HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-01

Thematic Networks of Excellence for AI in Science (RAISE pilot) (RIA) -

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Call text (as on F&T portal)

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Expected Outcome:

  • Scientific progress with the help of AI, addressing strategic scientific challenges in the thematic areas selected;
  • Pilot networks of excellent labs in the selected thematic areas to pool talent and expertise as part of a Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), operating as a virtual institute across Europe;
  • Establish a model of cooperation among these labs and support the development of a strategic research agenda for the application of AI in scientific research in the selected thematic domain(s)
  • Reinforce the European AI in science community, attract top-notch talent and spread excellence in AI in science;
  • Develop synergies with the “Science for AI” RAISE pilot call.

Scope:

The aim of this topic is to establish networks of excellent labs across Europe, dedicated to collaborative research using AI in strategic and promising scientific areas or domains, piloting RAISE and aligning research efforts.

The selected consortia will be composed of leading European research labs in the thematic area with strong experience in applying AI in the research process. At least half the members of the consortium should have a proven track record of developing innovative AI solutions for scientific research. Consortia are welcome to involve expertise in Social Sciences and Humanities in their proposal as they see fit to achieve the objectives.

Each network of excellence will be dedicated to the application of AI to scientific research in a specific thematic area or scientific discipline. A thematic network of excellence for AI in materials science is proposed (Cluster 4).

To achieve these objectives, the consortium will undertake a range of dedicated activities:

  • Draw an ambitious strategic research agenda for the field and identify the key scientific grand challenges that can be addressed with AI in the thematic area of the network.
  • Carry out collaborative research to solve the prioritised scientific challenges, through explicit targets and milestones.
  • As part of RAISE as a virtual institute, closely work with central RAISE governance and the other RAISE networks of excellence as privileged partners for sharing data, research results, expertise and infrastructure.
  • Develop talent and knowledge exchange schemes (e.g. jointly supervised fellowships, mobility schemes, summer schools, matchmaking events) and include partnering schemes with institutes outside the excellence network to spread excellence across Europe.
  • Identify, expand, curate, integrate share and make available relevant datasets and AI models. Develop community-driven standards and benchmarks for AI models in the thematic scientific area or discipline.
  • Develop collaborations with industry for uptake of scientific outcomes and AI-based research methodologies.

The consortium should use financial support to third parties (FSTP), in order to spread excellence or seek complementary expertise across Europe. For spreading excellence, the FSTP should be based on the transferring of knowledge to the FSTP recipients. For complementary expertise, the FSTP should be based on bringing complementary/supplementary data, expertise, AI models, etc.. The consortium should set up an open and objective selection process to complement the efforts of the consortium for a maximum of EUR 60,000 per beneficiary. While it is expected to involve several such beneficiaries, the core consortium’s activities should represent a minimum of 85% of the total financial grant. FSTP recipients should be based in a Member State or an Associated Country. FSTP activities should be integrated into (one or more) separate work packages, which are to describe the conditions for implementing the support.

Proposals are expected to develop synergies with running Horizon Europe projects in the same field, for example with HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-61

News flashes

2026-10-08

Published: 12 December 2025

Deadline: 21 April 2026

Available budget: 27.8 million EUR

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-01: 15 million EUR

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-02: 12.8 million EUR

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-01

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-02

Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)

5

6

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

0

Number of ineligible proposals

0

1

Number of above-threshold proposals

4

5

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

57,961,497.75 €

62,345,060.50 €

Number of proposals retained for funding

1

1

Number of proposals in the reserve list

1

1

Funding threshold

Note: Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions.

15.0

13.0

Ranking distribution

Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14

1

0

Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13

0

1

Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10

3

4

Summary of observer report:

The observer reviewed the evaluation process for the HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01 call, including the expert briefing sessions, individual evaluations, consensus meetings and final panel meetings. The assessment was based on direct observation of the evaluation process, review of the evaluation documentation and evaluation reports, and observation of the implementation of the evaluation procedures.

The evaluation was conducted in a transparent, fair and well-organised manner. The experts demonstrated a good understanding of the call objectives, evaluation criteria and procedural requirements, supported by comprehensive briefing sessions and clear guidance documentation. Consensus discussions were well moderated, evidence-based and focused on the published evaluation criteria, ensuring consistent application of the evaluation rules across the evaluated proposals.

The evaluation process demonstrated a high level of transparency, impartiality and procedural robustness. The structured consensus methodology and final panel review provided effective quality assurance and supported the consistency, traceability and reliability of the evaluation outcomes. Procedural matters arising during the evaluation were handled in accordance with the applicable rules and guidance.

No significant procedural shortcomings were observed. The evaluation process complied with the applicable rules and guidance documents and provided a robust framework for the consistent, objective and well-documented assessment of proposals.

----

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

2026-10-08

Call HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01 closed on 21.04.2026.

