We are pleased to share the third issue of the HELIOS Monthly Review of Grant Proposals – our regular digest designed to help researchers, universities, and innovators stay on top of the most relevant European funding opportunities.
Issue №3 (July 2026) presents 10 carefully selected calls across five major programmes: Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, the European Innovation Council, the Chips Joint Undertaking, and COST. This edition has a strong focus on advanced materials and the substitution of critical raw materials, photonics, frontier research, individual researcher mobility, and institutional capacity building in Widening countries – areas closely aligned with the mission of the HELIOS project and the broader scientific community it serves.
All ten calls were open at the time of publication, and three of them are especially worth noting for institutions in Widening countries, where the competition is narrower and the eligibility conditions work in the applicant’s favour.
What you will find in Issue №3 (July 2026):
ERC Advanced Grants 2026 (ERC-2026-AdG) – up to €2.5 million over five years for established research leaders pursuing high-risk frontier research in any field. Scientific excellence is the sole evaluation criterion, applied to both the project and the principal investigator, and additional funding is available for start-up and relocation costs. Deadline: 27 August 2026.
ERC Starting Grants 2027 (ERC-2027-StG) – up to €1.5 million over five years for early-career researchers building their first independent research team. The 2027 call widens the eligibility window to ten years after the PhD defence, opening the scheme to two cohorts of applicants who were previously excluded. Deadline: 14 October 2026.
COST Open Call 2026 (OC-2026-1) – support for new four-year interdisciplinary research networks in any field of science and technology, covering meetings, Short-Term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, and dissemination activities. Up to 80 new COST Actions will be funded, and at least 50% of proposers must come from Inclusiveness Target Countries, which include Ukraine. Deadline: 28 October 2026.
ERA Fellowships (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-05-WIDENING-01) – postdoctoral fellowships built on the MSCA model but reserved for host institutions located in Widening countries. The grant covers salary, mobility, research, training, and networking costs. Proposals are submitted through the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call, whose ranking determines the outcome. Deadline: 9 September 2026.
Hop-On Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-03-WIDENING-01) – allows an institution from a Widening country to join an already running Horizon Europe Pillar II collaborative project or a collaborative EIC Pathfinder project as a full beneficiary, with its own dedicated work package. Indicative budget: €30 million. Deadline: 24 September 2026.
Research Management Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-04-WIDENING-01) – tailored support for institutions in Widening countries upgrading their research management capacity: proposal preparation, project and intellectual property management, data management, and staff training, alongside a strategy for lasting institutional change. Deadline: 24 September 2026.
EIC Transition Open 2026 (HORIZON-EIC-2026-TRANSITIONOPEN) – up to €2.5 million to take a validated technology from proof of principle at TRL 3–4 to a demonstrator at TRL 5–6, together with its business case. Proposals must build on results from an eligible precursor project. Total call budget: €100 million. Deadline: 16 September 2026.
Reinforcing Europe’s Strength in Photonics (HORIZON-JU-Chips-2026-FT2-IA) – industrial scale-up of advanced photonic platforms through wafer-level processing, heterogeneous integration, and automated packaging and testing, with applications in AI, telecommunications, sensing, mobility, and health. Indicative EU budget: €20 million, co-funded with Chips JU Participating States. Deadline: 16 September 2026.
Innovative Advanced Materials and New Production Processes – Reducing Dependencies on Critical and Strategic Raw Materials (HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-22) – co-development of safe and sustainable alternative materials together with the processes needed to produce them, with a demonstrated substitution in one target industry. Highly relevant to emitter concepts for lighting that avoid iridium, platinum, and rare-earth phosphors. Indicative budget: €36 million. Opens 22 September 2026. Deadline: 2 February 2027.
Excellence Hubs (HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-04-WIDENING-01) – builds place-based innovation ecosystems in Widening countries by linking academia, business, government, and civil society across at least two countries, in line with regional smart specialisation strategies. Indicative budget: €15 million. Opens 2 September 2026. Deadline: 4 March 2027.
Each entry in this digest includes a concise description of the call’s objectives, the relevant programme identifier, the submission deadline, and a direct link to the official call page – giving readers everything they need to assess quickly whether a call fits their research profile and timelines.
The HELIOS Monthly Review is part of our ongoing commitment to knowledge dissemination and capacity building within the European Research Area. We will continue publishing it each month to keep our partners, affiliated researchers, and the wider scientific community informed of the most relevant open calls.
