Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.
The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.
Horizon Europe is structured around three main pillars and a cross-cutting section, backed by a €95.5 billion budget:
Pillar 3: Innovative Europe.
Pillar 1: Excellent Science.
Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.
What is HE Pillar II?
Horizon Europe Pillar 2, officially known as “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness,” is the largest funding component of the European Union’s research and innovation framework.
Budget for HE Pillar II
Horizon Europe Pillar II has a budget worth over €53.5 billion to support collaborative, cross-border research addressing societal issues and boosting industrial capacities.
Clusters under HE Pillar II
Pillar 2 research is divided into six specialized “Clusters,” each with dedicated work programs and specific funding calls:
- Cluster 1- Health: Focuses on improving public health, developing new therapies, tackling diseases, and creating sustainable health care systems.
- Cluster 2- Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society: Aims to promote European democratic values, safeguard cultural heritage, and manage socio-economic transformations.
- Cluster 3- Civil Security for Society: Supports research to protect EU citizens from threats like cybercrime, disasters, and border management challenges.
- Cluster 4- Digital, Industry, and Space: Invests in key technologies such as AI, advanced manufacturing, microelectronics, and space infrastructure.
- Cluster 5- Climate, Energy, and Mobility: Targets the transition to climate neutrality, clean energy systems, and sustainable transport networks.
- Cluster 6- Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment: Focuses on sustainable management of resources, circular economy models, and biodiversity.
Cluster 1: Health
The aims of this cluster include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases.
Further aims include developing health technologies, mitigating health risks, protecting populations and promoting good health and well-being in general and at work.
Finally, this cluster also aims to make public health systems more cost-effective, equitable and sustainable, prevent and tackle poverty-related diseases and support and enable patients’ participation and self-management.
What are the areas of intervention?
- health throughout the life course
- environmental and social health determinants
- non-communicable and rare diseases
- infectious diseases including poverty-related and neglected diseases
- tools, technologies and digital solutions for health and care including personalised medicine
- health care systems
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 1 in 2026 is €610.99 million, and €722.59 million for 2027.
Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive society
This cluster aims to strengthen European democratic values, including rule of law and fundamental rights, safeguarding our cultural heritage, and promoting socio-economic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth.
What are the areas of intervention?
- democracy
- cultural heritage
- social and economic transformations
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 2 in 2026 is €360.30 and €337.40 in 2027.
Cluster 3: Civil security for society
This cluster responds to the challenges arising from persistent security threats, including cybercrime, as well as natural and man-made disasters.
What are the areas of intervention?
- disaster-resilient societies
- protection and security
- cybersecurity
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 3 in 2026 is €190.13 and €203.62 in 2027.
Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space
The overarching vision behind the proposed investments under Cluster 4 is that of Europe shaping competitive and trusted technologies for a European industry with global leadership in key areas, enabling production and consumption to respect the boundaries of our planet, and maximising the benefits for all parts of society in the variety of social, economic and territorial contexts in Europe.
This will build a competitive, digital, low-carbon and circular industry, ensure sustainable supply of raw materials, develop advanced materials and provide the basis for advances and innovation in global challenges to society.
What are the areas of intervention?
- manufacturing technologies
- key digital technologies including quantum technologies
- emerging enabling technologies
- advanced materials
- artificial intelligence and robotics
- next generation internet
- advanced computing and Big Data
- circular industries
- low carbon and clean industries
- space including earth observation
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 4 in 2026 is €1,138.97 and €1,102.55 in 2027.
Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility
This cluster aims to fight climate change by better understanding its causes, evolution, risks, impacts and opportunities, and by making the energy and transport sectors more climate and environment-friendly, more efficient and competitive, smarter, safer and more resilient.
What are the areas of intervention?
- climate science and solutions
- energy supply
- energy systems and grids
- buildings and industrial facilities in energy transition
- communities and cities
- industrial competitiveness in transport
- clean, safe and accessible transport and mobility
- smart mobility
- energy storage
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 5 in 2026 is €1,187.72 and €865.24 in 2027.
Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
This cluster aims at reducing environmental degradation, halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity on land, inland waters and sea and better managing natural resources through transformative changes of the economy and society in both urban and rural areas.
It will ensure food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries through knowledge, innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems and steer and accelerate the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy, including forestry.
Research and innovation activities under cluster 6 will contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal related to the Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, the Farm to Fork strategy, the European Climate Pact and initiatives under sustainable industry and eliminating pollution, as well as the long-term vision for rural areas, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
What are the areas of intervention?
- environmental observation
- biodiversity and natural resources
- agriculture, forestry and rural areas
- seas, oceans and inland waters
- food systems
- bio-based innovation systems in the EU’s bioeconomy
- circular systems
What is the budget for 2026 and 2027?
The indicative budget for Cluster 5 in 2026 is €676.40 and €630.85 in 2027.
