institutes, companies, public bodies and NGOs that want to push agri-food, bio-based and environmental science from the lab toward the field.
Is this for you?
Success rates — the honest picture
Roughly 1 in 5 applications gets funded. A sharp, evidence-backed proposal is what separates the funded from the rejected.
Eligibility
- 1Standard Cluster 6 calls require a consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country, with at least one in an EU Member State.
- 2Eligible partner types include universities, research and technology organisations, large companies, SMEs, public bodies, NGOs and international organisations.
- 3Most topics are Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) targeting Technology Readiness Levels of roughly 2-6; Innovation Actions (IA) sit closer to market and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) fund networking and coordination rather than new research.
- 4Research and Innovation Actions and Coordination and Support Actions are funded at 100% of eligible costs, while Innovation Actions are funded at 70% (100% for non-profit legal entities).
- 5On actual-cost topics a flat 25% indirect-cost rate is added on top of eligible direct costs to cover overheads. On lump-sum topics — now the norm for roughly half of the 2026-2027 budget — there are no eligible-cost claims: you propose a fixed sum for defined work packages and the 25% overhead is already baked into that sum. The topic's call conditions specify which model applies.
- 6Each proposal must respond to a specific open topic identifier and satisfy its scope, expected outcomes and single-stage or two-stage submission rules.
How to Apply
- 1
Find your topic on the EU Funding & Tenders portal: search open Cluster 6 calls (identifiers begin HORIZON-CL6-2026), read the scope, expected outcomes and type of action (scored line by line), and check whether it is an actual-cost or lump-sum topic.
- 2
Confirm whether the topic is single-stage (one full proposal, typically by 17 September 2026) or two-stage (a short outline by 16 April 2026, then a full proposal by 23 September 2026 if you pass stage one); the standard RIA/IA full proposal is now capped at 40 pages.
- 3
Build a compliant consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different EU or associated countries, giving each partner a genuine, complementary role rather than padding the list.
- 4
Register every partner organisation in the portal's Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC), which is required before submission.
- 5
Write the proposal against the three evaluation criteria — Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation, each scored 0-5 — and answer the topic's 'expected outcomes' explicitly with quantified impact.
- 6
Build the budget to match the topic's model: on actual-cost topics use eligible direct costs plus the automatic 25% flat-rate indirect costs; on lump-sum topics propose a fixed sum per work package with overhead already included. Apply the correct funding rate (100% for RIA/CSA, 70% for IA, 100% for non-profit IA partners).
- 7
Submit through the portal's electronic submission system ahead of the 17:00 Brussels-time deadline, leaving buffer for upload and validation.
Typical Budget Breakdown
2026 Deadlines
Key Features
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Standard Cluster 6 calls require a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or associated countries, with at least one in an EU Member State. Single companies should look at the EIC Accelerator instead.
EU contributions are typically €3 million to €15 million per project. Research and Innovation Actions and Coordination and Support Actions are funded at 100% of eligible costs; Innovation Actions at 70% (100% for non-profit entities). On actual-cost topics a flat 25% is added on top for indirect/overhead costs; on lump-sum topics (now about half the 2026-2027 budget) you receive a single fixed sum for completed work, with overhead already included.
The HORIZON-CL6-2026-01 calls use 16 April 2026 (first stage of two-stage calls), 17 September 2026 (single-stage full proposals), and 23 September 2026 (second stage of two-stage calls). Confirm your exact topic date on the Funding & Tenders portal.
Most topics are Research and Innovation Actions targeting roughly TRL 2-6 — from a validated concept to a system demonstrated in a relevant environment. Innovation Actions push closer to market, while Coordination and Support Actions fund networking rather than new research.
Three things matter for applicants: lump-sum funding is now the default for roughly half the budget (a fixed sum for defined work instead of itemised cost claims), the number of topics was cut by about 35% compared with 2023-2024 (fewer but larger calls), and the standard Research and Innovation Action / Innovation Action full proposal is now capped at 40 pages.
No. Horizon Europe grants are non-dilutive and non-repayable. You keep your equity, and intellectual property is governed by the consortium agreement, not the EU.
The 2026-2027 work programme, adopted on 11 December 2025, has an indicative budget of roughly €959 million, with over €580 million in calls closing during 2026.
Expect evaluation results within roughly five months of the deadline and grant agreement signature within about five to eight months, after which the first pre-financing payment is released.
Related Programmes
Horizon Cluster 5
Open call budgets of €223M and €263M; per-project grants are set per topic (commonly several million euros for large RIA/IA projects)
View programme →Horizon Cluster 4
€2M–5M per project
View programme →EIC Accelerator
Up to €12.5M blended (up to €30M equity-only via STEP Scale-Up)
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View programme →STEP Platform
EIC STEP Scale Up: €10-30m per company (equity only)
View programme →AI-powered EU funding guidance
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