We are pleased to share the third issue of the HELIOS Monthly Review of Grant Proposals – our regular digest designed to help researchers, universities, and innovators stay on top of the most relevant European funding opportunities.
Issue №3 (July 2026) presents 10 carefully selected calls across five major programmes: Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, the European Innovation Council, the Chips Joint Undertaking, and COST. This edition has a strong focus on advanced materials and the substitution of critical raw materials, photonics, frontier research, individual researcher mobility, and institutional capacity building in Widening countries – areas closely aligned with the mission of the HELIOS project and the broader scientific community it serves.
All ten calls were open at the time of publication, and three of them are especially worth noting for institutions in Widening countries, where the competition is narrower and the eligibility conditions work in the applicant’s favour.
What you will find in Issue №3 (July 2026):
ERC Advanced Grants 2026 (ERC-2026-AdG) – up to €2.5 million over five years for established research leaders pursuing high-risk frontier research in any field. Scientific excellence is the sole evaluation criterion, applied to both the project and the principal investigator, and additional funding is available for start-up and relocation costs. Deadline: 27 August 2026.
ERC Starting Grants 2027 (ERC-2027-StG) – up to €1.5 million over five years for early-career researchers building their first independent research team. The 2027 call widens the eligibility window to ten years after the PhD defence, opening the scheme to two cohorts of applicants who were previously excluded. Deadline: 14 October 2026.
COST Open Call 2026 (OC-2026-1) – support for new four-year interdisciplinary research networks in any field of science and technology, covering meetings, Short-Term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, and dissemination activities. Up to 80 new COST Actions will be funded, and at least 50% of proposers must come from Inclusiveness Target Countries, which include Ukraine. Deadline: 28 October 2026.
ERA Fellowships (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-05-WIDENING-01) – postdoctoral fellowships built on the MSCA model but reserved for host institutions located in Widening countries. The grant covers salary, mobility, research, training, and networking costs. Proposals are submitted through the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call, whose ranking determines the outcome. Deadline: 9 September 2026.
Hop-On Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-03-WIDENING-01) – allows an institution from a Widening country to join an already running Horizon Europe Pillar II collaborative project or a collaborative EIC Pathfinder project as a full beneficiary, with its own dedicated work package. Indicative budget: €30 million. Deadline: 24 September 2026.
Research Management Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-04-WIDENING-01) – tailored support for institutions in Widening countries upgrading their research management capacity: proposal preparation, project and intellectual property management, data management, and staff training, alongside a strategy for lasting institutional change. Deadline: 24 September 2026.
EIC Transition Open 2026 (HORIZON-EIC-2026-TRANSITIONOPEN) – up to €2.5 million to take a validated technology from proof of principle at TRL 3–4 to a demonstrator at TRL 5–6, together with its business case. Proposals must build on results from an eligible precursor project. Total call budget: €100 million. Deadline: 16 September 2026.
Reinforcing Europe’s Strength in Photonics (HORIZON-JU-Chips-2026-FT2-IA) – industrial scale-up of advanced photonic platforms through wafer-level processing, heterogeneous integration, and automated packaging and testing, with applications in AI, telecommunications, sensing, mobility, and health. Indicative EU budget: €20 million, co-funded with Chips JU Participating States. Deadline: 16 September 2026.
Innovative Advanced Materials and New Production Processes – Reducing Dependencies on Critical and Strategic Raw Materials (HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-22) – co-development of safe and sustainable alternative materials together with the processes needed to produce them, with a demonstrated substitution in one target industry. Highly relevant to emitter concepts for lighting that avoid iridium, platinum, and rare-earth phosphors. Indicative budget: €36 million. Opens 22 September 2026. Deadline: 2 February 2027.
Excellence Hubs (HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-04-WIDENING-01) – builds place-based innovation ecosystems in Widening countries by linking academia, business, government, and civil society across at least two countries, in line with regional smart specialisation strategies. Indicative budget: €15 million. Opens 2 September 2026. Deadline: 4 March 2027.
Each entry in this digest includes a concise description of the call’s objectives, the relevant programme identifier, the submission deadline, and a direct link to the official call page – giving readers everything they need to assess quickly whether a call fits their research profile and timelines.
The HELIOS Monthly Review is part of our ongoing commitment to knowledge dissemination and capacity building within the European Research Area. We will continue publishing it each month to keep our partners, affiliated researchers, and the wider scientific community informed of the most relevant open calls.
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