EU Funding Pulse: July 2026 Digest
Overview
This July 2026 edition covers 345 open calls across 24 active programmes, with 293 more forthcoming. Open topics span health and life sciences, digital technologies and semiconductors, climate, energy and mobility, food and bioeconomy, defence, civil security, and the cultural and creative sectors. Six calls close within the next 30 days, including two Creative Europe and Pilot Projects actions with deadlines on 16 July. Since the last edition, 58 new calls have been added, many of them Chips Joint Undertaking topics, Research Fund for Coal and Steel calls, and Connecting Europe Facility transport actions. The Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme continues to feed new topics into the portal, alongside 2026 calls under LIFE, the European Defence Fund, Digital Europe and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV). This briefing groups what is funded by theme, flags the imminent deadlines, and points to the forthcoming clusters opening later in 2026.
News & Policy Developments
Research talent dialogue led by Commissioner Zaharieva
Commissioner Zaharieva led a dialogue on attracting and retaining research talent in Europe, focused on making Europe a destination of choice and preparing research careers for the future economy. The discussion connects to the "Choose Europe for Science" initiative that the 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme expands. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
Consultation on European Partnerships for Horizon Europe 28-34
The Commission opened a public consultation on Joint Undertakings, Article 185 initiatives, and thematic priorities for European Partnerships under the next framework programme. Researchers and grant managers involved in partnership-based calls can use this to shape the future portfolio. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
EOSC Nodes and projects review progress
28 nodes in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Federation and 34 EOSC projects met to review progress and strengthen collaboration for the next phase of the cloud infrastructure. EOSC is the EU's shared data and research infrastructure environment linking repositories, services and scientific communities across Member States. This matters for research infrastructure communities preparing for the forthcoming Research Infrastructures calls. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
2026 European Innovation Scoreboard published
The Commission released the 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard, reporting that the EU's overall score has risen by 11.6 percentage points since 2019. The figures give applicants context on where innovation capacity is developing across Member States. (ec.europa.eu)
Gdansk declaration on research in Ukraine
Members of the international coalition for science, research and innovation in Ukraine signed the Gdansk declaration, setting out a shared aim to support Ukraine in raising R&D investment to 3% of GDP after the war. Several current calls connect to this commitment, including ERDF technical assistance topics for Ukrainian regional stakeholders and Horizon Europe calls supporting research capacity building in widening countries. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
Reform of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel adopted
The Council of the EU adopted two Decisions reforming the Research Fund for Coal and Steel. This coincides with the opening of the 2026 RFCS calls for coal and steel research, accompanying measures, and pilot and demonstration projects. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
Study on research assessment reform
An expert study, "Implementing research assessment reform", reviews progress in changing how research is assessed and identifies remaining gaps. The findings are relevant for institutions adapting to revised evaluation practices across Horizon Europe and other programmes. (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)
ERC Proof of Concept Grants awarded
The European Research Council (ERC) awarded Proof of Concept Grants to 182 researchers, with the next funding round open and a deadline of 17 September 2026. The scheme is open only to current or previous ERC grantees exploring the commercial or societal potential of their findings. (erc.europa.eu)
Thematic Landscape
Health & Life Sciences
Health topics run across Horizon Europe cluster 6 and the Joint Undertakings, with the Innovative Health Initiative opening a two-stage set of calls closing 8 October 2026, including HORIZON-JU-IHI-2026-13-two-stage-01 on a healthcare incubator network and HORIZON-JU-IHI-2026-13-two-stage-02 on an AI foundation toxicology model. EDCTP3 continues its global health work with sub-Saharan Africa and clinical research capacity building. Researchers in regenerative medicine, advanced therapies and personalised care should also track cluster 6 health tool topics on the portal.
Digital, Semiconductors & AI
Digital topics are funded through Digital Europe and the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), a public-private partnership under Horizon Europe focused on strengthening Europe's semiconductor research and design capacity. Newly opened Chips JU topics include HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2026-2-RIA (Research and Innovation Action) on 6G radio communication systems and HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2026-FT2-IA (Innovation Action) on photonics, both closing 16 September 2026. On the Digital Europe side, DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-AI1-SG covers AI chip demonstrators for EU compute infrastructure, and DIGITAL-JU-CHIPS-2026-SG-JAPAN supports EU-Japan collaboration on semiconductors. Advanced digital skills, trustworthy AI, data services and cybersecurity topics feature across the wider Digital Europe programme.
Climate, Energy & Mobility
Climate, energy and mobility topics sit in Horizon Europe cluster 5 and the Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change, complemented by the LIFE Programme. Open topics cover batteries, buildings, heat upgrade solutions, connected and automated mobility, and local climate adaptation. LIFE 2026 calls address nature and biodiversity, circular economy, climate mitigation and adaptation, and clean energy transition, with most deadlines in September 2026.
Transport & Infrastructure
The Connecting Europe Facility reopened a set of transport calls closing 6 October 2026, covering rail (CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-RAIL-WORKS), inland waterways, alternative fuels infrastructure, external borders, and civilian-defence dual-use adaptation of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) (CEF-T-2026-MILMOB-WORKS). A digital call, CEF-DIG-2026-CABLE-REPAIR-CAPACITIES-WORKS on submarine cable repair, closes 8 October 2026.
Food, Bioeconomy & Natural Resources
Cluster 6 covers soil health, agriculture, biotechnology, circular economy, biomanufacturing and ecodesign, with a large forthcoming pipeline. The Single Market Programme adds SMP-FOOD-2026-FW-STAKEHOLDERS-PJ on food waste measurement and prevention, closing 15 October 2026. Ocean and marine research topics also sit under the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission.
