Newsletter January/February 2025

Focus

Switzerland and Horizon Europe – A New Chapter Begins

Starting 1 January, researchers and innovators in Switzerland can participate in almost all the Horizon Europe calls from the 2025 programme year on, thanks to the full activation of the transitional arrangement. This opens a wealth of opportunities, including ERC and MSCA grants and the EIC Accelerator. Furthermore, activation of a transitional arrangement for the Digital Europe Programme grants access to many calls from this programme as well. The upcoming €35 billion in Horizon Europe funding can now be leveraged to tackle Europe's biggest challenges and accelerate your career!

Positive developments in the negotiations between Switzerland and the EU culminated in Ursula van der Leyen's 20 December announcement of the full activation of the transitional arrangement. Starting 1 January 2025, Swiss entities can apply as "Beneficiaries" with EU funding to calls from the 2025 programme year on and can coordinate collaborative projects.

Until now, Swiss entities have had access to roughly two-thirds of Horizon Europe (HE) calls—now almost the full range of opportunities is open to them. In particular, the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which support researchers’ careers, as well as the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator calls, targeting young and innovative companies in their growth phase. The transitional arrangement also unlocks the Digital Europe Programme and its calls in the areas of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, digital skills, and digital technology deployment.

More than €35 billion will flow into research and innovation in the next 3 years. The HE Strategic Plan 2025-2027 prioritises the green and digital transition, and aims at a more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe. It is now time to harness the new opportunities to accelerate your career with HE funding or activate your European networks and together address one of the numerous challenges our continent is facing.

The European Commission has already published the ERC, MSCA and EIC 2025 Work Programmes, and more calls are expected in the coming months. These will be accompanied by information and networking events—all excellent opportunities to interact with consortia forming across Europe.

The Euresearch advisors look forward to guiding you in your new role as Beneficiary, raising your awareness of opportunities, and helping you (re-)discover parts of Horizon Europe. Keep an eye on our events page and social media, and reach out to your Euresearch Regional Office or our thematic specialists at the Network Office. Euresearch is here to guide you through this transition!

Author: Francesco Kienzle, Director Euresearch
Illustration: Alexandra Rosakis

EIT HEI Initiative Call – Record-Breaking Participation

The 2024 call for proposals for the Higher Education Institution (HEI) Initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which closed on 12 December 2024, attracted an impressive 130 applications involving 1480 organisations from 55 countries. This reflects the continued growth and impact of the Initiative, which aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the European higher education landscape.

Celebrating 2 Decades of European Partnerships

Over the past 20 years, European Partnerships have evolved into an impactful research and innovation policy instrument. The more than 6,000 projects have addressed grand challenges through a broad range of transformation-oriented activities. This ERA-LEARN brochure showcases more than 20 impact stories of European Partnerships over their 20-year existence.

Future of Brain Health

At a SwissCore co-organised event, more than 60 renowned international experts discussed the future of brain health in Europe. Topics included new challenges in brain health research, expected impacts of the upcoming European Partnership for Brain Health, and the development of solutions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care that support brain health.

Success Story – Prof Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Discover the remarkable work of Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Professor in BioNanomaterials at the Adolphe Merkle Institute, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg. Watch our Success Story video and see how Swiss researchers are driving innovation and making a significant impact through active participation in the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation.

MSCA COFUND Call 2025

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) “Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes” (COFUND) 2025 call is open. Swiss entities can apply as the Beneficiary in this mono-beneficiary call or participate as an implementing partner. Join our info event on 11 February 2025 to learn more about the call and how Swiss institutions can apply.
Deadline: 24.06.2025

Clean Aviation Call 3 Topics

On 13 February 2025, the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is organising an event for interested parties to meet and pitch their potential contributions to topics in the upcoming Call 3. The event aims to help participants engage with other contributors and discuss collaborations for Call 3 proposals.
Call opens: end Feb. 2025

CBE JU Work Programme 2025

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium. In 2025, €165 million will be dedicated to 13 topics aiming to advance circular bio-based industries in Europe.
Call opens: 04.04.2025
Deadline: 17.09.2025

Clean Hydrogen Call 2025

With a total budget of €184.5 million, the Clean Hydrogen 2025 call aims to accelerate innovation across critical areas of the hydrogen value chain and reflects the continued commitment towards advancing clean hydrogen technologies for climate neutrality and competitiveness in Europe.
Deadline: 23.04.2025

EU Companies Lead Global R&D Investment Growth

In 2023, EU-based companies increased R&D investments by 9.8%, surpassing the US (5.9%) and China (9.6%) for the first time since 2013. The automotive sector led EU investments, accounting for 34.2%, followed by health (19.3%), ICT hardware (14%), and ICT software (7.8%).

Save the Date – EIC Summit 2025

Save the date for the fourth edition of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Summit. This event brings together EIC beneficiaries, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and the public to discuss and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe.
02.-03.04.2025, Brussels

ECS Brokerage Event 2025

This event gathers together the electronic components and systems (ECS) community to build consortia, network and create project proposals for the 2025 Chips Joint Undertaking calls.
18.-19.02.2025, Brussels

EDCTP 2025 Calls – Q&A

Are you preparing a European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) proposal for the 2025 call? And do you have specific questions about proposal preparation? This event is tailored for you.
03.03.2025, Online

Health Info Event and Innovative Health Initiative Q&A

Are you interested in Horizon Europe funding opportunities in the area of Health? Join our 1-hour overview of the upcoming 2025 calls. Are you involved in a proposal for the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Calls 9 or 10? Join our 1-hour Q&A session on these open calls.
IHI: 10.03.2025, Online
Health: 25.03.2025, Online

CBE JU Info Day 2025

Save the date for the 2025 Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) Info Day. Join this event for a day of insights and networking, featuring in-person sessions with ample opportunities to connect face-to-face. The sessions will also be streamed online. Stay tuned for more details.
03.04.2025, Hybrid (Brussels)