EU funds News published: 3 September 2026Published on the site: 3 October 2026 6 min read

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 INDUSTRY: €310.8 million for industry, opening on 13 October

On 13 October 2026, the European Commission opens three Horizon Europe Cluster 4 INDUSTRY calls, with €310.8 million for advanced materials and manufacturing. The deadline is 2 February 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.

Todos & Company editorial team · EU funding consultancy since 2006

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 INDUSTRY: €310.8 million for industry, opening on 13 October

Programme sheet · Opening soon Horizon Europe Cluster 4 INDUSTRY 2027 — advanced materials and industrial production

On 13 October 2026 the European Commission opens the INDUSTRY calls under Horizon Europe Cluster 4, covering advanced materials and industrial production. The total budget is €310.8 million, split across three calls. For all three, the deadline (or first submission stage) is 2 February 2027. Industrial companies, SMEs, start-ups, universities and institutes in Romania can apply in European consortia, with projects receiving between €200,000 and €12.5 million.

In brief

Programme: Horizon Europe, Cluster 4 "Digital, Industry and Space": calls HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 (INDUSTRY), HORIZON-CL4-2027-02-two-stage (INDUSTRY-two-stage) and HORIZON-CL4-2027-06 (INDUSTRY-FTRI)
Authority: European Commission, via the Funding & Tenders portal
Beneficiaries: industrial companies, SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs, universities and research institutes, organised in consortia
Total budget: €224.7 million (single-stage call), €52.5 million (two-stage call) and €33.6 million (FTRI)
Value per project: from €200,000 (proof of market) to €10–12.5 million (the largest innovation actions)
Submission period: 13 October 2026 – 2 February 2027; for the two-stage call, the second stage has a deadline of 2 September 2027
Status: announced ("forthcoming"); the opening has been postponed to 13 October because of the update to the work programme, which is due to be published on the portal on 5 October 2026

Which calls are opening, and with how much funding?

Call HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 (single stage) has 11 topics and a budget of €224.7 million. The largest are:

MAT-PROD-16 (innovation action, IA): €49 million, 4 projects of €10–12.5 million;
MAT-PROD-02 (IA): €36 million, 6 projects of €6–8 million;
MAT-PROD-22 (IA): €36 million, 6 projects of €6–7.5 million;
MAT-PROD-03, "Factory processes and automation for demanufacturing and remanufacturing" (research and innovation action, RIA, Made in Europe partnership): €36 million, 6 projects of €5–6.5 million;
MAT-PROD-06 (RIA): €36 million, 7 projects of €5–6.5 million;
MAT-PROD-08 (IA): €16 million, 3 projects of €4–6 million.

The remaining topics are smaller coordination and support actions (CSA): MAT-PROD-47 (€5 million), MAT-PROD-17 (€3 million), MAT-PROD-42 (€2 million) and MAT-PROD-50 (€1 million, one project, lump-sum grant, for a European network of "venture builders" in universities and research institutes). There is also MAT-PROD-49, "Proof of market", described below.

Call HORIZON-CL4-2027-02-two-stage has a single topic: MAT-PROD-32, "Renewable energy and energy management in process industries" (IA). The budget is €52.5 million, for 6 projects of €7–9 million. The first stage is submitted by 2 February 2027, and the full proposal by 2 September 2027.

Call HORIZON-CL4-2027-06 (INDUSTRY-FTRI) has two topics, with a budget of €33.6 million. MAT-PROD-61 (€20 million, 8 projects) funds breakthrough innovations in industrial technologies. MAT-PROD-62 (€13.6 million, 6 projects) concerns the chemical industry. A project receives at most €2.5 million. The consortium has at most 6 independent entities, and projects reach technology readiness level TRL 4 at most.

What can an SME do with the "Proof of market" topic?

MAT-PROD-49 has €4.7 million for 24 projects of €200,000 each. It funds small consortia of spin-offs, start-ups and SMEs that want to bring to market the results of Cluster 4 or LEIT projects under Horizon 2020, whether completed or ongoing. Eligible activities include technology demonstration, market analysis, checking regulatory requirements and strengthening intellectual property.

The basic condition: at least one applicant holds the intellectual property rights or has a letter of commitment from their owner allowing it to commercialise them. Entities controlled from China are excluded. The proposal is limited to 10 pages. We have described this type of funding in detail on the Horizon Europe – Proof of market page.

Who can apply from Romania?

Romania is an EU Member State, so Romanian companies and organisations are eligible under Horizon Europe. The eligibility rules, consortium composition and evaluation criteria are those in the General Annexes of the work programme, to which all topics refer. Some topics have their own conditions: the limit of 6 partners for FTRI, the intellectual property requirement for "Proof of market" and additional pages for the business plan under MAT-PROD-03.

What has changed compared with the original timetable?

On the page of each topic, the Commission has announced that the opening of the calls is postponed to 13 October 2026. The reason is the update to the Horizon Europe work programme, which is due to be adopted and published on the portal on 5 October 2026. Until then, the topic texts may still change. We recommend rereading them after 5 October.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: four months is not long for a European consortium. If you have a production technology, a new material or an industrial recycling process, look for partners now. You can join a consortium that is already formed, as an industrial partner or end user, or you can target a small topic, where you have a better chance of leading the project.

For SMEs with results from previous European projects, "Proof of market" has the lowest entry threshold: €200,000 and 10 pages.
FTRI suits small teams of at most 6 partners, with ideas still at laboratory level (up to TRL 4).
A common pitfall: companies join large consortia without a clear role and without sufficient budget. Negotiate your work package and your share of the funding from the outset.
The two-stage call costs you little effort in February. You only write the full proposal if you get through the first stage.

For an initial check of your company's profile, use the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

When can projects be submitted for the Cluster 4 INDUSTRY 2027 calls?

Calls HORIZON-CL4-2027-01, -02-two-stage and -06 open on 13 October 2026. The submission deadline, or the first stage for the two-stage call, is 2 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Can a Romanian company apply on its own?

The topics are designed for consortia. Even "Proof of market" requires a small consortium of spin-offs, start-ups or SMEs. The exact composition rules are in the General Annexes of the work programme and in the text of each topic.

What is the smallest funded project?

The MAT-PROD-49 "Proof of market" topic offers €200,000 each for 24 projects, with a total budget of €4.7 million.

How does the two-stage call work?

For MAT-PROD-32 you first submit a short proposal by 2 February 2027. If you get through the first stage, you submit the full proposal by 2 September 2027. The budget is €52.5 million for 6 projects of €7–9 million.

Can the conditions still change?

Yes. The Commission publishes the updated work programme on 5 October 2026. Check the final text of the topic on the Funding & Tenders portal before you start drafting.

Official sources

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