HORIZON-CL4-2026-03: Boosting Space through EU non-dependence for critical space

HORIZON-CL4-2026-03: Boosting Space through EU non-dependence for critical space technologies (historical reference)

Status and historical scope

This page is an archive of a completed Horizon Europe funding call. HaDEA lists HORIZON-CL4-2026-03 (SPACE) as Closed and gives the final single-stage deadline as 16 September 2026 at 17:00 CEST. HaDEA’s post-call report also confirms that the call closed on 16 September; the 3 September date in an earlier schedule was superseded before the final deadline. No new submission window is open for this call, and the closed deadline should not be treated as an upcoming opportunity.

HaDEA’s official page confirms the closed status and final deadline; it does not announce a reopening or replacement round under this 2026 call. The 2027 topics mentioned below are distinct entries in the Horizon Europe Work Programme, not evidence that this call is open again or that a replacement application deadline has been set. Check each later topic’s own Funding & Tenders Portal entry for its publication and submission status.

The call was published and opened on 10 March 2026 under Horizon Europe Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space. HaDEA manages the call. It brought together eight Space topics overall; this archive concerns the four under the heading “Boosting Space through EU non-dependence for critical space technologies.” HaDEA reported that the full Space call received 132 proposals. Its 29 September 2026 status announcement records 3 submissions for 03-81, 1 for 03-82, 1 for 03-85, and 4 for 03-86. Evaluation results were expected to be communicated by 16 February 2027. The report gives submission counts and an expected notification date; it does not identify selected projects. These are status facts for readers tracking the call’s outcome, not an invitation to apply.

The four topics addressed different technical needs. They shared a strategic aim: reduce dependencies that could restrict European access to components, equipment, or facilities needed for space missions. They did not form a general-purpose space technology fund. A historical reader should use the topic identifier and exact scope when comparing this call with another funding round.

The four topics

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-81 concerned radiation-hard FPGA technology on 7nm. It was a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), with an indicative topic budget of €12.74 million and an expected EU contribution of €12–13 million for the project. Its technical objective was to mature critical electronic, electrical, and electromechanical (EEE) components and support a more dependable supply chain. The Work Programme expected activities to reach TRL 6 by project end. That target belongs to this topic; it should not be generalized to the other three.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-82 focused on GaN MMICs and mm-wave foundations, specifically development and industrialization of semi-insulating SiC substrate capabilities (Phase A). It was an RIA, with an indicative budget of €6.86 million and expected EU contribution of €6–7 million. The Work Programme set an expected TRL 5 outcome for this topic. Its scope is more specific than a broad proposal about semiconductor autonomy: it is tied to the named material and component capability.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-85 addressed market deployment of a high- and very-high-energy irradiation test facility serving space EEE components. It was an Innovation Action (IA), with an indicative budget of €3.92 million and expected EU contribution of €3–4 million. This topic dealt with facility capability and service provision, rather than development of an FPGA or substrate. Applicants had to relate the proposed facility deployment to testing needs for critical space components and the intended European supply ecosystem.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-86 concerned a space refuelling interface. It was an RIA with an indicative budget of €2.94 million and expected EU contribution of €2–3 million. It was an equipment and interface development topic, distinct from the electronic-component and irradiation-facility subjects above.

The amounts above distinguish two figures that are easy to conflate. The indicative topic budget is the total allocation shown for that topic. The expected contribution range describes the Commission’s estimate of a suitable EU contribution for a project; it is not a guaranteed award amount or necessarily a hard maximum. The Work Programme explicitly says proposals requesting different amounts are not thereby precluded. The call-wide budget was €90.97 million, covering all eight topics, not just these four. Each of the four topics was expected to fund one project according to the call overview.

Eligibility and participation conditions

The call is closed, so these conditions are preserved for reference only. Each topic relied on Horizon Europe General Annexes for standard admissibility, eligibility, capacity, exclusion, award, procedure, and grant-agreement rules, with additional conditions in the Work Programme. A historical summary cannot replace the topic page and annex text used for the submitted proposal.

For all four non-dependence topics, participation was limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, Norway, or Iceland. Proposals including entities established outside that scope were ineligible. An entity based in an eligible country but controlled directly or indirectly by a non-eligible country or entity was subject to additional safeguards. It could not participate unless its country of establishment positively assessed guarantees demonstrating that participation would not harm the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. The topic texts also excluded high-risk mobile-network equipment suppliers, and entities fully or partly owned or controlled by such a supplier, from submitting those guarantees.

