Opening soon Horizon Europe Cluster 4 — DIGITAL 2027 call (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04): AI, data, robotics and virtual worlds
The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 "DIGITAL" has €272 million across 11 topics: artificial intelligence, data, robotics and virtual worlds. Projects receive €1.5–44 million. Single-stage submission opens on 17 November 2026 and closes on 18 March 2027.
- Who can apply
- Companies, including SMEs and start-ups, universities, research institutes and other organisations from the…
- Total budget
- 272 million
- Funding amount
- From 1.5 million
- Submission period
- 17 Nov 2026 – 18 Mar 2027
Checked against official sources on · funder: European Commission · official source
The guide has not been published yet, but good applications are built before launch. Those who start when the call window opens usually miss out on it.
Who can apply
Companies, including SMEs and start-ups, universities, research institutes and other organisations from EU member states and eligible countries. Entities from Romania are eligible. RIA and IA topics usually require an international consortium, and the coordinator submits the proposal. SMEs that are not part of a consortium can obtain funding through the cascade funding competitions (FSTP) run by the projects funded under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04.
What it covers
- Apply AI Innovation Booster: AI innovation driven by challenges in health, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving (€42 million, 3 projects of €14 million each)
- AI-based robotics for industry, with at least three industrial pilots (€18 million, one project)
- EU Frontier AI Initiative: safe and computationally efficient frontier AI models (€44 million, one project)
- Decentralised, federated and sustainable data processing for AI (€35 million, 2 projects of €17.5 million each)
- Pilot demonstrators on converged telecom–edge–cloud infrastructure (€38 million, 2 projects of €19 million each)
- Energy efficiency of data centres for AI: cooling, backup power, heat recovery (€39 million, 3 estimated grants)
- Hardware components for virtual worlds: XR, wearables, haptics (€39 million, 8 projects of €4.8–5.6 million)
- International cooperation in AI, technology foresight, ecosystem for virtual worlds and Web 4.0, international digital standardisation
We prepare your application before the window opens
- We analyse whether you qualify and under which programme exactly.
- We build the application: business plan, budget, supporting documents.
- We submit during the call window and follow the evaluation.
- We stay with you through the reimbursement file and final payment.
Frequently asked questions
Can proposals already be submitted to the HORIZON-CL4-2027-04 DIGITAL call?
No. The call has been announced (forthcoming), but submission only opens on 17 November 2026. The deadline is 18 March 2027, and the exact closing time will be shown in the Funding & Tenders submission system. Submission is in a single stage.
How much does a project receive under the Horizon Europe Cluster 4 DIGITAL 2027 call?
The amount depends on the topic. The smallest project is under DIGITAL-EMERGING-06, international cooperation in AI, with 2 projects of €1.5 million each. The largest is the EU Frontier AI Initiative (DIGITAL-EMERGING-11), with €44 million for a single project. The total budget of the call is €272 million, divided across 11 topics.
Can companies from Romania take part in the AI topics with geographical restrictions?
Yes. Under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04, -05, -11, DATA-03 and DATA-08, participation is limited to EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and Romania is a member state. Companies controlled from other countries may take part only with positively assessed guarantees. Under DATA-09, entities directly or indirectly controlled from China are not eligible.
Can a small SME obtain funding from this call without joining a consortium?
Yes, through financial support for third parties (FSTP). Each project funded under DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 runs a multi-stage competition for SMEs or small teams led by an SME, with grants of up to €300,000 in the second stage and up to €2,250,000 in the third stage. These calls will be launched by the winning consortia after the contracts are signed, and their timetable has not yet been announced.
What realistic role can an IT company from Romania play in this call?
Projects of €14–44 million are usually led by organisations with Horizon Europe experience, so the realistic option for a company from Romania is the role of technical partner or user pilot. We recommend that you start looking for partners now, with a one-page competence profile showing the current TRL of your technology. Universities can target HUMAN-01 (8 projects) and DATA-03, which start from a low TRL.
What technology readiness level (TRL) do the topics require?
Each topic has its own starting and target 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, and DIGITAL-EMERGING-11 goes from TRL 2 to TRL 4. The rules on consortia, funding rates and forms are in the general annexes of the work programme.
How long does it take to prepare the application?
It depends on the complexity of the project and the documents you already have. The first step is the eligibility analysis, which tells you what needs to be prepared.
What happens if I do not qualify?
We tell you before any contract is signed, and if another suitable programme exists, we point you to it.
Next step
We prepare your application before it opens — Horizon Europe Cluster 4 — the DIGITAL 2027 call (HORIZON-CL4-2027-04): AI, data, robotics and virtual worlds
Fill in the form and we will tell you whether you qualify. If you do not qualify under this programme, we will tell you which other one you could apply for — or that there is none, if that is the case.
or call us directly on 0755 167 167
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