Horizon Europe: €20 million for climate resilience solutions, deadline 16 February 2027

On 6 October 2026 the European Commission opened call HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04, part of the "Bridging actions 2027" series of the Horizon Europe programme. The call has three topics, with a total budget of €35 million. The largest, at €20 million, funds a single project. It must help at least 25 companies bring their climate preparedness and resilience solutions to market, with up to €800,000 for each company. The submission deadline for all three topics is 16 February 2027.

In brief

• Programme: Horizon Europe, call HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04 ("Bridging actions 2027")
• Authority: European Commission, via the Funding & Tenders Portal
• Beneficiaries: consortia of companies, universities, research institutes and other organisations from Member States and associated countries. The exact list of eligible countries is in Annex B of the work programme. Romania is eligible.
• Total budget: €35 million (€20 million + €5 million + €10 million), with one project funded under each topic
• Value per project: €20 million for climate resilience solutions (coordination and support action, CSA), €5 million for climate data and projections (CSA, lump sum) and €10 million for monitoring solar radiation modification (research and innovation action, RIA)
• Support for companies (topic 04-03): at least 25 companies, up to €800,000 per company
• Submission period: 6 October 2026 – 16 February 2027, in a single stage
• Status: call open

What does each topic fund?

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-03, bringing innovative climate preparedness and resilience solutions to market (€20 million). A single project is funded. It must provide central coordination services, namely identifying buyers and aggregating demand together with public authorities and critical infrastructure operators. The project must also run competitive calls to directly support companies bringing their solutions to market. Nature-based solutions are also accepted.

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-08, sustainability and resilience of climate projections and related data records (€5 million). The project aims to secure Europe's access to climate observation and modelling data, including for contributions to the IPCC. It must also strengthen the resilience of the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) network. If the project uses satellite Earth observation data, this must come from Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-11, detection, monitoring, modelling and attribution of solar radiation modification activities (€10 million). This is a research project on the effects of these techniques on the climate and ecosystems. Field experiments are excluded, as is any activity that promotes the development of these techniques.

How does the money reach SMEs?

For most companies, the real opportunity is in topic 04-03, but not by applying directly to the Commission. The mechanism is financial support to third parties, also known as a "cascade call":

• at least 80% of the requested EU contribution must reach third parties through financial support;
• only private for-profit entities established in a Member State or an associated country can receive funding;
• the supported solutions must be at technology readiness level TRL 7 or higher;
• a company can receive a maximum of €800,000;
• at least 25 companies must be supported, and the first cascade call must be launched within the first 12 months of the project;
• at least one solution must be covered from each priority sector: water, food and agriculture, transport, energy, health, civil security and critical infrastructure, including buildings.

Besides funding, the selected companies receive consultancy, business development, acceleration and market readiness support, including pilot projects in real-world conditions.

How and by when do you apply?

Proposals are submitted electronically on the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal, in a single stage, by 16 February 2027. The exact closing time is shown on each topic's page and must be checked there. Topic 04-03 uses a budget-based grant agreement, while topic 04-08 uses a lump-sum grant. The eligibility conditions, evaluation criteria and application form are those in the general annexes of the Horizon Europe work programme, to which each topic's page refers.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: for a Romanian SME, applying directly to the €20 million topic makes sense only as a partner in a European consortium that already has experience in acceleration, public procurement of innovation and cascade calls. The Commission funds a single project, so competition will be at European level.

It is more realistic to prepare for the cascade calls that will follow once the grant is signed. No timetable has been announced for these yet. Preparation looks like this:

• honestly check whether your solution is at TRL 7 or higher, meaning a prototype demonstrated in an operational environment, not only in a laboratory;
• fit your solution into one of the priority sectors, such as irrigation and water management, crop protection, building resistance to heat or floods, or the resilience of energy networks;
• gather evidence of interest from public buyers, for example a town hall, a county council or a utilities operator, because the project places emphasis on stimulating demand;
• follow the evaluation results to find out which consortium won and where it will publish the calls.

Town halls and county councils can join the network of buyers and beneficiaries of the pilot projects. For researchers and institutes in Romania, topics 04-08 and 04-11 are accessible only through strong consortia with experience in climate modelling. If you are not sure which programme suits you, start with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can an SME from Romania receive the €800,000 directly?

Not from the Commission. The maximum of €800,000 per company is awarded through the cascade calls of the consortium that wins topic HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-03. Private for-profit companies from a Member State or an associated country can take part, with solutions at TRL 7 or higher.

When will the calls for companies open?

The date has not been announced yet. The only official requirement is that the winning project launches its first cascade call within the first 12 months of the project starting. The project can only start after the proposals submitted by 16 February 2027 have been evaluated and the grant has been signed.

What does TRL 7 mean?

TRL 7 is the technology readiness level at which a prototype has been demonstrated in an operational environment. Ideas or technologies tested only in a laboratory do not qualify under this topic.

How many projects will be funded?

One per topic: a €20 million project for climate resilience solutions, a €5 million project for climate data and a €10 million project for research on solar radiation modification.

Official sources

• HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-03: Bringing innovative climate preparedness and resilience solutions closer to the market
• HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-08: Sustainability and resilience of climate projections and related data records
• HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-04-11: Detection, monitoring, modelling and attribution capabilities for Solar Radiation Modification

Information checked on 12 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.