Defence, Security & Nuclear
The European Defence Fund has 36 open calls across research and capability development, with the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)-Defence a recurring cross-cutting tag across relevant topics. Civil security topics under cluster 3 address crime, resilience and capabilities. Euratom Research and Training supports fusion and fission research; the Commission adopted a work programme for 2026-2027, according to the Euratom research and training programme page (research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu).
Culture, Society & Rights
Cluster 2 funds cultural heritage, creative industries and ethical AI, while Creative Europe supports film distribution and the cultural and creative sectors. The CERV programme addresses gender-based violence and child protection, with CERV-2026-DAPHNE-CHILDREN and CERV-2026-DAPHNE-REGRANTING closing 3 November 2026. Erasmus+ opened #BeActive sport award topics closing 17 September 2026.
Closing Soon (Urgent Deadlines)
Two calls close first, on 16 July 2026: CREA-MEDIA-2026-FILMOVE (Films on the Move) under Creative Europe, and PPPA-2026-BORN-DIGITAL-HERITAGE on safeguarding born-digital heritage. Next, SOCPL-2026-SOC-DIALOG on social dialogue closes 23 July 2026. The remaining three urgent deadlines fall later in the 30-day window; you should check the EU Funding & Tenders Portal directly for the most current status, as deadlines can shift after publication.
Programme Activity
Per-programme totals show counts as currently displayed by the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; the breakdown that follows lists only the calls indexed in this digest.
Horizon Europe (397 open, 600 forthcoming on F&T Portal)
- Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society: 4 calls (2 open, earliest 23 Sep)
- Civil Security for Society: 4 calls (2 open, earliest 15 Sep)
- Digital, Industry & Space: 7 calls (1 open, earliest 3 Sep)
- Climate, Energy & Mobility: 10 calls (2 open, earliest 4 Aug)
- Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources: 7 calls (1 open, earliest 25 Aug)
- Cross-Cluster Interdisciplinary: 2 calls (1 open, earliest 15 Sep)
- European Innovation Council: 7 calls (5 open, earliest 22 Jul)
- Research Infrastructures: 1 call (forthcoming, earliest 9 Mar 2027)
- Joint Undertakings: 24 calls (22 open, earliest 2 Sep)
- Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA): 8 calls (2 open, earliest 9 Sep)
- Other: 29 calls (14 open, earliest 27 Aug)
- Widening Participation: 9 calls (5 open, earliest 2 Sep)
Erasmus+: 9 open on F&T Portal
Digital Europe: 71 open, 1 forthcoming on F&T Portal
European Defence Fund: 36 open, 33 forthcoming on F&T Portal
LIFE Programme: 62 open on F&T Portal
Connecting Europe Facility: 20 open on F&T Portal
Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV): 20 open on F&T Portal
Creative Europe: 10 open on F&T Portal
Single Market Programme: 42 open on F&T Portal
Euratom Research and Training: 23 open, 2 forthcoming on F&T Portal
Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions: 3 open, 2 forthcoming
European Social Fund Plus: 5 open on F&T Portal
ERDF Technical Assistance (ERDFTA): 2 open
Internal Security Fund: 4 open on F&T Portal
Research Fund for Coal and Steel: 7 open on F&T Portal
I3 (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance — Innovation): 5 open on F&T Portal
EUBA (EU Budget for Agriculture): 0 open, 2 forthcoming
Social Prerogatives and Special Competences: 3 open on F&T Portal
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund: 2 open on F&T Portal
RENEWFM (Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism): 2 open on F&T Portal
PERI (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area): 2 open on F&T Portal
ESC2027 (European Solidarity Corps 2027): 2 open on F&T Portal
JUST2027 (Justice Programme 2027): 3 open on F&T Portal
JTM (Just Transition Mechanism): 4 open on F&T Portal
The complete list of open and forthcoming calls for each programme is available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Outlook
In the coming weeks, 5 forthcoming calls open across Horizon Europe (3) and Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions (2), beginning with PPPA-2026-REGIONAL-SUBMARINE-ISM on 14 July. Six calls close within 30 days. Looking further ahead, Horizon Europe has 5 calls opening from 2 September, spanning clusters that include climate, food and widening participation topics. The European Defence Fund's 33 forthcoming calls represent the largest single forthcoming pipeline outside Horizon Europe, signalling a significant second wave of defence research topics before the end of the year. ERC Proof of Concept applicants face the 17 September 2026 deadline, which falls within the broader autumn cluster of closings across MSCA, Joint Undertakings and LIFE. You should treat that September window as the main pressure point for concurrent submission management.
What This Means
The 345 open calls across 24 active programmes represent a broad but manageable snapshot for organisations with defined thematic priorities. The concentration of forthcoming calls in the European Defence Fund (33) and Horizon Europe (the largest forthcoming pool at 600 on the portal) means that preparation for autumn 2026 submissions should begin now, particularly for two-stage processes such as those under the Innovative Health Initiative, where the first stage already carries an 8 October 2026 deadline.
The gap between the 58 new calls added since the last edition and the 6 closing imminently reflects a portfolio that is still opening rather than closing down. That is broadly positive for organisations that missed earlier windows, but it also creates a practical prioritisation challenge: with calls distributed across health, digital, climate, transport, food, defence and culture simultaneously, grant managers face the difficulty of tracking and qualifying opportunities across very different evaluation cultures and eligibility rules.
The policy signals this month reinforce the thematic direction of the open portfolio. The Gdansk declaration on Ukraine R&D investment connects to widening participation and ERDF calls. The EOSC progress review signals continued investment in research infrastructure. The ERC Proof of Concept cohort of 182 awards confirms the scheme's scale, and the 17 September deadline gives eligible ERC grantees a defined near-term target. The RFCS reform adopted by the Council aligns directly with the 7 open RFCS calls now on the portal.
Sources
Data retrieved Mon, 13 Jul 2026 from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
