On 16 October, the European Commission is organising an information day dedicated to the Nature and Bridging calls under Horizon Europe. These are a key novelty in the updated work programme Work Programme 2026-2027.

The session will provide participants with targeted guidance on the policy context, supporting applicants in understanding the objectives and opportunities of the Nature and Bridging calls.

The info day will focus on two parts of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 under Horizontal Activities:

Nature

The call pursues the objective of increasing the biodiversity spending in Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 by supporting additional R&I activities dedicated to biodiversity across pillar II of Horizon Europe.

The call covers:  

• supporting protecting and restoring nature using living labs as open innovation ecosystems designed for real‑world co‑creation
• supporting the digital industry and sectors covered by the Clean Industrial Deal in better assessing their dependencies
• benefits and direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity, mobilising social sciences and humanities that are fundamental to successfully leverage action in a transdisciplinary approach for reaching a nature-positive society
• involving societal values and behaviours, has a strong focus on data collection, mobilisation and management and advantage should be taken of the use of advanced digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) where appropriate to support the global ocean observation system (GOOS)
• data mobilisation to support policies involved in the One Health approach

Bridging

The call on bridging actions includes a series of topics aiming to facilitate a smooth transition between Horizon Europe 2021–2027 and the next EU R&I Framework Programme, Horizon Europe 2028–2034.

These actions will focus on the ‘innovation to investment journey’. This concept reflects the tight links that will exist between Horizon Europe 2028-2034 and the future European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), introducing the ‘innovation to investment journey’, a seamless process from research to market deployment. A horizontal call has been envisaged to pave the way towards ‘fit-for-deployment’ projects, thereby creating a pipeline of innovations ready for market uptake.

Learn more and register here.