| Topic | HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-03 |
|---|---|
| Status | Forthcoming |
| Call | HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 — DIGITAL |
| Destination | Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data-services and trustworthy artificial intelligence services (2026-27) |
| Type of action | Research and Innovation Actions |
| Opening | 17 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 18 March 2027 |
| Budget | around EUR 17.5 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 35 million in total |
| TRL at the end | TRL 6–7 |
| Part B page limit | 40 pages (standard application form; check your call) |
| Template | Work Programme 2026–2027 application form |
Expected outcomes
The topic does not say whether all outcomes must be addressed; treat them all as relevant. The topic says: “Project results are expected to contribute to developing new approaches, tools and techniques that overcome the obstacles of today's centralised AI compute techniques: limits in the availability of energy and AI compute capacity in centralised standalone environments, limited availability of types of AI chips, data quality and security and latency in AI data processing. The ultimate objective is…”
- EO1 Project results are expected to contribute to developing new approaches, tools and techniques that overcome the obstacles of today's centralised AI compute techniques: limits in the availability of energy and AI compute capacity in centralised standalone environments, limited availability of types of AI chips, data quality and security and latency in AI data processing. The ultimate objective is to help overcome EU’s AI compute capacity bottlenecks by offering alternative decentralised and sustainable AI compute models that enable exploitation of diverse hardware processing architectures and scaling approaches.
What evaluators will look for in this topic
Expected outcomes
- The topic does not say whether all outcomes must be addressed; treat them all as relevant.
- For each outcome (EO1), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
- Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.
What the scope asks for
Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.
- “Successful project proposals should showcase proposed developments in at least two complementary use cases in different domains.”
- “These use cases should demonstrate the value gained and potential impact of project achievements in real-world situations, as well as address key applications and sectors critical to Europe's competitiveness.”
- “Use cases should provide compelling examples and scenarios and cater for the reproducibility of results' added value and impact in additional economic sectors.”
Conditions that shape the proposal
- Part B, sections 1–3: 40 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
- TRL: the topic expects TRL 6–7 by the end of the project. State where you start and the evidence for it.
- Other Eligible Conditions: “In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and…”
- Other Eligible Conditions: “For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or by a…”
- Other Eligible Conditions: “[[ The guarantees shall in particular substantiate that, for the purpose of the action, measures are in place to ensure that: a) control over the applicant legal entity is not exercised in a manner that retrains or restricts its ability to carry out the action and to deliver results, that imposes restrictions…”
Impact pathway and traps
- The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
- Open science or data practices are named. Make the data management plan concrete: which data, which repository, when.
- Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
- Link your outcomes to the destination's expected impacts in the Work Programme. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
- Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
- Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published
This topic focusses on technologies and techniques that enable AI data processing to leverage distributed compute resources across the cloud and edge computing continuum throughout the whole AI model lifecycle from data collection, training, fine-tuning, and deployment. To overpass today’s state of the art in the area, the considered research areas include: To research on distributed, decentralised, and federated “compute continuum” enabled AI architectures beyond federated learning and integrating model compression tools and new mechanisms to enable AI data processing to scale across multiple and diverse computing infrastructures. Development, deployment, and operation of AI workflows across heterogeneous and distributed infrastructures along the compute continuum (edge, cloud, HPC), including the possibility of incorporating innovative computing paradigms (neuromorphic and quantum computing) and hardware efficiency enhancements ((e.g., including in-memory computing, and hardware and software approximation). Novel methods and techniques to improve data availability and consistency for decentralised AI data processing. These consider tools to ensure data quality (e.g. prevention of data sets imbalance or inconsistency across distributed data sources), volume optimisation for data transfers across environments, and distributed data management, all while preserving data privacy and preventing data leaks (e.g. via advanced cryptographic protection such as post-quantum cryptography for resistance to emerging quantum threats). New tools and mechanisms to measure, monitor and improve end-to-end energy efficiency and sustainability of AI data processing across the compute continuum, including the exploration of energy and sustainability implications of the heterogeneous AI processing architectures and their impact in the compute infrastructure design and long-term sustainability. Successful project proposals should showcase proposed developments in at least two complementary use cases in different domains. These use cases should demonstrate the value gained and potential impact of project achievements in real-world situations, as well as address key applications and sectors critical to Europe's competitiveness. Use cases should provide compelling examples and scenarios and cater for the reproducibility of results' added value and impact in additional economic sectors.
Technology readiness, as published
Activities are expected to start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Other topics in HORIZON-CL4-2027-04
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08 — Demand-side 3C pilot demonstrators on converged Telco Edge Cloud…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-09 — Energy efficiency and sustainability of AI data processing in Data Centres (IA)
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 — Apply AI: Challenge-Driven AI Innovation Booster in Apply AI prioritised…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05 — Apply AI: AI-Driven Robotics for Industry: Enabling System Integration and…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 — EU Frontier AI Initiative: Developing frontier AI solutions that are safe and…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-01 — Advanced and Innovative hardware components for Virtual Worlds (RIA) (Virtual…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02 — Create a thriving and competitive Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 ecosystem (CSA)…
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-07 — Facilitate the engagement of European stakeholders in international digital…
Source and attribution
Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.