With the change in the work program for 2026–2027, the Horizon Europe program receives an additional 500 million euros and adds new topics. The additional funding further expands the opportunities for innovation from the very start to market deployment. For Bulgarian companies and organizations, preparation for participation is an investment that should start early, and for smaller teams there are also more accessible invitations.
On September 29, 2026, the European Commission announced an additional 500 million euros for Horizon Europe for 2026–2027. With the modification of the main work program, the budget for the two years reaches about 14.8 billion euros.
For businesses, universities, municipalities and non-governmental organizations, this is an opportunity to review the new topics and assess where they can contribute with their expertise. technology, expertise or environment for testing solutions.
What new opportunities are opening up
Two new intersectoral calls have been added to the work program, which connect different scientific and applied fields:
- Nature-Positive – 237 million euros for the transition to an economy and society that protects and restores nature. The direction is interesting for teams working on biodiversity, nature-friendly solutions, and the impact of economic activity on ecosystems.
- Bridging Actions 2027 – 260 million euros for advanced materials with potential for market application and a better link between scientific results and investments. Interested companies should check what Technological readiness, Demonstration and a perspective for implementation are required for the specific topic.
Support is also planned for the Academy of The new European Bauhaus, including the upgrading of qualifications and the retraining of workers in the construction sector and related industries.
The amounts indicated are the total budgets for the respective areas. The specific opportunities for applying are announced through separate invitations, each with its own conditions, deadlines, and requirements for the results of the projects. The publication of the work program does not mean that applications can already be submitted for all the topics included in it.
Stronger competition requires earlier preparation
Competition for funding is intensifying. According to the Commission's monitoring report from May 2026, the overall success rate of proposals was 14% as of January 2026, compared to 15.3% a year earlier. About 70% of the proposals that met the minimum funding threshold remain without support. These are general indicators for the program; the results for individual calls vary significantly and can be much lower.
Our experience shows that early establishment of contacts and building partnerships are becoming increasingly important. Contacts through industry associations, clusters, trade chambers and international partnership networks can help you find organizations working on similar topics, discuss common ideas, and get involved in a future project. Therefore, it is useful to start these conversations while you are still orienting yourself in funding opportunities.
At Fininfo.bg, we help you assess which opportunities are suitable for your organization and how to prepare your next steps, including finding partners.
If you have not participated in „Horizon Europe“ so far“, A good first step could be to become a partner in a consortium – a team of organizations that prepare and implement a common project with an experienced coordinator. Your role could initially be smaller, more specific, and tailored to what you are good at: developing part of the technology, testing the solution in real-world conditions, providing data, or involving future users in its testing.
To make conversations with potential partners useful, prepare a brief presentation of your organization. Explain what problem you are solving, what you have already developed, what team, equipment, and resources you have, and what tasks you could perform in a joint project. This will make it easier for the other participants to assess how your experience complements theirs and where you can be of help.
The contribution may look different depending on the organization:
- Company It can offer technology or a production base for testing it.
- Municipality It could provide a place to test a new urban solution.
- Non-governmental organization It can contribute by getting to know a specific community and bring its representatives for discussion and testing.
The important thing is that this contribution meets the tasks and desired results related to the specific topic.
Cascading financing: more opportunities through already approved projects
Joining a large consortium is not the only way. Funding opportunities also exist through projects that have already been approved under „Horizon Europe“. Part of them provide support for external (non-initial partner) companies and organizations – this is the so-called "multi-partner approach". Cascading financing.
In these cases, the partners implementing the project announce separate calls for applications. Companies and organizations that are not part of the initial consortium but can contribute to the project objectives can receive funding through these calls. This way, you can join the project at a later stage by applying through a specific call according to its terms and conditions.
These competitions can give smaller companies the opportunity to fulfill a specific „pilot„, to test a technology or to develop a solution with a more limited budget and scope.
Applications are made to the relevant project under its terms, which also comply with the general rules of the program. Each invitation specifies the topic, the amount of support, the eligible candidates, and whether participation is to be made on a stand-alone basis or in a small partnership.
Cascading funding does not apply automatically to all topics or projects. Therefore, in addition to the main calls for larger projects, we also monitor the competitions that the already approved projects subsequently announce.
From a suitable topic to a suitable partnership
At Fininfo.bg, we connect the information about financing with a network of experts, companies, and organizations. We help you navigate through the appropriate opportunities, clarify the necessary expertise, and establish contacts for building a project partnership.
If you are interested in the „Horizon Europe“ program, Contact us with a brief description of your idea or the contribution you can offer. We will analyze the potential and, if possible, guide you to partners.