What is Horizon Europe Clusters?
Under Pillar II of the Horizon Europe programme, clusters represent thematic research areas—such as health, climate, or digital technologies—that group projects sharing common strategic goals and priorities. Each cluster operates under a dedicated work programme, typically updated every two years, which defines the specific calls for project proposals.
Participation in Horizon Europe is built on international cooperation. Projects generally require the formation of a consortium comprising at least three legal entities (e.g., research institutions, universities, private enterprises, or non-profit organisations) from three different EU Member States or associated countries (such as Norway, Serbia, or Turkey). Evaluation focuses on proposal quality, overall impact, and implementation strategy.
Overview of the 6 Horizon Europe Clusters (Pillar II):
| Cluster | Name | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Cluster 1 | Health | Disease prevention and treatment, personalised medicine, digital health solutions, health system efficiency, pandemic preparedness. |
| Cluster 2 | Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society | Strengthening democracy, safeguarding cultural heritage, social inclusion, education, migration management. |
| Cluster 3 | Civil Security for Society | Fighting crime and terrorism, cybersecurity, disaster management and response (natural and human-made). |
| Cluster 4 | Digital, Industry and Space | Artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, robotics, advanced materials, circular industry, space technologies. |
| Cluster 5 | Climate, Energy and Mobility | Climate change mitigation, clean energy transition, smart and sustainable transport, decarbonisation, battery storage solutions. |
| Cluster 6 | Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment | Sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, ecosystem protection, circular economy, sustainable management of marine resources, forestry. |
The cluster structure ensures that funding calls target specific societal and technological challenges, encouraging cross-border and cross-sector collaboration among experts. Each cluster maintains its own work programmes and priorities. Currently published calls for proposals can be accessed on the FNT portal (Funding & Tenders Portal).
