HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01

Developing and demonstrating core technologies for Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 (IA) (Virtual worlds Partnership) -

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Call text (as on F&T portal)

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Expected Outcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

  • eXtended Reality (XR), immersive and interactive technologies that bring full integration of Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 technologies to the next level.
  • The objective is to pave the way for the next generation of virtual worlds, enhancing immersive visualisation and interaction experience, immersing users at the centre of the Virtual Worlds applications, enabling seamless interaction and data exchange

The next generation of Virtual Worlds technologies will propose a deeper and closer-to-reality immersion, stimulating all senses to accurately capture and interpret user movements and environmental data, while providing realistic multi-modal tactile and kinesthetic haptic and force-feedback, retroactions for engaging and lifelike experiences. Real-time user interactions should be favoured by minimizing latency, increasing responsiveness and naturalness of interactions. The developed technologies will also dynamically respond to users’ inputs and environmental changes.

Scope:

Proposals will focus on and address the following:

  • Asset and scene creation technology evolving in parallel to enable the generation of a human-centric, highly detailed and realistic environments to interact with,
  • Use of Generative AI for more personalised and natural experiences,
  • Visualisation and interaction through innovative immersive technologies to enhance the user experience through a seamless, inclusive and immersive involvement,
  • Full integration and interoperability of XR and immersive domains and applications (including e.g. Digital Twins),
  • Integration of XR applications and components with Telco-Cloud-to-Edge Continuum components, addressing challenges related to resource availability and reliability, while also balancing the requirements of rapid response time, spatial computing, contextual awareness and smart network functions.

The proposals should also advance on the development of technological standards, common data formats and protocols that would enable real-time, seamless and intuitive user-interaction and exchange of information between different systems and platforms in the future, as stepping stones towards Web 4.0.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals will include demonstrators of the developed technologies in real-world scenarios, illustrating the usefulness and efficiency of emerging technologies in Virtual Worlds in illustrative scenarios in the industrial and societal contexts, exploiting the Telco-Cloud-to-Edge Continuum and the 3C pilots on converged Telco Edge Cloud Infrastructure.

Proposals should demonstrate future synergies, provisions for future collaboration, and complementarity with other relevant actions carried out under call HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-DATA-08: Demand-side 3C pilot demonstrators on converged Telco Edge Cloud Infrastructure. We consider that proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Virtual Worlds.

Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects

Activities are expected to start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

News flashes

2026-10-08

EVALUATION RESULTS

Call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

Published: 12.12.2025

Deadline: 15.04.2026

Available budget: EUR 221,800,000.00

The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

DATA-02

DATA-03

DATA-06

EMERGING-01

EMERGING-08

EMERGING-09

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

31

6

63

4

8

41

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

0

2

1

0

0

Number of ineligible proposals

1

2

3

1

3

2

Number of above-threshold proposals

24

2

39

2

3

30

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

222,798,016.25 €

7,993,073.04 €

538,094,514.11 €

33,999,387.25 €

53,990,531.25 €

173,178,667.04 €

Number of proposals retained for funding

3

1

3

1

1

1

Number of proposals in the reserve list

1

1

1

1

1

1

Funding threshold [1]

14.00

14.00

14.50

12.50

14.50

14.50

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

3

1

8

0

1

2

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

7

0

5

0

1

3

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

14

1

26

2

1

25

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04

EMERGING -14

EMERGING-15

EMERGING-17

EMERGING-19

HUMAN-01

HUMAN-02

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

1

2

1

18

105

32

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

1

0

0

1

0

Number of ineligible proposals

0

0

0

2

0

3

Number of above-threshold proposals

1

1

1

12

81

19

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

3,043,282.50 €

999,976.25 €

1,163,306.74 €

179,979,870.75 €

387,981,592.72 €

126,943,323.25 €

Number of proposals retained for funding

1

1

1

3

6

2

Number of proposals in the reserve list

0

0

0

3

2

1

Funding threshold [1]

11.50

13.50

12.50

13.50

14.50

13.50

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

0

0

0

2

12

1

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

0

1

0

1

20

3

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

1

0

1

9

49

15

[1] Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions (for HE, in the General Annexes to the Work Programme or specific arrangements in the specific call/topic conditions). For HE, to determine the ranking for ‘Innovation actions’, the score for ‘Impact’ is given a weight of 1.5.

Summary of observer report:

The two independent observers were tasked by the EC services to follow the evaluation processes of call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04 with respect to their conduct, transparency, and fairness, and to provide recommendations for process improvement. This Observers’ Report consolidates their observations and recommendations. Based on the observed Consensus Meetings and Panel Meetings, the evaluation procedures for all topics were carried with transparency, efficiency, fairness, consistency, impartiality with homogenous criteria in compliance with the applicable evaluation rules for each stage of the selection exercise (Individual Evaluation, Consensus Meetings, Quality Check, Cross-reading, Panel Meeting and Final Ranking for funding). The evaluation processes were carried out in full accordance with the Horizon Europe evaluation rules and the provided Digital Europe Programme evaluation briefings. The Call with 12 topics received 312 proposals, where 5 were inadmissible, 17 ineligible and 0 withdrawn. The number of proposals per topic varied from 1 to 105. Proposals were evaluated by 218 experts, with a satisfactory gender balance (44,5% female; 55,5% male). The majority of experts were from EU Member States and a small number from associated countries. Sixteen invited experts declined due to conflict of interest or other reasons. In conclusion, the overall assessment of all submitted proposals were executed in full transparency and compliance with the Horizon Europe applicable rules in a fair and impartial manner to select the best proposals for funding according to the topics’ specifications and expected results. The observers’ conclusion is that the scientific evaluations have been carried out in a just, transparent, and unbiased manner based on the Horizon Europe evaluation rules.

