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The European Commission has, for the first time, begun releasing preliminary drafts of the 2026/27 Work Programme for Horizon Europe. This marks a significant step towards greater transparency in the development process for future funding topics.
The draft documents are being published progressively via the official Comitology Register: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/comitology-register/screen/documents?lang=en
The early release of these drafts offers several advantages for the research and innovation community:
- Early Insight: Stakeholders gain an advance overview of potential call topics for 2026 and 2027.
- Strategic Planning: There is more time to align project ideas with potential partners and consortia.
- Extended Preparation: Longer lead times facilitate more thorough project planning, including initial indications of submission deadlines.
But it is important to note: These documents are preliminary drafts. Changes to topics, deadlines, or funding conditions remain possible at any stage, and topics may also be withdrawn altogether.
A work programme defines which topics will be open for calls, under what conditions, and by which deadlines. Its development is a collaborative process between the European Commission and representatives of the EU Member States (known as programme delegates).
For example, you find such WP drafts here:
- Cluster 1: Health – version 2 – 13 May 2025
- Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space – version 2 – 28 May 2025
- Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility – version 2 – 27 May 2025
- Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmen] v2 – 27 May 2025
- Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area- version 2 – 20 May 2025
- New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB) – version 2 – 20 May 2025
- Missions – version 2 – 20 May 2025
So in summary, the calls under the 2025 Work Programme have been finalised and are now open for submissions. The 2026/27 Work Programme is currently under development and will be the final programme within Horizon Europe. The next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) is scheduled to begin on 1 January 2028.