Calls for Project Proposals

Die EU-Kommission hat das Horizon Europe-Arbeitsprogramm 2025 veröffentlicht u.a. zur Förderung von Projektanträgen im Cluster 5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility. Folgende Destinations mit mehreren Ausschreibungen sowie Themen wurden veröffentlicht:

• Climate sciences and responses for the transformation towards climate neutrality
• Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
• Efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use
• Clean and competitive solutions for all transport modes
• Safe, Resilient Transport and Smart Mobility services for passengers and goods

Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt entweder in ein- oder zweistufigen Verfahren.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen zu den Ausschreibungsthemen (EN)
Weitere Informationen der KoWi (DE)
Weitere Informationen des BMBF (DE)

Die EU-Kommission hat das Horizon Europe-Arbeitsprogramm 2025 veröffentlicht u.a. zur Förderung von Projektanträgen im Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. Folgende Destinations mit mehreren Ausschreibungen sowie Themen wurden veröffentlicht:

• Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal
• Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption
• Biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors
• Land, ocean and water for climate action
• Clean environment and zero pollution
• Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities

Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt entweder in ein- oder zweistufigen Verfahren.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen der KoWi (DE)
Weitere Informationen des BMBF (DE)

Die EU-Kommission hat das Horizon Europe-Arbeitsprogramm 2025 veröffentlicht u.a. zur Förderung von Projektanträgen im Bereich European Missions. Folgende Missions mit teilweise mehreren Ausschreibungsthemen wurden veröffentlicht:

• Joint Call between the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the Cancer Mission
• Mission: Climate-neutral and smart cities
• Mission: Ocean, seas and waters
• Mission: Soil health and food
Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt in einstufigen Verfahren.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen der KoWi (DE)
Weitere Informationen des BMBF (DE)

The EU funding programme LIFE (L'Instrument Financier pour l'Environnement) co-funds important pilot projects in the areas of environmental protection, climate action and nature conservation in the EU member states. Created in 1992, it has co-financed thousands of projects. The new LIFE programme 2021-2027 has a budget of 5.4 billion Euro and is divided into four sub-programmes:

• Nature and biodiversity,
• Circular economy and quality of life,
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation,
• Clean energy transition.

The following call topics have been published:

• Nature Governance and Information,
• Circular Economy and Zero Pollution,
• Projects on Legislative and Policy Priorities in the fields of Nature & Biodiversity and Circular Economy & Quality of Life,
• Supporting the clean energy transition of European industry and businesses,
• European City Facility,
• Environment governance,
• Strategic Integrated Projects - Environment,
• Towards an effective implementation of key legislation in the field of sustainable energy,
• Energy renovation solutions - Making buildings’ renovation faster, deeper, affordable, smarter, service- and data-driven,
• Technical Assistance - Replication - Nature & Biodiversity and Circular Economy & Quality of Life,
• Projects on Legislative and Policy Priorities in the field of Clean Energy Transition,
• Climate Governance and Information,
• Nature and Biodiversity,
• Technical Assistance preparation of CLIMA SIPs,
• Climate Change Adaptation,
• Climate Change Mitigation,
• Strategic Integrated Projects - Climate Action,
• Support services for energy communities,
• Crowding in private finance,
• Technical Assistance preparation of ENV SIPs,
• Projects on Legislative and Policy Priorities (PLP) for the green transition in Urban spaces,
• BUILD UP Skills - National Platforms on energy efficiency skills for the clean energy transition,
• One-Stop-Shops - Integrated services for clean energy transition in buildings,
• Supporting district heating and cooling networks,
• Boosting the clean energy transition in cities and regions,
• Strategic Nature Projects,
• Alleviating household energy poverty in Europe,
• Technical Assistance preparation of SNAPs,
• Project Development Assistance for sustainable energy investments.

