Developing European and international funding

We can help you with developing research project ideas for European funding, such as the European Commission, or international funding sources, such as the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation.

We can advise you on developing your collaborations and networks, finding research collaborators and identifying international funding opportunities.

Horizon Europe

This advice was updated in October 2024. UK applicants are eligible to apply to Horizon Europe calls, now and in the future.

From 2024 onwards
The UK’s Associated Country status gives UK applicants to calls in the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2024 onwards the same rights as EU participants, with very limited exceptions*. UK entities are eligible for funding at the same rates and under the same conditions. As a UK applicant, you are able to lead project consortia and the UK will count towards the minimum number of countries required to meet eligibility rules for applications for transnational projects.

*Exceptions
You will be ineligible to receive funding via the following schemes:

1. The European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund – which provides equity finance support to EIC Accelerator projects; and
2. individual funding calls where eligibility is limited to member states or certain other countries under current Work Programmes. These will be limited exceptional cases and the eligibility rules will be clearly indicated in the call text.

2023 calls
If you have applied for any calls under the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Work Programmes, you remain fully eligible for evaluation by the EU and, if successful for 2023 calls, will receive funding through the UK guarantee in line with existing eligibility rules. For these calls, UK applicants cannot lead consortia or count towards the minimum number of countries required to meet eligibility rules for applications for transnational projects.

UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Guidance was updated in September 2024, and includes several updates relevant to ERC and MSCA guarantee grants, the UKRI Funding Service and mixed appropriation calls. It also includes new guidance relating to Subsidy Control/State Aid, working remotely and Trusted Research and Innovation.

You can read archived advice for 2023 calls via the following links, but note that the information does not relate to any Horizon Europe funding opportunities launched in 2024 or beyond:

• Brexit advice for staff involved in research
• see the details of the safety net guarantee

The Horizon Europe Framework Programme offers numerous funding opportunities tailored to discovery, applied, and translational research. Opportunities are clustered under three ‘Pillars’, and most are open to UK-based researchers.

Below are details of available funding through Horizon Europe.

Pillar I: Excellent Science

European Research Council

The ERC offers four core grant schemes and an additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme. These grants are intended to fund creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. These calls open once a year. We are awaiting the call opening and closing dates for the 2026 ERC Grants and except to be able to share them in early 2025.

ERC Starting Grant
The ERC Starting Grant is for early-career researchers to establish their own (and often first) research group. They will then obtain independence through excellent research.

• eligibility: 2-7 years post PhD
• duration: up to 5 years
• budget: €1.5 million (pro rata)

ERC Consolidator Grant
The ERC Consolidator Grant is for researchers to consolidate their independence with a view to becoming a future research leader.

• eligibility: 7-12 years post PhD
• duration: up to 5 years
• budget: €2 million (pro rata)

ERC Advanced Grant
The ERC Advanced Grant is for excellent researchers making breakthroughs through high quality research ideas. Applicants must still be active researchers and have a strong track record over the previous 10 years. Next call opening date: 22 May 2025 (Closing date TBC). For more information about this call and the support you can receive at Bath, please see our ERC Advanced Grant guidance page, or email the Research Development Manager for Horizon Europe: Ceri-Wyn Thomas ([mailto:cwt51@bath.ac.uk]).

• eligibility: >12 years post-Ph.D.
• duration: up to 5 years
• budget: €2.5 million (pro rata)

ERC Synergy Grant
The ERC Synergy Grant provides funding for 2-4 Principal Investigators (PIs) to propose an ambitious, interdisciplinary research project. Projects will lead to breakthroughs not possible by any individual PI working with a single team.

• eligibility: No specific criteria but all PIs are assessed for ERC quality relative to career stage
• duration: up to 6 years
• budget: €10 million (pro rata)

ERC Proof of Concept ERC Proof of Concept grants are only open to current or recent ERC grant holders to demonstrate potential commercialisation opportunities that have arisen from their ERC-funded research.

• eligibility: Current ERC grant, or grant ending in last 12 months
• duration: 18 months
• budget: €150,000

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fund excellent research and innovation and equip researchers at all stages of their career with new knowledge and skills, through mobility across borders and exposure to different sectors and disciplines. The MSCA also fund the development of doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes and collaborative research projects worldwide.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of postdoctoral researchers, providing them with a period of international mobility and facilitating a two-way exchange of knowledge between the researchers and their host organisation(s).

MSCA Doctoral Networks
MSCA Doctoral Networks (DN) are training for doctoral candidates via international networks of academic and non-academic institutions.

MSCA Staff Exchanges
MSCA Staff Exchanges fund short-term international and inter-sectoral exchanges of staff members involved in research and innovation activities of participating organisations.

MSCA COFUND
COFUND action provides funding for regional, national and international programmes for training and career development, through co-funding mechanisms.

Research Infrastructures

Research Infrastructures are facilities that provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields.

These include:

• major equipment or sets of instruments
• knowledge-related facilities such as collections
• archives or scientific data infrastructures
• computing systems
• communication networks

Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness

Calls under the Global Challenges Pillar of Horizon Europe are top-down, challenge-led and extend across a range of themed areas. They primarily support multi-disciplinary cooperation via international consortia. See the summary.

2021-2027 Work Programmes
All the forthcoming calls for proposals can be found in each work programme. New Work Programmes for 2025 calls are expected to be published in Spring 2025:

• Cluster 1: Health
  
• Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
  
• Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society
  
• Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space
  
• Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility
  
• Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Open and forthcoming calls for each of these global challenges can be found on the EU Funding and Tenders Opportunities portal.

EC: Missions

Each mission from the European Commission (EC) will operate as a portfolio of actions, such as research projects, policy measures or even legislative initiatives, to achieve a measurable goal that could not be achieved through individual actions.

The five EU Missions:

• Adaptation to Climate Change: support at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030
• Cancer: working with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and solutions to live longer and better
• Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030
• 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030
• A Soil Deal for Europe: 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030

Pillar III: Innovative Europe

European Innovation Council

• EIC Pathfinder supports the exploration of bold ideas for radically new technologies - welcomes high-risk / high gain and interdisciplinary cutting-edge science collaborations that underpin technological breakthroughs

• EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory

• EIC Accelerator funds and invests in individual start-ups and small companies to develop and scale up game changing innovations. (Note, restrictions apply on UK access to Investment component of EIC Accelerator)

See the summary of the EIC Calls.

Find other international funding opportunities

Global R&I funding gateway

Universities UK international (UUKi) has a Global Research and Innovation Funding Gateway which you can access.

This a regularly updated​ depository of funding opportunities for international research and innovation collaboration and knowledge exchange, aimed at UK based researchers/institutions.

International Relations Office

The International Relations Office works with and builds partnerships with other international universities and organisations. It also runs the Bath international research funding scheme, which is an internal call inviting applications for developing international partnerships.