How to get started with Horizon Europe

Finding your way in Horizon Europe

Before you start applying, you need to know the different funding opportunities and what instruments that are most relevant to your area. For a short overview, go to the UiO's web site about EU Research Funding: Programmes and Opportunities in Horizon Europe

UKRO has made several factsheets covering different aspects of preparing for applying, see link in Resources below.

Funding and Tender Opportunities - the single entry point

All Horizon Europe opportunities are published on a central European Commission website – the Funding and Tender opportunities portal. The Commission’s aim is for the portal to be the single entry point for all Horizon Europe administrative and project management aspects, and this includes funding opportunities and proposal submission, project management, access for expert evaluators and the official Horizon Europe guidance and documentation. Here you will find in-depth information about funding instruments, policy background, and guides to finding calls in your area.

The portal has a separate tab for 'Funding and Tender opportunities'. This is the official Commission depository for Horizon Europe calls for proposals including search instrument for new or closed calls (and also other programmes).

Using the portal to find open calls

You can prepare for forthcoming calls before the call actually opens. The Work Programmes will give an overview of all calls within a certain area for a two-year period. Before the final, official Work Programmes are released, draft versions are developed. Drafts contain information subject to change, and should be treated as confidential, and is for internal use only.

All Work Programmes can be accessed in the portal, under “How to participate” - “Reference documents".

In the portal, you can filter and search for calls. Under  “Funding and Tender Opportunities” and “Calls”, you can filter calls on programme (choose a programme by ticking off boxes), status (tick off open/closed/forthcoming), and filter (open text search). You can also subscribe to a RSS feed. Under "Funding and Tender Opportunities", click the feed symbol by "Calls" and/or "Call updates".

UKRO new services

As UiO is a subscribing institution to UKRO's (UK Research Office) news services, all employees can sign up for news letters EU funded research. When signing up, you can choose the frequency and kind of information you would like to receive. UKRO offers updated and easily accessible information regarding both EU research policy, calls and relevant events. Sign up on UKRO's web page

Other useful background information

The Online Manual offers an overview of all steps you need to know for the electronic management of proposals or grants, easy navigation by process steps as well as  brief descriptions on how to complete your tasks. We expect a updated manual for Horizon Europe to be released soon.

To help understand the EU idioms, the Commission offers a Glossary that explains words and phrases used.

Making use of your networks

The EU Framework Programme is about achieving world-class science in Europe through cooperation across nations. Making use of international networks and meeting places to find partners or to participate in projects could be a fruitful approach.

You can also use various partner search tools for finding relevant partners for a consortium. The Commission offers a Partner search manual on the portal. There are also other search tools that can be even more fruitful for finding authors and potential partners within certain scientific areas; e.g. ScienceDirect (database of articles and book chapters from many scientific areas) and PubMed (database for biomedical citations and authors).

Being visible to your peers

Publishing is crucial to be visible and recognized by peers. By publishing in international journals or arenas, you will reach a broader audience in the Scientific community. Make sure your presence can be seen and found, by checking databases such as Google Scholar and Web of Science .

To be recognized as a potential capable partner i a Horizon Europe project proposal, it is important to be present and active at international research conferences. Informal meetings and social events during conferences can also offer valuable contact possiblities and lead to discussions of project ideas.

National Contact Points

The network of National Contact Points, NCPs, is the EU's main structure for personalized information, guidance and support to applicants, offered in their own language. In Norway, the NCPs are mainly located in the Research Council. You can find information about the NCPs at the Research Council's web pages (in Norwegian). 

Policy and influencing

Awareness of EU policy and visions behind funding schemes is important for succeeding with EU research funding, and for maybe even influencing future funding possibilities. 

To seek influence on the priorities in the coming Work Programmes, you need to be proactive and know the right channels and who to contact. The Research Council of Norway has appointed ten national reference groups for Horizon Europe, where members represent  expertise and stakeholders from the relevant sectors. UiO is represented in nine of the groups.

Register as an expert

The Commission has a database of independent experts to assist with research and innovation assignments such as evaluating proposals and monitoring actions. Registering as an expert can give useful insight into the EU's funding system that might enhance your own chances of getting funding in the next round. Register as an expert in the portal