11 proposals have been submitted.

The breakdown per topic is:

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-01: 5

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-02: 6

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated around the 1st week of August 2026.

2026-10-08
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-01, HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-02
Found 3 annotations in info base click to see
call topic details
Call status: Closed
Opening date: 2026-01-06 (9 months ago)
Closing date: 2026-04-21 (5 months ago)
Procedure: single-stage

Budget: 15,000,000
Expected grants: 1
Contribution: 15,000,000 - 15,000,000
News flashes

This call topic has been appended 3 times by the EC with news.

  • 2026-10-08
    published: 12 december 2025deadline: 21...
  • 2026-10-08
    call horizon-raise-2026-01 closed on 21....
  • 2026-10-08
    the submission session is now available...
Call

HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01

Call topics are often grouped together in a call. Sometimes this is for a thematic reason, but often it is also for practical reasons.

There is 1 other topic in this call:

Source information

Showing the latest information. Found 7 versions of this call topic in the F&T portal.

Information from

  • 2026-08-14_06-45-23
  • 2026-04-24_06-34-14
  • 2026-04-22_06-34-08
  • 2026-03-03_06-33-20
  • 2026-01-06_06-30-58
  • 2025-12-16_06-30-59
  • 2025-12-13_06-30-35

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EC infoday info
Added 7 months ago by Alrun Hauke
Watch the recording from the Cluster 4 Info Day session here: https://youtu.be/jmIUKQvP850
Work Programme info
Added 8 months ago by Alrun Hauke
Be aware that this topic calls for a network of excellence for AI specifically in MATERIALS SCIENCE! It is mentioned in the scope, but easy to miss unfortunately.

Events

Hand-picked events relevant to this call topic.

2 upcomings

Upcoming

Nov 12 2025

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital Matchmaking Platform

Happening now
12 Nov 2025 - 22 Sep 2027 Online

Find your collaboration partners for EU projects in the digital domain of Cluster 4 here!

Oct 15 2026

AI in Science Summit 2026

in 5 days
15 Oct - 16 Oct 2026 05:00 - 15:00 Dublin, IE

The AI in Science Summit will convene scientists from various scientific domains, industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to explore the transformative impact of AI in scientific discovery and how Europe can drive it with a distinctive and responsible approach. The event includes high-level political sessions and thematic workshops on the impact of AI in each scientific field, focusing on driving investment and policy to unlock their potential.

More information will follow.

Past

Feb 4 2026

KETs Brokerage Event 2026

Past
4 Feb - 5 Feb 2026 Karlsruhe, Germany

Do you want to tackle the challenges of Industry, Manufacturing & Production, Materials, Digital/AI/Robotics, Batteries and Hydrogen? - Then use the unique opportunities of the KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) 2026 EU Brokerage Event on February 5, 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany!

Nov 3 2025

AI in Science Summit 2025

Past
3 Nov - 4 Nov 2025 Online

The AI in Science Summit 2025 is the inaugural Flagship Event launching the Resources for AI Science in Europe (RAISE).

The summit welcomes scientists, industry leaders, investors, and policy makers to exchange ideas, network and shape the future investments in AI research in Europe.

Events are added by the ideal-ist NCP community and are hand-picked. Would you like to suggest an event? Contact idealist@ffg.at.

Timeline

Track where this call stands in its lifecycle, from work programme to grant signature, and see what's likely to happen next.

Outcome expected · 21 Sep 2026 (2 weeks ago)

Next: Grant agreement signed, 2 months from now (21 Dec 2026, estimated)

Today

Work programme published

06 Nov 2025 · est.

Call published

13 Dec 2025

Call opens

06 Jan 2026

Call closes

21 Apr 2026

Outcome expected

21 Sep 2026 · est.

Grant agreement signed

21 Dec 2026 · est.

Preparation Open for submission Evaluation Grant preparation Not yet reached
  1. Work programme published Estimated

    06 Nov 2025 · 11 months ago

    Topics are listed in the Work Programme before the call opens. Spotting this early gives you a head start on partner search and proposal planning.

  2. Call published

    13 Dec 2025 · 9 months ago

    This topic was first published in TopicTree.

  3. Call opens

    06 Jan 2026 · 9 months ago

    Submissions can be made from this date.

  4. Call closes

    21 Apr 2026 · 5 months ago

    Deadline to submit a proposal.

  5. Outcome expected Estimated

    21 Sep 2026 · 2 weeks ago

    The maximum time to inform applicants of the evaluation outcome is five months after the call closes.

  6. Grant agreement signed Estimated

    21 Dec 2026 · 2 months from now

    The maximum time to sign the grant agreement is three months after applicants are informed of the outcome.

Funded Projects

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Project information comes from CORDIS (for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe) and will be sourced from F&T Portal (for Digital Europe projects)

Call document info

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