Important note: The LIFE programme only provides between 60 and 95 percent of the actual projects costs as co-financing, depending on the respective project type. Accordingly, an own contribution to the total financing must be provided. The EU LIFE Info Days 2025 will be organised by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) of the EU Commission. In addition, national info days will take place.
Further information on the LIFE Call 2025 topics (EN)
Background information on the LIFE Call 2025 topics (EN)
Further information on the European LIFE Info Days 2025 13.-15.05. (EN)
Further information on the national LIFE Info Day 20.05. (DE)
Further information on the national LIFE Info Day 22.05. (DE)
Further information on the LIFE Programme (EN)
Further information on the LIFE Programme (DE)

Die EU-Kommission hat das Horizon Europe-Arbeitsprogramm 2025 veröffentlicht u.a. zur Förderung von Projektanträgen im Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space. Folgende Destinations mit mehreren Ausschreibungen sowie Themen wurden veröffentlicht:

• Achieving global leadership in climate-neutral, circular and digitised industrial and digital value chains
• Achieving technological leadership for Europe's open strategic autonomy in raw materials, chemicals and innovative materials
• Digital and industrial technologies driving human-centric innovation
• Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies
• Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data-services and trustworthy artificial intelligence services
• Open Strategic Autonomy in Developing, Deploying and Using Global Space-Based Infrastructure, Services, Applications and Data

Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt in ein- oder zweistufigen Verfahren.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen der KoWi (DE)
Weitere Informationen des BMBF (DE)

Das EU-Justizprogramm trägt zur weiteren Entwicklung eines europäischen Justizraums bei, der auf Rechtsstaatlichkeit basiert. Es fördert justizielle Zusammenarbeit in den Bereichen Zivil- und Strafrecht sowie die juristische Ausbildung, um eine gemeinsame Rechts- und Justizkultur in der EU zu schaffen. Das Justizprogramm erleichtert zudem den effektiven Zugang zur Justiz für alle und unterstützt die Rechte von Opfern von Verbrechen sowie die Verfahrensrechte von verdächtigen und angeklagten Personen in Strafverfahren. Im Jahr 2025 werden u.a. folgende Themen ausgeschrieben:

• Call for proposals for action grants to support transnational projects in the fields of e-Justice, victims’ rights and procedural rights (02.10.2025).

Das Antragsverfahren ist einstufig angelegt. Bitte beachten Sie, dass in der Regel nur 90 Prozent von der EU gefördert werden und ein Eigenanteil von 10 Prozent an der Gesamtfinanzierung erbracht werden muss.
Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung (EN)
Weitere Informationen zum Justice Programme (EN)

Die Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership), ein Zusammenschluss internationaler Geldgeber und Förderagenturen mit dem Ziel, gemeinsame Projekte rund um die Energiewende zu fördern, hat die Ausschreibung 2025 veröffentlicht. Von deutscher Seite ist der Projektträger Jülich/ das Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE)) beteiligt.

Die Ausschreibung 2025 ist in 9 Call-Module gegliedert, die auf verschiedene Energietechnologien und/oder -systeme sowie auf forschungs- und innovationsorientierte Ansätze auf verschiedenen Technologiereifegraden (TRL) abzielen, die sich gegenseitig ergänzen und vervollständigen:

• Call Module 2025-01: Multi-vector interactions between the integrated energy system and industrial frameworks,
• Call Module 2025-02: Energy system flexibility: renewables production, storage and system integration,
• Call Module 2025-03 A/B: Advanced renewable energy (RE) technologies for power production,
• Call Module 2025-05: Hydrogen and renewable fuels,
• Call Module 2025-06: Heating and cooling technologies,
• Call Module 2025-07: Integrated regional energy systems,
• Call Module 2025-08: Integrated industrial energy systems,
• Call Module 2025-09: Clean energy integration in the built environment.

Die Projekte müssen sich thematisch in das 8. Energieforschungsprogramm des BMWE passen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf angewandter Forschung (Technology Readiness Level (TRL) am Ende des Projekts 5-8; Senkung des TRL auf 3 nur in besonderen und begründeten Fällen). Bitte beachten Sie auch die zusätzlichen nationalen Förderkriterien für die einzelnen Call Modules (siehe Annex B National/ regional requirements and guidelines). Das Call Module "CM2025-04 - Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)" wird vom BMWE nicht gefördert.

