The European Commission has begun publishing early drafts of upcoming amendments to the Horizon Europe 2026/27 Work Programme, revealing plans for entirely new funding opportunities ahead of the official autumn rollout.
While the final versions will not be formally adopted until later this year, the intermediate texts have been uploaded to the EU’s public Comitology Register. The release gives research consortia a rare, early look at how the Commission plans to adjust its funding priorities for the remainder of the current framework cycle.
New funding tracks for biodiversity and innovation
The most significant update appears in the newly updated draft for ‘Horizontal Activities’. Rather than minor administrative tweaks, this text introduces a suite of brand-new calls for proposals scheduled for 2027.
These new opportunities are divided into two main categories:
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Biodiversity Actions: A series of dedicated funding lines under the
HORIZON-NATURE-2027tag. -
Bridging Actions: Targeted grants under the
HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027identifier, explicitly designed to advance strategic technologies along the innovation pathway and bridge the structural gap between Horizon Europe and the upcoming FP10.
Rolling updates across clusters
The Horizontal Activities text is not the only file seeing movement. A glance at the Comitology Register shows that the Commission is systematically updating drafts across several major funding pillars:
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Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry, Space): A second draft version has been uploaded, reflecting updated targets for digital and industrial research.
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New European Bauhaus (NEB): New draft texts outline the evolving criteria for the NEB Facility.
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Pillar I & Widening: Initial frameworks for the European Research Council (ERC) and WIDERA lines for 2026–2027 are now accessible.
A warning for applicants
While these leaks are highly valuable for early project ideation and consortium building, expert networks warn that they carry financial and administrative risks.
Because these documents are intermediate working drafts, they are legally non-binding and highly susceptible to text changes, budget reallocations, or outright cancellations before their official adoption in late 2026. Applicants should treat these texts as a directional compass rather than a final blueprint.