HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14

Networking and Future Photonics Strategy (CSA) (Photonics Partnership) -

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Call text (as on F&T portal)

View on F&T portal
Expected Outcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

  • Continued coordination and strategic support to the broader European photonics ecosystem, fostering a transparent, inclusive governance model and bottom-up roadmap development.
  • Strengthened engagement across the photonics ecosystem, including industry, academia, national platforms and end-user sectors.
  • Improved alignment of regional, national and European R&I agendas, enhancing coherence and impact across funding instruments.
  • Effective monitoring and steering of Partnership-funded projects towards the achievement of Key Performance Indicators.
  • Increased visibility of photonics as a critical enabling technology for EU priorities such as the digital and green transitions, industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty.
  • Enhanced collaboration with other European Partnerships and strategic initiatives to maximise synergies and streamline efforts.
  • Improved access to private and blended finance for photonics innovation, growth and scale-up.
Scope:

Proposals should include:

  • Development and regular updating of the European Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and associated roadmaps
  • Coordination and monitoring of Partnership-funded R&I and CSA projects, including tracking of Key Performance Indicators and recommending corrective actions where needed
  • Outreach, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement, including alignment with national, regional, and European photonics strategies and input into broader EU policy initiatives
  • Provision of a unified communication platform for the European photonics community and strengthened public communication on the impact of photonics
  • Facilitation of collaboration with other European Partnerships, strategic initiatives, and financial institutions to identify synergies and improve access to innovation financing.

Beneficiaries that intend to transfer ownership or grant an exclusive licence must formally notify the granting authority (i.e. DG-CNECT and HaDEA) before the intended transfer or licensing takes place and the granting authority may up to four years after the end of the action object to a transfer of ownership or the exclusive licensing of results.

News flashes

2026-01-24
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-18, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-03, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-19, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-15
call topic details
Call status: Open
Publication date: 2026-01-15 (1 week ago)
Opening date: 2026-01-15 (1 week ago)
Closing date: 2026-04-15 (2 months from now)
Procedure: single-stage

Budget: 3,000,000
Expected grants: 1
Contribution: 3,000,000 - 3,000,000
News flashes

This call topic has been appended 1 time by the EC with news.

  • 2026-01-24
    the submission session is now available...
Source information

Showing the latest information. Found 3 versions of this call topic in the F&T portal.

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  • 2026-01-15_06-31-00
  • 2026-01-14_06-30-50
  • 2025-12-16_06-30-54

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Events

This is just a very first implementation, better visualisation coming

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital Speed-Dating Platform

2025-11-12 -> 2026-04-15

online

Find your collaboration partners for EU projects in the digital domain of Cluster 4 here!

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital Speed-Dating Platform

2025-11-12 -> 2026-04-15

online

Find your collaboration partners for EU projects in the digital domain of Cluster 4 here!

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Info Days 2026

2026-01-29 -> 2026-01-30

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During the Info Days, representatives of the European Commission will present the 2026 call topics in Horizon Europe Cluster 4 and answer questions from the audience. You do not need to register to attend this online event, simply follow the live stream on the day.

KETs Brokerage Event 2026

2026-02-04 -> 2026-02-05

online

Do you want to tackle the challenges of Industry, Manufacturing & Production, Materials, Digital/AI/Robotics, Batteries and Hydrogen? - Then use the unique opportunities of the KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) 2026 EU Brokerage Event on February 5, 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany!

KETs Brokerage Event 2026

2026-02-04 -> 2026-02-05

online

Do you want to tackle the challenges of Industry, Manufacturing & Production, Materials, Digital/AI/Robotics, Batteries and Hydrogen? - Then use the unique opportunities of the KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) 2026 EU Brokerage Event on February 5, 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany!

Events are added by the ideal-ist NCP community and are hand-picked. If you would like to suggest an event, please contact idealist@ffg.at.

Call topic timeline

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  1. Work programme available

    - 2 months ago

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  2. Publication date

    - 1 week ago

    The call was published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

  3. Opening date

    - 1 week ago

    The call opened for submissions.

  4. Today

  5. Closing date

    - 2 months from now

    Deadline for submitting a project.

  6. Time to inform applicants Estimate

    - 7 months from now

    The maximum time to inform applicants (TTI) of the outcome of the evaluation is five months from the call closure date.

  7. Sign grant agreement Estimate

    - 10 months from now

    The maximum time to sign grant agreements (TTG) is three months from the date of informing applicants.

Funded Projects

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Project information comes from CORDIS (for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe) and will be sourced from F&T Portal (for Digital Europe projects)

Bubbles

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