Das Antragsverfahren ist in zwei Stufen gegliedert. Die Einreichungsfrist der ersten Stufe (pre-proposal submission) endet am 09. Oktober 2025. Die europäische Informationsveranstaltung hat am 28. Mai 2025 stattgefunden. Eine Aufzeichnung ist auf der Website der CETP-Ausschreibung abrufbar.
CETP: Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung & zum Infotag (EN)
CETP: Annex B National/ regional requirements and guidelines (EN)

Der Europäische Forschungsrat (European Research Council, ERC) fördert mit den ERC Starting Grants vielversprechende Wissenschaftler*innen (2-7 Jahre nach Erlangung des Doktortitels), die eine unabhängige Karriere starten und eine eigene Arbeitsgruppe aufbauen möchten. Die ERC Starting Grants finanzieren Projekte mit bis zu 1,5 Mio. Euro über eine Laufzeit von max. fünf Jahren.

Bei ERC-Förderungen werden ausdrücklich keine Themen vorgegeben ("Bottom up"-Prinzip). Anträge von allen Fächern und Disziplinen sind willkommen. Wissenschaftliche Exzellenz sowohl des Projekts als auch des Principal Investigators ist das alleinige Auswahlkriterium. Das Antragsverfahren ist einstufig angelegt, das Auswahlverfahren besteht aus zwei Stufen.

Um die Erfolgsaussichten der Antragstellenden zu erhöhen, sind an der Universität Göttingen Beratungs- und Antragswege etabliert worden, die sich in der Vergangenheit bewährt haben. Die Beratung übernehmen die Mitarbeiter*innen des EU-Hochschulbüros der Abteilung Forschung und Transfer. Damit diese ihren größtmöglichen Nutzen entfalten kann, möchten wir Sie ermutigen, sich drei Monate vor Ende der jeweiligen Einreichungsfrist mit dem EU-Hochschulbüro in Verbindung zu setzen. Der zeitliche Vorlauf ist notwendig, da Abstimmungen zwischen dem Antragstellenden, dem jeweiligen Dekanat, der Zentralverwaltung und dem Präsidium erfolgen müssen, um u.a. den Zugang zu Räumlichkeiten (z.B. Laborflächen) und Personalfragen zu klären sowie eine fundierte Budgetkalkulation für die gesamte Projektlaufzeit zu gewährleisten (z.B. Abschreibungen Equipment, Audits). Um alle Antragstellenden bei der Strukturierung des zeitlichen Ablaufs bis zur Antragsfrist zu unterstützen, hat das EU-Hochschulbüro interne Fristen formuliert, die als Empfehlung dienen.
Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung (EN)
Weitere Informationen zum ERC Starting Grant (EN)
Weitere Informationen zum ERC Starting Grant (DE)

COST ist eine durch Horizon Europe (2021-2027) geförderte zwischenstaatliche Initiative zur europäischen Vernetzung, die allen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen offen steht. COST Actions finanzieren u.a. die Organisation von Veranstaltungen, Training Schools, Publikationen und Short Scientific Exchanges. COST fördert nicht die Forschungsmaßnahmen selbst.

Die geförderten Netzwerke haben eine Laufzeit von vier Jahren. Das Besondere bereits bewilligter COST Actions liegt in der laufenden Aufnahme neuer Mitglieder. Sie können die COST-Datenbank der bereits bewilligten COST Actions nach für Sie relevanten Stichworten durchsuchen.

COST Actions bieten verschiedene Vorteile für Forschende wie z.B.:

• Sie erleichtern Kontakte zu europäischen Partnern, woraus sich gemeinsame Vorhaben im Bereich Forschung und Innovation entwickeln können wie u.a. Publikationen oder Projektanträge.
• Sie bieten vielfältige Möglichkeiten der Karriereentwicklung, was insbesondere für junge Wissenschaftler*innen nützlich sein kann.

Das Antragsverfahren für neue COST Actions ist themenoffen (Bottom-up-Prinzip) und einstufig angelegt.
Weitere Informationen zu COST (EN)
Weitere Informationen zu COST (DE)

With its Pathfinder programme the European Innovation Council (EIC) aims to build on new, cutting-edge directions in science and technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities by realising innovative technological solutions grounded in high-risk/high-gain research and development. With each specific Challenge, a portfolio of projects will be established that explore different perspectives, competing approaches or complementary aspects of the Challenge. The complexity and high-risk nature of this research will require multi-disciplinary collaborations. Projects in a Challenge portfolio are expected to interact and exchange, remaining flexible and reactive in the light of developments within the portfolio or in the relevant global scientific or industrial community. They will progress together towards common goals and create new opportunities for radical innovation.

