Horizon Europe 2025
Horizon Europe 2025
Written by Christa Ivanova, 03 February 2025
The Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme will be structured in 3 Pillars, as it has been in the past 4 years. It is composed of three main pillars, with Pillar I focusing on Excellent Science, Pillar II addressing Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness and Pillar III Innovative Europe. We have recently covered Pillar I and III, and will focus on Pillar II in this article. Unlike the other Pillars, Pillar II has not yet been fully defined for 2025 regarding topics, budget or deadlines. Nevertheless, some Draft Work documents have recently leaked and become public, so we can discuss them here.
The official Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme will be officially published around May/April of 2025, but with most deadlines in September 2025, this will leave limited time to prepare competitive proposals. This is why we believe that having a head start with the Draft documents will give you a competitive advantage! Pillar II will again be structured in 6 Clusters, as has been the case since 2021.
The 6 Clusters in Horizon Europe
- Health
- Culture, Creativity & Industrial Society
- Civil Security for Society
- Digital, Industry & Space
- Climate, Energy & Mobility
- Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment.
Innovation in Horizon Europe 2025
Projects in Horizon Europe 2025 Pillar II that fund the development of innovation and research with a dedicated budget will take the shape of Research & Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA). The main difference is that RIA projects focus on early-stage research (TRL 1-4) and IA projects on innovations closer to market access (TRL 5-8). This is also reflected in the different funding rates. Whereas RIA projects are funded at 100% due to their research-driven nature at an early stage, IA projects focus on applied innovation, processes and services and receive 70% funding. Both project types are essential in the overall Horizon Europe framework, where research and innovation are developed in tandem to push Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable growth.
To understand which project topics will be supported in 2025, we need to take a closer look at the individual clusters and the information currently available.
Cluster 1 – Health
Cluster Health of the Horizon Europe program aims to support research and innovation in areas that improve health and well-being, promote healthier societies, and address major health challenges. The goal of Cluster 1 is to support cutting-edge research and innovation that can improve the quality of life, enhance healthcare systems, and contribute to healthier, more resilient societies across Europe. It brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, healthcare professionals, and industry players, to tackle complex health challenges.
The main areas include health promotion and disease prevention, innovative health technologies and digital health including medical devices, e-health, AI applications in healthcare and generally, the understanding of diseases and how treatment can be improved. It also covers the development of novel therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics.
The calls of 2025 will focus on the impact of climate change and the environment on our health, for example by supporting research on the effects of pollution on the development of brain diseases, and the health impact of micro- and nanoplastics. Digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a central role, with the goal to digitalize the healthcare system in Europe and use AI in disease prediction and prevention.
Here, you can find the Draft of Cluster 1 – Health.
The document includes all deadlines and the allocated budget for each call. If you want to see a more condensed version of all calls supporting Biotech- and Health-focused Research and Innovation in Horizon Europe 2025, do not forget to download our Call Calendar in the bottom of this page!
Cluster 2 – Culture, Creativity & Industrial Society
This cluster aims to promote the role of culture, social innovation, and creative industries in addressing societal challenges, fostering inclusive societies, and enhancing Europe’s global influence in these areas. Examples include the preservation of cultural heritage and upholding the democratic values in the European society.
You can find the Draft of Cluster 2 here: Culture, Creativity & Industrial Society.
Cluster 3 – Civil Security for Society
Cluster 3 of Horizon Europe 2025 will concentrate on building a safer and more secure Europe by enhancing the resilience of societies against a range of threats. From cybersecurity and terrorism prevention to disaster management and the protection of critical infrastructure, the cluster will focus on both technological innovations and societal responses to security challenges, ensuring that security is both effective and respectful of individual rights. It will also emphasize the role of international cooperation and public-private partnerships in enhancing Europe’s security landscape.
Download the latest Draft of Cluster 3 here: Civil Security for Society.
Cluster 4 – Digital, Industry & Space
This cluster focuses on advancing digital technologies, boosting the industrial sector, and enhancing Europe’s role in space to ensure future economic growth, innovation, and sustainability. Key research fields will include digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and space exploration.
See all topics in the Draft Cluster 4 here: Digital, Industry & Space.
Cluster 5 – Climate, Energy & Mobility
This cluster is aimed at tackling key environmental and sustainability challenges through innovation and research. In 2025, this will include calls on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting clean energy, sustainable mobility, energy storage (namely the development of novel battery systems) and environmental protection.
You can read the detailed Draft of Cluster 5 here: Climate, Energy and Mobility.
Cluster 6 – Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment
Cluster 6 in 2025 focuses on ensuring that Europe’s food systems, bioeconomy, and natural resources are managed sustainably, while contributing to environmental protection, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. It aims to build a more resilient, sustainable, and circular economy for both nature and society. Calls will address food security and safety, novel bio-based products, preserving natural habitats and biodiversity and developing new land management practices.
As of January 2025, the Draft of Cluster 6 is not yet available for download, but rest assured that once the Draft becomes available, the MIC will publish it!
If you want to see all Calls from Horizon Europe 2025 in a condensed form, you can download our Call Calendar below! It focuses on the topics Health, Environment and Clean Energy, since those are the areas where we can help you with our expertise in microfluidics. The MIC is a reliable partner in Horizon Europe, and we would love to discuss your project idea with you! Just drop us an email at partnership[at]microfluidic.fr.
Download the MIC Horizon Europe 2025 Calls Calendar:
The MIC already brings its expertise in microfluidics to Horizon Europe:
H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2020
Microfluidic platform to study the interaction of cancer cells with lymphatic tissue
H2020-LC-GD-2020-3
Toxicology assessment of pharmaceutical products on a placenta-on-chip model
