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HORIZON EUROPE TOPIC · Widening participation and strengthening the ERA

Pillar II: Talent ecosystems for attractive early research careers

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02 — the expected outcomes as checkable statements, what evaluators look for in this topic, and the conditions that shape the proposal.

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ForthcomingCSA · lump sumDeadline 11 March 2027around EUR 2 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05 — Enhancing the European R&I system
DestinationReforming and enhancing the EU research and innovation system (2026-27)
Type of actionCoordination and Support Actions · lump sum
Opening8 December 2026
Deadline11 March 2027
Budgetaround EUR 2 million per project · 15 projects expected · EUR 29 million in total
Part B page limit28 pages (standard application form; check your call)
TemplateWork 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: “Proposals will deliver on the impact of “Improved research careers and mobility, based on the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Making research careers more attractive and sustainable, and support mobility”. Project results are expected to contribute to the…”

  1. EO1 Creation of talent ecosystems, as integrated networks where research performing public (including higher education institutions) and private organisations, in particular industrial actors and research-intensive businesses, have established close and coordinated cooperation, fostering among others the employability, skills, career development, mobility, career interoperability, and well-being of researchers and other R&I staff.
  2. EO2 Implementation of organisational changes by participating organisations to mainstream the principles of the European framework for research careers and of the European Charter for Researchers, resulting in researchers benefitting from attractive working and employment conditions and diversified career development opportunities, with spillover effects on other R&I staff.
  3. EO3 Well-connected talent ecosystems through regular cooperation between different projects established under this topic and other ongoing actions.
  4. EO4 Enhanced talent ecosystems, enabling a substantial number of researchers and other R&I staff to develop attractive careers and attracting international talents and European diaspora scientists.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

  1. EI1 Effective and sustainable structural institutional changes aligned with the ERA priorities.
  2. EI2 Sustainable ecosystems established around the ERA priorities through enhanced cooperation, coordination and alignment.
  3. EI3 Increased trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs.
  4. EI4 Strengthened evidence base for advancing the implementation of the ERA.
  5. EI5 Increased reproducibility, trustworthiness and transparency of scientific research.
  6. EI6 A more open, equitable and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem.
  7. EI7 A research ethics and integrity ecosystem continually enhanced with robust methodologies that encourage benefit sharing and prevent ethics dumping.
  8. EI8 Systemic reform of research assessment through the recognition of the diverse outputs, practices, and activities which maximise the quality and impact of research.
  9. EI9 Improved research careers and mobility, based on the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries.
  10. EI10 Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy.
  11. EI11 Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes.
  12. EI12 Increased uptake, effectiveness and impact of environmentally sustainable research.

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 to EO4), 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.

  • “To facilitate the formation of a balanced consortium, the inclusion of associated partners is encouraged.”
  • “Applicants should in their proposal, clearly identify the thematic area they plan to address, choosing from the ones outlined below and specify the precise thematic scope within the selected area:.”
  • “Researchers at organisational level and other R&I staff should be trained according to the needs of businesses, industry, and, more generally, to the needs of the labour market, while also ensuring that latest research findings are included in the curricula of early-career researchers.”
  • “This should help close existing gaps between R&I talents and the labour market, ensuring that businesses and industry benefit from a substantial and highly skilled workforce, especially in emerging sectors with high demand for talent or specific R&I skills.”
  • “Cooperation should create conditions for interoperable careers for researchers and for continuous and multidirectional talent circulation between the various sectors within the ecosystem.”
  • “The talent ecosystems and the cooperation among participants are expected to be designed to last beyond the duration of the project and benefit researchers and other R&I staff both within the consortium and beyond.”
  • “Participating organisations are expected to have received the HR Excellence in Research Award or commit to applying the new Charter for Researchers and commit to its implementation (i.e., start the process towards the Award) within the grant duration, as far as relevant for their operations related to the employment of researchers.”
  • “Activities should demonstrate how actions will build on, connect to, make use of, promote and, where appropriate, help improve relevant ERA Talent Platform initiatives, including, EURAXESS, RESAVER, ReICO, ResearchComp and RM Comp, and setting out practical measures to ensure complementarity, interoperability, user signposting and coherent communication.”
  • “This should ensure that activities reinforce rather than duplicate existing European-level support.”
  • “The European Charter for Researchers, while being applicable to all organisations employing researchers, is particularly relevant for those organisations which, because of their size, structure, and number of researchers employed, need to have dedicated expertise, capacity, and resources to manage and implement institutional human resources strategies and policies.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 28 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
  • Lump sum: the budget is fixed per work package and paid when each work package is completed. Every work package needs activities and deliverables an evaluator can verify, and the effort must match the money.
  • Coordination and support action: no research is funded. Evaluators look for coordination, networking, dissemination or policy support with a clear audience.
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities: Each established in a different Member State or Associated Country; and two of which are established in a Member State.”
  • Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: “To ensure a balanced portfolio covering different thematic areas, as outlined in the scope, grants will be awarded to proposals not only in order of ranking, but at least also to proposals that are the highest ranked within each thematic area, provided that proposals pass all thresholds.”