These restrictions are important when reading the call’s strategic-autonomy language. A proposal needed more than a statement that European production would be desirable. The consortium had to fit the formal country and control requirements, and the project had to explain how its supply arrangements, access to results, and relevant intellectual property would support the stated outcome. The exact guarantees and evidence requirements belong to the official Work Programme and call documents.

The Work Programme also required beneficiaries, when using satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, or timing data and services, to use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other sources could be added. For these topics the application page limit was 80 pages. Some activities could involve classified background information or produce security-sensitive results, so the relevant Horizon Europe security provisions applied. These requirements should be checked against the topic-specific documents whenever someone is reviewing an old proposal or comparing the 2026 conditions with a later call.

What the strategic objective meant in practice

The programme’s non-dependence objective centered on reliable access to critical technologies across their supply chains. The Work Programme described risks where non-EU products may be constrained by export controls or where supply chains may not be dependable for European missions with a security dimension. It called for resilient capabilities and supply arrangements that could serve EU missions without restrictive external controls. This framing explains why the four topics combined component development, material and manufacturing capability, a test facility, and a refuelling interface.

The exact technical case differed by topic. A radiation-hard FPGA proposal needed to address its component performance and qualification path. A semi-insulating SiC substrate proposal needed to match the GaN MMIC and mm-wave foundations scope. An irradiation-facility proposal needed to make a case for facility deployment and the services available to space EEE users. A refuelling-interface proposal needed to focus on the named equipment and its space use. Combining these into one generic “European space sovereignty” concept would not have made the proposal fit all four topics; applicants had to select the one topic whose expected outcomes matched the work.

Supply-chain reasoning was part of the substance rather than a separate slogan. A credible technical plan would identify the relevant dependencies, explain where restrictions or concentration could interrupt use, and connect the project’s design or deployment work to a more reliable route to mission use. Where the topic allowed non-EU services under conditions, the proposal had to explain how the resulting chain would remain trustworthy and not subject to relevant export restrictions, with any required granting-authority approval. The call’s rules on access, control, and later transfer of results also made governance material to feasibility.

Application process: completed, not open

There is no application route to use now for HORIZON-CL4-2026-03. Its portal submission deadline has passed, and the official HaDEA call page marks the call closed. The steps below explain the process that belonged to the completed call and help readers interpret its documents; they are not current instructions for submitting a new proposal.

During the open period, an applicant first selected one topic identifier and read that topic’s entry in the Funding & Tenders Portal alongside the 2026–2027 Cluster 4 Work Programme and its General Annexes. The applicant then confirmed that every proposed participant met the country and control conditions, selected an RIA or IA design consistent with the chosen topic, and prepared the application using the portal’s live forms and topic-specific instructions. For the 03-81 and 03-82 topics, the technical plan also needed to address the topic-specific TRL expectation. The other topics had their own expected outcomes and should not inherit those targets by assumption.

The proposal package had to follow the call’s admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, and security requirements. Teams also needed to check the relevant data-source requirement if their project used satellite data or services, and keep the application within the 80-page limit. The official portal, rather than a general summary page, was the place for submission and any final forms, clarifications, or corrigenda. Those steps have ended for this cycle. A late or incomplete submission cannot be treated as eligible simply because the topic remains relevant to an applicant’s work.

For applicants who did submit, HaDEA’s post-call report provides the published submission counts. The outcome announcement was expected by 16 February 2027; readers should consult HaDEA or the Funding & Tenders Portal for the actual evaluation outcome when available. Submission totals indicate competition volume only. They do not reveal proposal quality, evaluation scores, award decisions, or whether a particular organization succeeded.

A subsequent set of related topics has been announced in the Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Cluster 4 Work Programme: HORIZON-CL4-2027-SPACE-07-83 covers critical EEE components for EU non-dependence, and HORIZON-CL4-2027-SPACE-07-84 covers critical space equipment. The Work Programme schedules that SPACE call to open on 7 October 2027, with a deadline of 20 January 2028. Those dates are the published schedule for the separate 2027 call, not an extension or replacement deadline for the four 2026 topics described here. Check the live Funding & Tenders Portal entries for any later updates before preparing an application.

The 2027 topics have their own identifiers, scopes, conditions, budgets, and submission process. The Work Programme does not say that the same four 2026 topics will recur unchanged. This page remains a historical reference to the closed 2026 cycle, so its deadline field retains the actual 16 September 2026 closing date. It does not describe that cycle as continuously accepting applications. HaDEA’s specific call page below records its closed status, reference, deadline, and four topics; the Funding & Tenders Portal and applicable Work Programme provide the detailed legal and technical terms.

HORIZON-CL4-2026-03: Boosting Space through EU non-dependence for critical space technologies (historical reference)