Digitalisation and innovation News published: 12 December 2025Published on the site: 3 October 2026 6 min read

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 DIGITAL 2027: €272 million for AI, data and virtual worlds, deadline 18 March

Call HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 "DIGITAL" has 11 topics and €272 million for AI, data processing and virtual worlds. It opens on 17 November 2026, and the deadline is 18 March 2027.

Todos & Company editorial team · EU funding consultancy since 2006

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 DIGITAL 2027: €272 million for AI, data and virtual worlds, deadline 18 March

Programme sheet · Opening soon Horizon Europe Cluster 4 — the DIGITAL 2027 call (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04): AI, data, robotics and virtual worlds

The European Commission has scheduled the HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 "DIGITAL" call under Horizon Europe. The call has 11 topics and a total budget of €272 million, for projects on artificial intelligence, data processing, robotics and virtual worlds. It opens on 17 November 2026, and proposals are submitted in a single stage, by 18 March 2027. IT companies, SMEs, universities and research institutes from Romania can take part, usually in European consortia.

In brief

Programme: Horizon Europe, Cluster 4 "Digital, Industry and Space", call HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 (DIGITAL)
Authority: European Commission; the 2026–2027 work programme was adopted in December 2025
Beneficiaries: companies, including SMEs and start-ups, universities, research institutes and other organisations from EU Member States and eligible countries
Total budget: €272 million (from the 2027 budget), split across 11 topics
Value per project: from €1.5 million (international cooperation in AI) to €44 million (EU Frontier AI Initiative)
Submission period: 17 November 2026 – 18 March 2027, in a single stage
Status: announced (forthcoming). Proposals cannot be submitted yet.

Which topics does the call have and how much does each receive?

According to the official topic sheets on the Funding & Tenders portal, the 11 topics are:

DIGITAL-EMERGING-04: Apply AI, "Innovation Booster" for AI innovation based on challenges in healthcare, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving (RIA). It has €42 million, i.e. 3 projects of €14 million each.
DIGITAL-EMERGING-05: AI-based robotics for industry, integration and adoption (IA). It has €18 million for a single project, with at least three industrial pilots.
DIGITAL-EMERGING-06: international cooperation in AI, with Living Labs in low- and middle-income countries; the sheet also refers to initiatives such as GenAI for Africa (IA). It has €3 million for 2 projects of €1.5 million each.
DIGITAL-EMERGING-10: horizon scanning and foresight for future digital technologies (CSA). It has €4 million for one project.
DIGITAL-EMERGING-11: EU Frontier AI Initiative, safe and computationally efficient frontier AI models (RIA). It has €44 million for one project.
DATA-03: decentralised, federated and sustainable data processing for AI (RIA). It has €35 million for 2 projects of €17.5 million each.
DATA-08: pilot demonstrators on converged telecom–edge–cloud infrastructure (IA). It has €38 million for 2 projects of €19 million each. One of the pilots must focus on smart mobility or the automotive industry.
DATA-09: energy efficiency of data centres for AI, namely cooling, backup power and heat recovery (IA). It has €39 million, with 3 estimated grants.
HUMAN-01: advanced hardware components for virtual worlds: XR, wearables, haptics (RIA). It has €39 million, with 8 projects of €4.8–5.6 million.
HUMAN-02: European ecosystem for virtual worlds and Web 4.0 (CSA, Virtual Worlds partnership). It has €3 million for one project.
HUMAN-07: involving European stakeholders in international digital standardisation (CSA). It has €7 million for one project.

Who can apply and what restrictions are there?

Entities from Romania are eligible. For several AI and data topics (DIGITAL-EMERGING-04, -05, -11, DATA-03, DATA-08), participation is limited to entities from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Entities controlled from other countries can take part only with positively assessed guarantees. For DATA-09, entities directly or indirectly controlled from China are not eligible. For DATA-08, high-risk suppliers of mobile network equipment cannot submit guarantees.

The sheets also require a certain level of technological maturity (TRL). For example, HUMAN-01 starts at TRL 3 and must reach TRL 5. DATA-09 starts at TRL 6–7 and must reach TRL 8. DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 goes from TRL 2 to TRL 4. The rules on consortium composition, funding rates and forms can be found in the general annexes to the work programme.

Is there money for SMEs that do not lead a consortium?

Yes, through financial support to third parties (FSTP). Under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04, each funded project runs a multi-stage competition. SMEs or small teams led by an SME take part, solving challenges proposed by industry. Grants for winners can reach €300,000 in the second stage and €2,250,000 in the third stage. Under HUMAN-07, at least 75% of the EU funding requested must be passed on, through open calls, to stakeholders involved in standardisation, with a maximum of €60,000 for each.

These cascade calls will be launched by the winning consortia, after the funding agreements are signed. Their dates have not yet been announced.

How and by when do you apply?

Proposals are submitted electronically, through the Funding & Tenders portal, in a single stage. Submission opens on 17 November 2026, and the deadline is 18 March 2027. The exact closing time will be shown in the submission system. RIA and IA topics usually require an international consortium, and the submission is made by the coordinator.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: if you have an IT company or a lab with results in AI, edge computing, XR or data centres, the almost five months until the deadline are enough only if you start looking for partners now. Projects of €14–44 million are usually led by organisations with Horizon Europe experience. For a company from Romania, the realistic option is the role of technical partner or user pilot, not coordinator.

Prepare a one-page competence sheet, stating the current TRL of your technology, and send it to coordinators who are looking for partners.
For small SMEs, the FSTP competitions under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 are probably the most accessible route. Follow the winning projects after the evaluation.
Common pitfall: the shareholding structure. For topics with restrictions, a shareholder from an ineligible country can make the company ineligible.
Universities can target HUMAN-01 (8 projects) and DATA-03, where the starting TRL is low.

For national or regional programmes suited to your company, you can use the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can projects already be submitted to the HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 call?

No. The call has been announced, but submission opens only on 17 November 2026 and closes on 18 March 2027.

Can companies from Romania take part in the AI topics with geographical restrictions?

Yes. Romania is an EU Member State, and the restrictions limit participation to Member States and a few partner countries. Companies controlled from ineligible countries need positively assessed guarantees. Under DATA-09, entities controlled from China are excluded.

What is the smallest project in the call?

Topic DIGITAL-EMERGING-06, on international cooperation in AI, funds 2 projects of €1.5 million each. The largest project is the EU Frontier AI Initiative, with €44 million for a single project.

Can a small SME obtain funding without joining a consortium?

Yes, through the competitions organised by the projects funded under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04, with grants of up to €300,000 in the second stage and up to €2,250,000 in the third stage. The schedule of these competitions has not yet been announced.

Official sources

Information checked on 3 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.