Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation under a 2021-2027 Financial Framework, with a budget of €95.5 billion.
Horizon Europe is divided into 3 pillars; Pillars I’s Excellent Science includes the Marie Sklodowska Curie Action, European Research Council grants and Research Infrastructure collaborations, and Pillar III, Innovative Europe includes the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder inter-disciplinary innovative research and collaborative grants, which are restricted to the EU. Canadians can participate by invitation only.
Pillar II, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, is a new pillar under the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 Programme. Canada became an “Associated Country” under Pillar II in July 2024, so SFU researchers can now join a consortium and receive funding directly from Horizon Europe. More than €53 billion (CDN $77 billion) has been allocated to Pillar II.
Pillar II grants are found under 6 themes or Clusters, 5 missions and 60+ partnerships.
Knowledge Library and Resources
- Cheat sheet - HE Glossary of Terms and Call Structure
- SFU Horizon Europe Gender Equality Plan
- SFU Researcher PowerPoint presentation
- Horizon Europe External Resources - document for European Commission reference documents, general guidance, Horizon Europe useful webinars, and other resources and information.
EMG Horizon Europe Webinars:
- Introduction to HE - webinar, Introduction to Horizon Europe_SFU (.pdf)
- Introduction to HE finances - webinar, access slides (.pdf)
- Preparing HE budgets - webinar, Budget Workshop Presentation (.pdf), Budget Workshop Activity and Guide (.docx), Budget Workshop Worksheet (.xlsx)
- HE Call Analysis and Interpreting a funding call - webinar Part 1, webinar Part 2, access slides (.pdf), workshop exercise (.doc), workshop answer key (.pdf)
- Lump Sum Funding - webinar, slides (.pdf)
- HE Financial Reporting - webinar, slides (.pdf), workshop exercise
- HE Project Management - webinar, slides (.pdf)
Upcoming calls – Pillar II
- 2025 pre-published calls - We encourage researchers to review the content under "pre-publication of work programme 2025" to determine if their research aligns with Pillar II calls.
- Final 2025 calls will be published in May 2025.
- 2026-2027 Draft calls. Final calls will be published in the fall of 2025.
Internal Horizon Europe Funding
SFU HORIZON EUROPE ENGAGEMENT FUND GRANT (HEEF)
The purpose of the HEEF grant is to facilitate SFU researchers in initiating and/or consolidating international networking activities, with the goal of forming a consortium under the EU’s Horizon Europe Programme. The fund is intended to pave the way for future applications under Pillar II of the Horizon Europe 2025-2027 Work Programme.
Four awards were funded in 2024-2025. The next application deadlines for 2025-2026 will be in the fall. Please contact mlavie@sfu.ca for more information.
SFU Horizon Europe Proposal Fund (HEPF)
The HEPF is designed to provide SFU pre-award support under Horizon Europe Pillar II. For 2025, the HEAC will review applications and select two complex SFU proposals to receive pre-award support in the form of a $12,000 proposal development grant and institutional support from research accounting, legal, ORS, ISA and SFU International.
The application deadline is May 22, 2025.
Identifying a Call
- Review current 2025 HE draft calls under Pillar II
- Review calls on Horizon Europe Funding and Tenders Portal (use key words or topic codes from past calls)
- Review the Horizon Europe Work Programme document pertaining to the call and any Annexes or additional links in the call
- Search Cordis for previously funded EU framework projects, results, deliverables, reports and links to open-access publications database for past research projects
- Review published 2025 Horizon Europe calls (coming in April/May 2025)
Building Your Consortium
A consortium team must include at least 3 partner organizations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. Typically, HE projects include 8-12 partners, or more, depending on the topic.
Due to the complexity of the Horizon Europe Programme, and as SFU is building capacity to lead Horizon Europe projects, we recommend that SFU researchers join an existing consortium led by a Coordinator with previous successful HE project experience.
Consortium-building resources
The best way to start building your consortium is to connect with your existing international network and discuss their experience with Horizon Europe and any new mutually advantageous partnerships. It is critical for researchers to align themselves with EU partners who have previous experience leading a consortium in Horizon Europe.
We recommend contacting SFUi research_mobility@sfu.ca to discover and discuss possible collaborations inside SFU and other international funding opportunities and networks. You can also search the SFU Research Expertise Engine to find research expertise and interests for SFU researchers whose research is relevant to the Horizon Europe call.
The following list contains tips on how to build your consortium:
- Search Cordis - database of previously funded projects and partners.
- Contact Canadian NCPs and International NCP network Contact the NCP of a lead country.
- Contact the Consulate Office Scientific Advisor for the country you are interested in partnering with.
- Attend European Commission Info Day for each thematic area.
- Attend 2025 European Commisssion Brokerage Events.
- Network through EU Partnership groups (through ERA Learn). The EU works very closely with these groups in designing the HE programme and is at the epicentre of information about changes in the programme.
- Reach out to Canada’s Trade Commissioners who can facilitate qualified connections in priority sectors.
- Search the EEN Partnerships Database - world’s largest network for SMEs and innovation stakeholders.
- Search published research papers for experts.
- Register to work as an expert evaluator to learn about the evaluation process and how to submit a successful Horizon Europe application.
- Explore the EURAXESS Partnering Portal and EURAXESS North America - an official initiative of the European Commission that promotes transatlantic research collaboration. Register your research interests in EURAXESS - sign up for EURAXESS newsletters.
Applying for a Call/Topic
All applicants must contact ORS ors@sfu.ca and ISA’s Horizon Europe Project Manager mlavie@sfu.ca. We will set up a meeting to discuss your application, the programme, and SFU’s approach in detail.
SFU Project Team
Institutional Strategic Awards
Michele La Vie, Project Manager
Horizon Europe
mlavie@sfu.ca
Diane Hanano, Director, ISA
diane_hanano@sfu.ca
Research Services
Aniko Takacs-Cox
Director, ORS
ata26@sfu.ca
SFU International
Carol Zachs, Senior Director
carol_zachs@sfu.ca
Yukino Mori, Manager, Global Engagement
yukino_mori@sfu.ca
Government of Canada Contact Points
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) National Contact Points (NCPs). National Contact Points have direct contacts to the European Commission and can facilitate introductions and partnerships with International researchers and experts. They are organized by thematic cluster.
The network of international Contact Points and network inquiry service can also provide NCP resources and learning tools from the NCP Academy.