1Overview of Horizon Europe (HE)

Horizon Europe (HE) is the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, running from 2021 to 2027. With a total budget of approximately €93.5 billion, it is the world’s largest competitive research funding programme.

HE is structured around three pillars:

■Japan’s Association with Horizon Europe

On 22 December 2025, the Japanese Government and the European Commission reached a substantive agreement on Japan’s association with HE Pillar II. Transitional measures have applied from January 2026, enabling Japanese institutions to apply to calls on the same terms as EU Member States and associated countries. The formal signing is expected to be concluded during 2026.

2Eligible Call Types

Research activities under Pillar II are organised into 6 clusters addressing major societal challenges. Within each cluster, specific topics (calls for proposals) are published based on Work Programmes issued every two years.

■Action Types

Each topic falls under one of the following action types:

3Eligibility Conditions

■Who Can Apply

Under Japan’s association agreement, our university is treated as an “eligible entity” established in an EU Member State or associated country. Any legal entity — universities, research institutions, companies, public bodies, non-profit organisations, etc. — may participate.

■Consortium Requirements

For RIA and IA calls, a consortium of at least 3 independent institutions from at least 3 EU Member States or associated countries is required. In practice, consortia typically consist of 8 to 15 institutions.

■Pre-registration Requirements

The following registrations must be completed before submitting an application:

4Grant Information

Funding Rates

Average Grant Size

The average grant for a Pillar II collaborative research project is approximately €4 million. Project duration is typically 3 to 5 years. The amount received by individual partners varies depending on their role and work share within the project.

Eligible Costs (Examples)

Personnel costs (salaries of researchers, technical staff, etc.), travel costs, equipment costs (depreciated portion), consumables, subcontracting costs, and other direct costs are eligible. Indirect costs (overhead) are automatically added at a flat rate of 25% of direct costs.

5Application Process

Step-by-Step Overview

1. 1Identify a Relevant Topic
   Search the Funding & Tenders Portal or the relevant Work Programme for topics matching your research interests. NCP Japan’s Info Days and matchmaking events are also useful resources.
2. 2Form a Consortium
   Find EU partners and form a consortium of at least 3 institutions from 3 countries. Use the Portal’s Partner Search function, CORDIS, and NCP Japan’s networks. Allow sufficient preparation time — a minimum of 6 months, ideally 1 year.
3. 3Prepare the Proposal
   Applications consist of Part A (administrative information and budget, entered online via the Portal) and Part B (technical proposal, submitted as a PDF, typically up to 45 pages). Part B covers three sections — Excellence, Impact, and Implementation — and is co-authored by the entire consortium. Templates are available for download on each topic page.
4. 4Submit via the Portal
   The Coordinator (lead institution) submits the proposal electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Deadlines are strictly enforced; late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.
5. 5Evaluation
   Proposals are assessed by independent external experts against three criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation (each scored out of 5, with a threshold of 3 points per criterion). Results are notified approximately 5 months after submission.
6. 6Grant Agreement & Project Start
   Upon selection, a Grant Agreement with the European Commission and a Consortium Agreement (CA) among consortium members are finalised. This preparation phase takes approximately 3 months.

■Obtaining Application Templates

Templates can be downloaded from the “Topic conditions and documents” section on each topic page of the Funding & Tenders Portal. Templates are updated for each call year — always download the latest version from the specific topic page. Submissions using outdated templates may be declared inadmissible.

6Useful Resources