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

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

2026-10-08

PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04 has closed on 15.04.2026

312 proposals have been submitted.

The breakdown per topic is:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02

31

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-03

6

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06

63

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14

1

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-15

2

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17

1

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01

105

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02

32

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01

4

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08

8

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09

41

HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-19

18

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2026.

2026-10-08
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-18, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-17, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-03, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-06, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DATA-02, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-12, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-11, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-19, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-14, HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-15
Found 3 annotations in info base click to see
call topic details
Call status: Closed
Opening date: 2026-01-15 (8 months ago)
Closing date: 2026-04-15 (5 months ago)
Procedure: single-stage

Budget: 30,000,000
Expected grants: 7
Contribution: 4,000,000 - 5,000,000
News flashes

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

  • 2026-10-08
    evaluation results call horizon-cl4-2026...
  • 2026-10-08
    proposal numbers call horizon-cl4-2026-...
  • 2026-10-08
    the submission session is now available...
Source information

Showing the latest information. Found 9 versions of this call topic in the F&T portal.

Information from

  • 2026-10-08_06-47-28
  • 2026-08-21_06-45-42
  • 2026-04-16_06-32-55
  • 2026-03-03_06-32-27
  • 2026-02-18_06-32-00
  • 2026-01-20_06-30-58
  • 2026-01-15_06-30-55
  • 2026-01-14_06-30-50
  • 2025-12-16_06-30-53

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EC infoday info
Added 7 months ago by Alrun Hauke
According to information provided at the Cluster 4 Info Days 2026, hardware development is not the focus of this topic, the focus should be on software technology development and large-scale demonstrators. For demonstrators, the involvement of the cloud-to-edge-continuum will be required. Proposals may focus on a specific application sector (e.g. healthcare) for the demonstrators, but developed technologies should really be applicable across different sectors and so demonstrations of this applicability across different sectors would be better.
EC infoday info
Added 7 months ago by Alrun Hauke
Watch the recording of the Cluster 4 Info Day session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcwqPtAK5Dg
Work Programme info
Added 8 months ago by Alrun Hauke
Eligibility for this topic is restricted under art. 22.5 and art. 22.6 of the Horizon Europe regulation (see [1]). Specifically, under art. 22.5, participation for projects under this call topic is restricted to legal entities established in EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Under art. 22.6, any entities considered high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment are expressly excluded from participating. This currently concerns companies Huawei and ZTE (see [2]) as well as any entities fully or partially owned / controlled by them. As part of the proposal submission for this topic, consortium members have to fill in the ownership control declaration (see [3]). The coordinator has to collect these forms from all partners and submit them as a single appendix to the proposal. The ownership control declarations are examined by the EC as part of the evaluation process. If it is found that a consortium partner is established in one of the eligible countries listed above, but controlled by an entity established in a non-eligible third country, the partner in question will be asked to provide a guarantee (see [4]) during grant agreement preparation which ensures that the EU's strategic interests are protected. The European Commission (EC) will examine this guarantee and - if approved - will forward it to the government of the eligible country of establishment of the partner for national approval. The partner in question may participate in the project only if both the EC and the respective national authority approve the guarantee. If either or both of these bodies do not approve the guarantee, the partner in question will be removed from the consortium during grant agreement preparation. [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/695/oj/eng [2] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/communication-commission-implementation-5g-cybersecurity-toolbox [3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/temp-form/af/ownership-control-declaration_en.docx [4] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/temp-form/gap/ownership-control-guarantee_en.docx

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Nov 2 2026

Virtual Worlds Association Annual Forum

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2 Nov - 3 Nov 2026 Valencia, Spain


The Virtual Worlds Association (VWA) Annual Forum is a reference meeting point for Europe’s immersive technologies ecosystem. The Annual Forum reflects this mission: it is where strategic priorities are discussed, cross-sector alliances are formed, and Europe’s Virtual Worlds agenda takes shape.

The VWA Annual Forum 2026 will be held in Valencia in conjunction with EuroXR 2026, creating a unique convergence of scientific excellence, industrial innovation and policy leadership.

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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!

Feb 3 2026

Virtual Worlds Partnership Info Day and Brokerage Event

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3 Feb 2026 15:00 - 17:00 Online

On 3 February, the VWA and the European Commission are organising the official brokerage event for the Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL4-2026-04-HUMAN-01 (Developing and demonstrating core technologies for Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0).

Jan 29 2026

Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Info Days 2026

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Timeline

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Outcome expected · 15 Sep 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Next: Grant agreement signed, 2 months from now (15 Dec 2026, estimated)

Today

Work programme published

15 Nov 2025 · est.

Call published

16 Dec 2025

Call opens

15 Jan 2026

Call closes

15 Apr 2026

Outcome expected

15 Sep 2026 · est.

Grant agreement signed

15 Dec 2026 · est.

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

    15 Nov 2025 · 10 months ago

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  2. Call published

    16 Dec 2025 · 9 months ago

    This topic was first published in TopicTree.

  3. Call opens

    15 Jan 2026 · 8 months ago

    Submissions can be made from this date.

  4. Call closes

    15 Apr 2026 · 5 months ago

    Deadline to submit a proposal.

  5. Outcome expected Estimated

    15 Sep 2026 · 3 weeks ago

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

  6. Grant agreement signed Estimated

    15 Dec 2026 · 2 months from now

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

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