Horizon Europe Health: Guide for Researchers
Your guide to navigating Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the main European Union funding programme for research and innovation. Running from 2021 until 2027, it has a total budget of €95.5 billion, of which €8.246 billion is dedicated to health research.
As part of our commitment to fostering and enhancing European and international coordination, collaboration and engagement, the Health Research Board (HRB) offers advice and support to researchers who would like to apply for Horizon Europe funding. We host one of two National Contact Points (NCPs) for Horizon Europe Health in Ireland, who provides guidance, practical information and assistance to researchers interested in the programme. The second NCP for Horizon Europe Health is hosted by Enterprise Ireland. Both NCPs operate as a cross-organisational support team.
This guide brings together a range of resources on Horizon Europe, taking you through the researcher’s journey – from understanding the programme aims and identifying relevant call topics, to finding partners and writing a competitive proposal.
Scroll down for an overview of the journey and click to explore more about each stage. We will highlight how the NCP can help you navigate the process along the way.
1. Understanding Horizon Europe
What is Horizon Europe? Who can apply? And where does health research fit in?
This section outlines eligibility criteria for applying to Horizon Europe, and gives you an overview of where health funding opportunities can be found: from the Health Cluster, to Missions, Partnerships and beyond.
2. Finding call topics
What funding is available under Horizon Europe, and how do you identify the right call topic for your research?
This section outlines the different types of funding mechanisms available under the programme, and explains where to find information on new opportunities as they are announced in funding calls.
3. Building a consortium
What do you need to know about joining a Horizon Europe consortium – or how do you build one yourself?
This section gives an overview of the different roles available in a consortium, and gathers top tips for finding the right partners to help shape a competitive proposal.
4. Proposal writing – administration
How can you master the nuts and bolts of applying for Horizon Europe funding?
This section covers the administrative details required in Part A of the application: from how to register your organisation, to where to find information on requirements such as budget, gender equality plans or security and ethics assessments.
5. Proposal writing - research
How do you write a competitive research proposal?
This stage covers Part B of the application: outlining what to think about when drafting the Excellence and Impact sections, and giving an overview of other requirements - from communication and dissemination, to the gender dimension of research, intellectual property management and open science.
6. Review and submission
Application forms ready to go? All that's left is to review and submit your proposal.
This section covers the main points to keep in mind before and during submission, and gives an overview of typical timelines for evaluation.
7. What's next?
Proposal successful? Congratulations! This section gives you an overview of what comes next as you conclude the grant agreement and move on to the implementation stage. Plus, find out how to get involved in shaping future EU research policy.