You should apply, if you have a potential cutting-edge project that would contribute to the specific objectives of the respective Challenge. Specifically, your proposed project must aim to deliver by its end the expected outcomes defined in the respective Challenge. In general, the starting point of a proposal answering to a Pathfinder Challenge is an early Technology Readiness Level (TRL, e.g. TRL 2) to up to proof of concept or validation in the lab (e.g. TRL 3 or 4). Project results should also include top-level scientific publications, adequate formal protection of the generated intellectual property (IP) as well as an assessment of relevant aspects related to regulation, certification and standardisation. In addition, you are encouraged to involve and empower in your team key actors that have the potential to become future leaders in their fields such as excellent early-career researchers or promising high-tech SMEs, including start-ups. Your proposed project should reinforce the mind-set for targeted research and development aimed at high-impact applied results.

Before you decide to apply, you are strongly encouraged to read the respective EIC Pathfinder Challenge Guide that will be published on the EIC website and the Funding & Tenders Portal after the call opening. The Challenge Guide will provide you with more information about the objectives of the Challenges, technical information underpinning the objectives and portfolio considerations used for the final selection of proposals to be funded.

The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or from single legal entities established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country (unless stated otherwise in the specific Challenge chapter). The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural persons.

The following Pathfinder Challenges were published:

• Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing;
• Generative-AI based Agents to Revolutionize Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer;
• Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments;
• Waste-to-value devices: Circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals and materials.

You will receive a grant for a Research and Innovation Action to cover the eligible costs, necessary for the implementation of your project, including the portfolio activities. For this call, the EIC considers proposals with an EU contribution of up to EUR 4 million as appropriate.
Further information on EIC Work Programme 2025 (EN)
Further information on EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2025 (EN)
Further information on EIC Pathfinder (DE)

Eine Gruppe aus mind. zwei bis max. vier Principal Investigators (PIs) sowie ggf. ihre Teams kann gemeinsam einen ERC Synergy Grant (ERC SyG) beantragen. Bewerben können sich exzellente Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen sowie etablierte, aktive Forschende mit herausragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungen. Die Förderung erfolgt unabhängig von Alter und Nationalität der PIs.

Ziel der ERC SyG ist es, komplementäre Expertise, Fähigkeiten und Ressourcen zusammenzubringen, um gemeinsam wissenschaftliche Fragestellungen zu bearbeiten. Die Gruppe der PIs muss klar darlegen, warum die Bearbeitung der wissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen am besten in dieser Konstellation durchgeführt werden kann. Die zwei bis vier PIs können alle an einer Einrichtung oder an verschiedenen Einrichtungen in der EU oder in assoziierten Staaten angesiedelt sein. Pro Grant kann auch einer der PIs an einer Einrichtung in einem nicht-europäischen Drittstaat angestellt sein. Diese Gasteinrichtung im Drittstaat ist dann auch förderfähig. Die maximale Fördersumme pro Projekt beträgt 10,0 Mio. Euro für eine Laufzeit von bis zu sechs Jahren. Das Antragsverfahren ist einstufig, das Auswahlverfahren ist dreistufig angelegt.

Bei ERC-Förderungen werden ausdrücklich keine Themen vorgegeben ("Bottom up"-Prinzip). Anträge von allen Fächern und Disziplinen sind willkommen. Wissenschaftliche Exzellenz sowohl des Projekts als auch der PIs ist das alleinige Auswahlkriterium.

Um die Erfolgsaussichten der Antragstellenden zu erhöhen, sind an der Universität Göttingen Beratungs- und Antragswege etabliert worden, die sich in der Vergangenheit bewährt haben. Die Beratung übernehmen die Mitarbeiter*innen des EU-Hochschulbüros der Abteilung Forschung und Transfer. Damit diese ihren größtmöglichen Nutzen entfalten kann, möchten wir Sie ermutigen, sich drei Monate vor Ende der jeweiligen Einreichungsfrist mit dem EU-Hochschulbüro in Verbindung zu setzen. Der zeitliche Vorlauf ist notwendig, da Abstimmungen zwischen dem Antragstellenden, dem jeweiligen Dekanat, der Zentralverwaltung und dem Präsidium erfolgen müssen, um u.a. den Zugang zu Räumlichkeiten (z.B. Laborflächen) und Personalfragen zu klären sowie eine fundierte Budgetkalkulation für die gesamte Projektlaufzeit zu gewährleisten (z.B. Abschreibungen Equipment, Audits). Um alle Antragstellenden bei der Strukturierung des zeitlichen Ablaufs bis zur Antragsfrist zu unterstützen, hat das EU-Hochschulbüro interne Fristen formuliert, die als Empfehlung dienen.
Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung (EN)
Weitere Informationen zum ERC Synergy Grant (EN)
Weitere Informationen zum ERC Synergy Grant (DE)

Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under Horizon Europe, announced a transnational joint research call on "Restoration of ecosystem functioning, integrity, and connectivity" (BiodivConnect). This call is focused on fostering innovative research to be integrated into nature restoration practices for interconnected and well-functioning ecosystems and habitats, with special consideration for long-term sustainability and future-proofing of restoration efforts, at scales from local to regional to cross-border and global, including their evaluation.

The call covers restoration efforts for biodiversity in all types of ecosystems and habitats, in all regions of the world, supporting high-quality research and innovation projects on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration with holistic, systemic, and integrated approaches. Projects should support progress towards international biodiversity commitments, also beyond 2030, under the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, and relevant biodiversity policy objectives at different levels in Europe and globally.

This Call is arranged into three main topics that partly overlap. Project proposals can address one or more of these main topics:

• Topic 1: Setting restoration targets and measuring success: This topic addresses the need for coherent and operational restoration targets and measurements of success in terms of ecosystem functioning, integrity and connectivity. Projects are expected to consider shifting baselines and integration of ecological, cultural and social contexts, with objective-based or reference-based approaches.
• Topic 2: Transferability and scaling of nature restoration efforts: This topic addresses the need for a better understanding of the possibilities and methods for meaningful and effective scaling and transferability of nature restoration efforts. There are many examples of successful local restoration efforts across the world, however the scale of the biodiversity crisis necessitates advancements in approaches and processes for reproducing successful efforts across different socio-economic and environmental contexts.
• Topic 3: Resilience and sustainability of restoration efforts: This topic addresses the need for long-term sustainability of restored species, habitats and ecosystems, including resilience to climate change and other pressures. Given future environmental and societal changes, it will not be possible to rely solely on historical and current datasets and models to predict likely pathways to successful restoration. There is also a need for advanced predictive modelling and anticipatory strategic foresight based on policy learning, as well as the development of entirely novel approaches to restoration, experimental approaches with high risk tolerance, and/or open-ended restoration efforts such as rewilding.

Applicants must carefully read the announcement of opportunity that further details the scope of the call. To be eligible, research consortia will have to include teams from a minimum of 3 countries financially participating in the call, including at least 2 from EU Member States or EU Associated Countries. Please note that it is crucial that all applicants of a consortium comply with their national/regional funding rules.

For the DFG, the eligibility requirements comply with the standard rules for DFG research grants. However, in this call, applicants from Germany can apply to the DFG and the BMFTR/PTJ only for a maximum of 210,000 euros per project (excluding overhead costs; calculation of personnel costs according to BMFTR funding guidelines). Further information and more details are provided by the Rules of the Funding Organisations.

The call was launched on 9 September 2025. A two-step application procedure will be used, with the pre-proposal submission deadline on 07 November 2025. After a first evaluation of pre-proposals, the deadline for submitting full proposals will be on 14 April 2026. An information webinar for potential applicants was held on 11 September 2025. A recording of the webinar is available online. Biodiversa+ has developed a project partner tool to help researchers connect and collaborate.
Biodiversa+: Further information on the call (EN)
DFG: Further information on the call (EN)
Biodiversa+: Further information on the project partner tool (EN)

Die EU-Kommission hat das Horizon Europe-Arbeitsprogramm 2025 veröffentlicht u.a. zur Förderung von Projektanträgen im Cluster 3 - Civil Security for Society. Folgende Ausschreibungen mit jeweils mehreren Themen wurden veröffentlicht:

• HORIZON-CL3-2025-01: Better protect the EU and its citizens against Crime and Terrorism; Disaster-Resilient Society for Europe; Effective management of EU external borders; Resilient Infrastructure; Strengthened Security Research and Innovation
• European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC): Increased Cybersecurity

Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt in einstufigen Verfahren.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen der KoWi (DE)
Weitere Informationen des BMBF (DE)

Die Ausschreibungsthemen der New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility wurden veröffentlicht:

• Bottom-up social entrepreneurship for the co-creation of neighbourhoods in line with the New European Bauhaus
• Beautiful, sustainable and inclusive street furniture for the transformation of neighbourhoods
• Bio-fabricated materials for sustainable and beautiful construction
• Reverse local construction supply chains for the beautiful re-assembly of reclaimed construction products
• Network of neighbourhoods for innovative policies on gentrification
• Applying regenerative design to the built environment in neighbourhoods
• The impact of common space on neighbourhood communities
• Innovative approaches for sustainable, inclusive and beautiful social and affordable housing
• Sufficiency measures in the built environment
• Fostering and maintaining the social fabric for the green transition in neighbourhoods
• Renovating the built environment through design for adaptability and disassembly.

Die NEB ist Teil des EU-Rahmenprogramms für Forschung und Innovation, Horizon Europe. Es sollen Projekte gefördert werden, die die grüne Transformation mit sozialer Inklusion und lokaler Demokratie verbinden, kreislauforientierte und regenerative Ansätze für die gebaute Umwelt erforschen sowie innovative Finanzierungs- und Geschäftsmodelle für die Umgestaltung europäischer Nachbarschaften entwickeln. Gleichzeitig soll untersucht werden, wie kulturelle Teilhabe, soziale Beziehungen und bürgerschaftliches Engagement zusammenhängen.

Die Einreichung der Projektanträge erfolgt in einstufigen Verfahren. Die Frist für die Einreichung von Projektanträgen endet am 12. November 2025.
Arbeitsprogramm 2025 (EN)
Weitere Informationen zur Ausschreibung (EN)
Weitere Informationen der EU-Kommission (EN)
Weitere Informationen des Nationalen Kontaktpunkts (DE)

The Water4All Partnership - Water Security for the planet - is a funding programme for scientific research in freshwater. It aims to tackle water challenges to face climate change, help to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and boost the EU’s competitiveness and growth. It is co-funded by the European Union within the frame of the Horizon Europe programme.

Funding Agencies from 31 countries all over Europe and abroad announced a joint transnational call (JTC) for research and innovation projects on "Water and Health". It will support research and innovation projects aimed at addressing key challenges related to the link between water and human health, including water quality, contaminants, and water treatment technologies. The Water4All JTC 2025 also considers the One Health approach, recognizing the interconnections between human, environmental, and animal health.

Research and innovation proposals submitted under the Water4All 2025 JTC are required to address at least one of the following topics:

• Topic 1: Waterborne contaminants & health risks: occurrence, behaviour, interactions and vulnerability;
• Topic 2: Innovative tools and technologies for Water quality and exposure monitoring;
• Topic 3: Water treatment and exposure mitigation;
• Topic 4: Governance, socio-economic innovation, and policy integration for water and health.

Each consortium participant will be funded by the Funding Partner Organisation from their country/ region. Participants are therefore subject to eligibility criteria of national/ regional funding organisations. Please note, that maybe not all topics will be funded by the respective national/ regional funding organisations. In Germany, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is responsible. The maximum budget limit per German partner is 350.000 €. A minimum budget of 50.000€ is recommended. If a German partner is coordinator of a proposal, the maximum amount of funding requested can reach 500,000 €. If there are two German partners in the same consortium, the max. total commitment from BMFTR is 600,000 € per consortium. A maximum of two German partners per consortium are eligible for funding. However, this is only permitted if at least one of the German partners qualifies as a practice partner (e.g., companies, SMEs, municipalities, public authorities, associations, etc.). If no German practice partner is involved in the consortium, only one German partner may participate. Further information and more details are provided by the call documents, especially National/ Regional Regulations.

Each consortium must involve e.g.:

• at least a minimum of three (3) eligible partners that request funding from participating Funding Partner Organisations (FPOs) from three different countries;
• at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries as recipients of the financial support;
• a maximum of seven (7) partners (including 1 self- funded partner).

