Upcoming EU funding opportunities

By Marine Hurard, Project Manager 

Several major European research funding calls relevant to the life sciences community will open under Horizon Europe and EDCTP3. Researchers are encouraged to anticipate the 2026 deadlines and begin discussions with prospective partners well ahead of time.  

 Horizon Europe – Cluster 1  Health (Collaborative Projects) 

The next Horizon Europe calls under the Cluster 1 Health programme will close in April 2026. These collaborative calls will support consortia tackling pressing health challenges – including infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, preparedness for future pandemics, and innovative health technologies. Details are available in the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 – Health.  

European Innovation Council (EIC)  

The EIC schemes for 2026  are expected to close in May 2026. The EIC offers several complementary funding instruments supporting the full innovation pipeline – from early‑stage research to market scale‑up: 

• EIC  Pathfinder  (Open & Challenges) – funds interdisciplinary, high‑risk research aimed at scientific and technological breakthroughs. 

• The Pathfinder Open call welcomes bottom‑up proposals in any field of science and technology. 

• The Pathfinder Challenges address specific strategic areas defined annually by the European Commission, supporting goal‑oriented technology development around these themes. 

Both schemes encourage multi‑disciplinary consortia exploring radically new approaches with transformative potential. 

• EIC  Transition – helps transform promising research results into innovation opportunities, building on outcomes from EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof‑of‑Concept, Horizon  Europe  Pillar 2 (societal challenges), or Research  Infrastructures projects. 

• EIC  Accelerator – targets start‑ups and SMEs aiming to scale up breakthrough innovations with high societal or market impact, offering blended finance (grants + equity). 

• Advanced  Innovation  Challenges (AICs) – support high‑risk, demand‑driven deep‑tech innovation with transformative potential, particularly in areas with substantial research progress but limited commercial uptake. 

Projects with a strong translational or disruptive technology dimension are especially relevant for researchers working on applied biomedical innovations. 

EDCTP3 – Global Health and Clinical Research 

The next EDCTP3 calls (Work Programme 2026 here) will open in January 2026 with a first short proposal submission deadline in March 2026 and a final submission deadline in September 2026. Global Health EDCTP3 supports all the elements required to develop and evaluate medical interventions against the key infectious diseases affecting sub-Saharan Africa, such as clinical research and capacity building. Proposals strengthening equitable research partnerships and global health preparedness are encouraged. 

Grant Finder: your single entry-point to get  the latest information   

Calls are listed  and described in Grant Finder , your  main resource  for up-to-date deadlines and call descriptions, regularly  updated.   

The European Commission has made the latest versions of the templates for preparing applications available on the “Reference Documents” page of the European portal, under “Templates & forms” and then “Applications forms.” 

The Grants Office – EU division offers strategic advice, grant writing support, administrative and budget guidance, consortium building and coordination, contact us at goeurope[at]pasteur.fr to maximize your chances of success.