Impact pathway and traps

  • The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
  • Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
  • For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. 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

The topic supports consortia in creating ‘talent ecosystems’, cohesive and interdependent systems, where a balanced composition of both education and training providers and employers of researchers, especially from the non-academic sector, cooperate closely to promote attractive and sustainable careers for researchers, in particular for early-career researchers, tailored to the needs of the research labour market. To facilitate the formation of a balanced consortium, the inclusion of associated partners is encouraged. The consortium is also encouraged to extend the scope of the talent ecosystem by cooperating with additional organisations outside the consortium during the course of the action. Applicants should in their proposal, clearly identify the thematic area they plan to address, choosing from the ones outlined below and specify the precise thematic scope within the selected area: Area 1. Clean Transition: Energy and transport Area 2. Health Area 3. Biotech, agriculture and bioeconomy Area 4. Digital and AI technologies Area 5. Space Researchers at organisational level and other R&I staff should be trained according to the needs of businesses, industry, and, more generally, to the needs of the labour market, while also ensuring that latest research findings are included in the curricula of early-career researchers. This should help close existing gaps between R&I talents and the labour market, ensuring that businesses and industry benefit from a substantial and highly skilled workforce, especially in emerging sectors with high demand for talent or specific R&I skills. Cooperation should create conditions for interoperable careers for researchers and for continuous and multidirectional talent circulation between the various sectors within the ecosystem. The talent ecosystems and the cooperation among participants are expected to be designed to last beyond the duration of the project and benefit researchers and other R&I staff both within the consortium and beyond. Participating organisations are expected to have received the HR Excellence in Research Award or commit to applying the new Charter for Researchers and commit to its implementation (i.e., start the process towards the Award) within the grant duration, as far as relevant for their operations related to the employment of researchers. This action does not support salaries and mobility of individual researchers or teams of researchers. Activities may include (non-exhaustive list) mapping challenges, developing action plans to bring the organisations in line with the Charter for Researchers, upskilling (including on the basis of ResearchComp and RM Comp), involving the non-academic sector in the design and implementation of training programmes for researchers and other R&I staff, establishing career development and mentoring services, developing services for the well-being of researchers and other R&I staff, creating conditions for interoperable careers between countries and sectors, supporting incoming mobile researchers, networking and relationship-building to connect talent ecosystem partners, and outreach activities to attract international researchers to the ecosystem. Activities should demonstrate how actions will build on, connect to, make use of, promote and, where appropriate, help improve relevant ERA Talent Platform initiatives, including, EURAXESS, RESAVER, ReICO, ResearchComp and RM Comp, and setting out practical measures to ensure complementarity, interoperability, user signposting and coherent communication. This should ensure that activities reinforce rather than duplicate existing European-level support. This also entails structured cooperation with the already existing pilot projects funded under HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-02-03 and this projects that will be funded under this call. Expected project duration is up to 3 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified. Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe; includes Charter for Researchers, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1640/oj. A talent ecosystem could for instance consist of a long-lasting cooperation between a cluster of companies in a certain sector and one or more academic institutions, enabling specific skills training of early-career researchers in cooperation with the companies, and facilitating talent circulation. See projects funded under HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-02-03. https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/hrexcellenceaward. The European Charter for Researchers, while being applicable to all organisations employing researchers, is particularly relevant for those organisations which, because of their size, structure, and number of researchers employed, need to have dedicated expertise, capacity, and resources to manage and implement institutional human resources strategies and policies. This is typically linked to those organisations having a human resources department.

Other topics in HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05

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.