Water4All also integrates an independent modality of the Early Career Researchers (ECR) in this call. The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) does NOT fund the Early Career Researchers modality.

The call was launched on 12 September 2025. A two-step application procedure will be used, with the pre-proposal submission deadline on 13 November 2025, 15:00 CET. After a first evaluation of pre-proposals, the deadline for submitting full proposals will be on 13 April 2026, 15:00 CEST. An information webinar for potential applicants will be held on 25 September 2025, from 13:30 to 15:30 CEST. A registration for the webinar is necessary. Water4All has developed a matchmaking tool to help researchers connect and collaborate.
Water4All: Further information on the call (EN)
Water4All: Further information on the information webinar (EN)
Water4All: Further information on the matchmaking tool (EN)

The aim of this call for proposals is to support transnational research and/or innovation projects that help cities tackle urban challenges and transition towards a climate neutral and resilient future for all. It is the fourth call of the DUT Partnership co-funded by the European Commission (EC) under the Horizon Europe framework programme. The DUT Call 2025 addresses the following topics that are supported by German funding organisations:

• The 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP) addresses challenges of urban mobility, logistics, public space and proximity-based policies to promote implementation of climate neutral, resilient neighbourhoods for all. It draws on research and innovation projects to showcase a diverse mosaic of approaches that drive mobility transitions. The 15mC TP aims to enable analysis, development and testing of ideas, tools and innovations for 15-minute cities within co-creative and transdisciplinary settings. 15mC call topic that is supported by Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR): Next steps for multimodal urban mobility, building on the travel experience.
• The Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP) aims to develop innovative solutions for planning, large-scale implementation, and replication of PEDs across Europe’s urban and peri-urban areas. By combining energy efficiency, renewable energy production, and energy flexibility at the local level, PEDs offer and contribute to affordable energy systems, affordable quality housing, and competitive, resilient and inclusive local economies for cities through energy communities, contributing to European goals such as the SET Plan and the EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities. PED call topic that is supported by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ-PtJ): PEDs in urban heating and cooling strategies.

Each consortium participant will be funded by the Funding Partner Organisation from their country/ region. Participants are therefore subject to eligibility criteria of national/ regional funding organisations. Please note, that maybe not all topics will be funded by the respective national/ regional funding organisations. In Germany, the DLR and the FZJ-PtJ are responsible. Further information and more details are provided by the DUT Call 2025 Annex A: Specific Funding Agencies’ Budgets and Rules of Eligibility.

A two-step application procedure will be used, with the pre-proposal submission deadline on 17 November 2025. After a first evaluation of pre-proposals, the deadline for submitting full proposals will be on 23 April 2026. An information webinar for potential applicants was held. A recording is available online.
DUT: Further information on the call (EN)
BMFTR: Further information on the call - The 15-minute City Transition Pathway (DE)
BMWE: Further information on the call - The Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (EN)

The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, a European partnership under the European Commission’s Research & Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe, announced its third Joint transnational call entitled "Digitalisation and Innovation for Resilient Marine Ecosystems Businesses, and Communities to Strengthen the EU Blue Economy’s Competitiveness". The Partnership aims to boost the transformation needed towards a climate-neutral, sustainable, productive, and competitive blue economy by 2030 while creating and supporting the conditions for a healthy ocean for the people by 2050.

The German funding organisation supports the following priority areas of the call (for details, please see Annex B on the regional/ national regulations of the participating funding organisations):

• Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTOs) at sub-basin scale,
• Blue economy sectors, development of marine multi-use infrastructure,
• Planning and managing sea uses at the regional level,
• Resilient Coastal Communities and Businesses.

Projects in this call must be impact-driven contributions to the transformation into a blue economy for a more resilient future and towards carbon neutrality targets, following an impact pathway approach. Applicants are requested to propose an impact plan under the theory of change (see section 2.3 – Impact of the proposals, and Annex A).

The proposals are strongly recommended to consider a minimum of two EU sea basins which are: the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea, and to assess the project proposal’s impact and potential replication/scalability on various sea basins. Proposals can target European regional seas such as Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, the Arctic, Barents Sea, Celtic Sea, etc. but they must be from a minimum of 2 different EU Sea basins.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to involve stakeholders (i.e., small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), industries, authorities, public administrations, associations, as well as civil society organisations) as partners or self-funded partners (according to national/regional regulations) in their proposal. Stakeholder engagement in the research projects will enhance innovation, policy, and societal relevance and ultimately the impact of the projects.

