Horizon Europe Pillar 1

Learn about Horizon Europe Pillar 1, including eligibility for Canadian entities.

While Canada is an associate country under Horizon Europe Pillar 2 and has had greater access to Pillar 2 funding calls and leadership opportunities since 2024, it remains a third country under Pillars 1 and 3. Canadian entities can participate in opportunities open to third countries under these two pillars. Canadian entities can participate in Horizon Europe's Pillar 1  primarily through specific opportunities like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and as hosts or collaborators on European Research Council grants, though their direct funding eligibility may vary.

In the context of Horizon Europe, a third country is any country that is not a member of the European Union (EU) and has not signed an association agreement. While entities from these countries are generally allowed to participate in Horizon Europe projects, they are typically not eligible for automatic EU funding. Funding may be granted only under specific circumstances, such as when the call for proposals explicitly allows it, the participant's involvement is deemed essential for the project's success, or the country is classified as a low- and middle-income country.

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Overview

Pillar 1, Excellent Science, has a budget of €25 billion to support frontier research, fellowships, doctoral networks, researcher trainings and exchanges, and research infrastructures. It consists of three streams:

  1. European Research Council (ERC)
  2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
  3. Research infrastructures

European Research Council

The European Research Council (ERC) has a budget of €16 billion to support individual researchers in frontier research. It funds researchers of any nationality to lead projects based in Europe. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the Scientific Council, and an executive agency, which is in charge of implementation. The ERC includes four core grant schemes:

  1. Starting Grant: Early-career researchers (2–7 years after PhD) are eligible for up to €1.5 million for a period of five years. Non-European researchers may request an additional €1 million to cover start-up costs
  2. Consolidator Grant: Researchers (7–12 years after PhD) are eligible for up to €2 million for a period of five years. Non-European researchers may request an additional €1 million to cover start-up costs
  3. Advanced Grant: Senior researchers with significant research achievements are eligible for up to €2.5 million for a period of five years. Non-European researchers may request an additional €1 million to cover start-up costs
  4. Synergy Grant: A group of two to four principal investigators (research project leaders) working together on ambitious research problems are eligible for funding of up to €10 million for a period of six years, plus an additional €4 million to cover start-up costs. There are no academic eligibility criteria

The ERC also has a Proof of Concept Grant funding opportunity that helps recipients explore the commercialization potential of their ideas or research results. This grant is open to researchers who have already obtained an ERC grant, and provides a lump sum up of €150,000 for a period of 18 months.

ERC grants for Canadian entities

Canadian researchers can apply for ERC grants. The Canadian researcher's host institution must be established in a EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1, meaning that it cannot be based in Canada (as a third country under Pillar 1). However, for ERC Starting grants, Consolidator grants, and Advanced grants, a principal investigator's team members may be based in Canada. For ERC Synergy grants, one of the principal investigators may be based in Canada, but cannot be the leading principal investigator.

Principal investigators for ERC grants must spend at least 50% of their work time on the project and at least 50% of their work time in a EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1. The remaining time may be spent in Canada.

In addition, the European Commission (EC) has signed an Implementing Agreement with the Canadian Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat to allow Canada Research Chairholders and/or Canada Postdoctoral Research Award program postdoctoral fellows to collaborate with research teams led by ERC grant holders.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are the EU's reference program for doctoral education and postdoctoral training. MSCA funding supports researchers at all stages of their careers across all disciplines to gain new knowledge, skills, and competencies. The budget for the MSCA under Horizon Europe is €6.6 billion.

There are five types of MSCA:

  1. Doctoral Networks: Implement doctoral networks across Europe to train skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capabilities, and boost their employability in the long term.
  2. Postdoctoral Fellowships: Support researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, gain new skills, and develop their careers. They help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines, and non-academic sectors. There are two types of postdoctoral fellowships:
    • European postdoctoral fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality moving to or within Europe to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1, and can last between one and two years
    • Global postdoctoral fellowships fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between two and three years, with the first one to two years spent in a non-associated third country, followed by a mandatory one-year return to an organization based in an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1. Only nationals or long-term residents of EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1 can apply
  3. Staff Exchanges: Fund short-term international and inter-sectoral exchanges of staff members involved in research and innovation activities of participating organizations. The aim is to develop sustainable collaborative projects between different organizations from academic and non-academic sectors (especially small- and medium-sized enterprises) in Europe and beyond
  4. COFUND: Provide funding for regional, national, and international programs for training and career development, through co-funding mechanisms. There are two types of COFUND:
    • Doctoral Programmes offer research training activities to allow doctoral candidates to develop their skills and competences. These will lead to a doctoral degree.
    • Postdoctoral Programmes fund advanced research training and career development fellowships for individual postdoctoral researchers.
  5. MSCA and Citizens: Connects research and the public, with a notable focus on families and students, through the European Researchers' Night, a research communication and promotion event that takes place across EU Member States and associated countries under Pillar 1

Access to MSCA for Canadian entities

Canadian researchers can apply for MSCA funding opportunities that are open to third countries. Eligibility criteria for each type of MSCA is listed below:

  1. Doctoral Networks: Canadian institutions may participate in the action as third country partners, but cannot charge costs or claim contributions. They contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the grant agreement
  2. Postdoctoral Fellowships: Canadian researchers can apply to European postdoctoral fellowships, but must relocate to an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1. For global postdoctoral fellowships, only European nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1 can apply. Long-term residents are those who have spent over five years in Europe
  3. Staff Exchanges: Canadian institutions may participate in the action as third country partners, but cannot charge costs or claim contributions. Canadian institutions can temporarily transfer and/or host eligible staff members to/from an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1
  4. COFUND: Canadian entities generally cannot apply. COFUNDs provide funding to a single legal entity in an EU Member State or associated country under Pillar 1
  5. MSCA and Citizens: Canadian entities generally cannot apply. MSCA and Citizens support the European Researchers' Night, which takes place in EU Member States and associated countries under Pillar 1

Research infrastructures

Research infrastructures (€2.4 billion) are facilities that provide resources and services for research communities to conduct research and foster innovation. The research infrastructure program of Horizon Europe funds activities to ensure:

  • joint planning and deployment off upgrades and new facilities
  • access for researchers across the EU and training/improvement in research infrastructure services
  • networking of national and European research infrastructures
  • there is a national commitment and sustainable funding for research infrastructure operation

However, research infrastructure programs of Horizon Europe do not fund the construction of new research infrastructures. For more information, visit the Research infrastructures: Policy and strategy page.

Access to research infrastructures for Canadian entities

Canadian entities generally cannot apply, as this element of Pillar 1 supports research infrastructures in Europe. However, the research infrastructures work program encourages international cooperation at the policy level. Calls for coordination and support actions are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, and include details on the eligibility of third country participants where applicable.

The EC's Joint Research Centre's (JRC) non-nuclear research infrastructure s offer access to its facilities to researchers and scientists from EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe. The JRC offers Canadian researchers access to its non-nuclear facilities, as well as training and capacity building to institutions running laboratories similar or complementary to its own.

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