EU proposes new Widening tools, leaked plans show

As the European Commission prepares to review its Widening programme, leaked plans show that it will add two new actions in 2026-27 intended to boost the research and innovation performance of lagging EU member states.

In 2026, it plans to create a Teaming synergies action to develop thematic clusters and common strategies within the scope of its Teaming actions, which pair institutions in better and worse performing countries. It will also establish a pilot for a research management and administrative support facility, which will provide training and consulting services to institutions in the Widening countries.

The Commission will follow up on the first European Innovation Council (EIC) pre-accelerator calls for SMEs and start-ups in Widening countries. “Subject to the possibility to amend the work programme 2027, lessons from the 2025 call will be used to adjust the topic description,” the leaked document reads.

There are also plans to strengthen linkages between academia and industry. “Closer links between Widening actions and actions under Pillar 2 and enhanced intersectoral cooperation between research institutions and business are key to bridging these disparities,” the draft plans say. 

Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe includes large public-private partnerships and thematic missions.

At the same time, the Commission plans to begin phasing out existing actions such as the European Research Area (ERA) fellowships and the hop-on facility, which allows researchers in Widening countries to join projects that are already under way.

Other instruments, such as Twinning, ERA Chairs and Excellence Hubs, will continue in the final years of Horizon Europe.

The changes are indicated in a draft 2026-27 orientation document for the part of Horizon Europe covering Widening participation and strengthening the ERA. This outlines research topics that the EU is considering for funding, and is one of many documents that Science|Business has shared to provide transparency into the drafting process.

The document also shows that the structure of the second ERA Policy Agenda, which will run from 2025 to 2027, is taking shape. It will comprise 19 elements, namely 11 structural policies and eight ERA actions. Structural policies have a long-term approach to the development of the ERA, while ERA actions focus on a concrete outcome over the three years of the ERA Policy Agenda.

The ERA 2026-27 work programme will support nine out of 19 proposed policies and actions:

Structural policies

• Enabling open science via sharing and re-use of data, including through the European Open Science Cloud
• Strengthening inclusive and intersectional gender equality in the ERA
• Making research careers more attractive and sustainable
• Reforming research assessment 
• Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities
• Enhancing trust in science through citizen participation, engagement and science communication

ERA actions

• Equity in open science
• A harmonised and coordinated framework for a European approach to integrity and ethics in research and innovation in the face of emerging challenges
• Empowering research and innovation: a new era in research management

In the 2026 call, whose topics are organised around the four pillars detailed below, researchers will be tasked to directly address the new ERA structural policies and actions.

• Institutional changes: Capacity building and technical assistance to foster adoption of policies/practices within institutions in ERA
• Ecosystems: Building and reinforcing networks and communities of practice to foster broad uptake of policies/practices within and beyond ERA
• Citizens and Science: Connecting research and innovation with citizens and other stakeholders to increase trust in science and relevance and impact of science in ERA
• New knowledge for ERA: Creating new knowledge that supports design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ERA policies

The 2027 call, on the other hand, will only respond to structural policies.

We think it is important to maintain a public record of how Horizon Europe evolves in successive rounds of drafting between the Commission and member states. This is a political process that, so far, the Commission refuses to make transparent. To this end, Science|Business is making a full history of the drafting process publicly available in our Horizon Papers database. You can share other draft work programmes anonymously at [email protected].