Each applicant has to check the project idea with the national contact point as early as possible in the proposal phase, at the latest before submitting any applications. In Germany, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)/ Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) are responsible. Applicants are strongly advised to consult the guidelines on eligible costs (Richtlinien für Zuwendungsantraege AZA/ AZK). A maximum of two German partners per project will be funded. Maximum funding per awarded project partner: EUR 250,000. Maximum funding per awarded project (for the maximum of two project partners together): EUR 350,000. The distribution of funds between the two partners is left up to them. Only two German partners in a consortium are eligible. The prerequisite for two German partners in a consortium is that at least one partner can be classified as company. If there is no German company in the consortium, only one German partner per consortium can participate - either as a coordinator or partner. PtJ recommends that applicants regard the BMFTR strategy “Research for Sustainability” (FONA) Strategy and the BMFTR funding priority “Costal, Marine and Polar Research for Sustainability (MARE:N)”.

The call follows a two-stage application procedure: pre-proposals (stage 1) and full proposals (stage 2). The deadline for submitting pre-proposals will expire on 17 November 2025. A first evaluation of pre-proposals will be organised and the deadline to submit full proposals is foreseen for 17 June 2026. A general information webinar will be organised on 06 October 2025. The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership developed a project partner tool to help researchers connect and collaborate.
Further information (EN)

QuantERA II ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies (QT) is a consortium of national and regional research funding organisations in Europe supporting research in QT. The funding organisations of QuantERA jointly support European multilateral research projects with the potential to initiate or foster new lines of QT through collaborations exploring advanced multidisciplinary science and/or cutting-edge engineering.

The submitted proposals are expected to be aligned with one of the two QuantERA Call 2025 topics:

• German Research Foundation (DFG): Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR) – with the goal of laying the foundations for the QT of the future;
• Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)/ Projektträger VDI TZ: Applied Quantum Science (AQS) – aimed at leveraging established quantum effects and concepts from quantum science, translating them into technological applications and developing new products.

All projects aligned with one of the two Call 2025 topics are expected to address one or more of the following areas:

• Quantum communication,
• Quantum computing,
• Quantum simulation,
• Quantum sensing and metrology,
• General quantum science.

Each applicant has to check the project idea with the respective national contact point as early as possible in the proposal phase, at the latest before submitting any applications. In Germany, DFG and BMFTR/ Projektträger VDI TZ are responsible:

• The DFG will fund only projects addressing the topic of Quantum Phenomena and Resources (QPR). With the exception of the duty to collaborate, the regular eligibility rules for funding from the DFG apply. The different specifics of submitting proposals to the DFG are described in the annex of the Call Announcement. For example, for each project, one copy of the proposal, the financial form, necessary offers for scientific equipment and accompanying documentation has to be submitted via the DFG’s elan portal.
• BMFTR/ VDI TZ will only fund projects addressing the topic of Applied Quantum Science (AQS). Mandatory registration: German applicants are required to contact and to register with the responsible BMFTR funding agency (Projektträger VDI TZ) prior to the submission of a project proposal they are involved in. Compulsory industry involvement: Due to the application orientation of the AQS topic, the involvement of at least one company (from Germany or another EEA country) in the project is compulsory. Obligatory exploitation plan: In section 2.2 proposal must contain a concrete, appropriately detailed plan (who? what? when?) for the subsequent innovation steps, the technical application and the future commercial utilisation of the results in the EEA. Please note that in this context, the term application does not imply the utilisation of the results for merely scientific purposes. Demonstrating additional benefit: To be eligible for BMFTR funding, project proposals must demonstrate an additional benefit due to the transnational cooperation. Funding limits: The requested BMFTR funding must amount to at least 120 k€ per German partner over the entire duration of a project. Moreover, at least 50% of the total eligible costs/ expenses on the part of the German participant(s) in a project must be personnel costs/ expenses.

A one-stage submission and evaluation procedure will be applied. The deadline for submitting proposals will expire on 05 December 2025, 17.00 CET. An online webinar will be hosted on 08 October 2025.
QuantERA: Further information on the call (EN)
DFG: Further information on the call (EN)