The European Commission has added new Nature and Bridging calls to the Horizontal Activities part of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme. The calls are linked to all clusters in Pillar 2.
Why do the Bridging calls matter?
The Bridging calls aim to build a bridge between Horizon Europe (2021-2027) and the new Framework Programme to be implemented in 2028-2034. At the heart of the calls is the “innovation to investment journey” approach, which refers to moving research results seamlessly to market and investment. This approach underpins the strong link planned between the new Framework Programme and the European Competitiveness Fund. The goal is to create a pipeline of market-ready projects.
The calls cover three main areas:
- Knowledge valorisation and data access
- Research infrastructures and data access
- Artificial intelligence
Nature calls
The Nature calls aim to scale up biodiversity-related research and innovation across Horizon Europe Pillar 2 and to support the transition to a nature-positive economy and society. Areas covered include living labs for ecosystem restoration, the impacts of clean and digital industries on biodiversity, the impacts of PFAS on biodiversity, biodiversity monitoring, invasive species and wildlife trafficking, the One Health approach and the global ocean observing system.
For topics, budgets, eligibility conditions and deadlines, please see the work programme: Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027: Horizontal Activities
Info Day: 16 October 2026
The European Research Executive Agency (REA) is holding an online Info Day on the Nature and Bridging calls on Friday, 16 October 2026, at 10:30 (Turkey time, GMT+3). Highlights of the event include:
- Policy background and objectives of the calls
- Presentations of the topics
- Insights on project design, impact and implementation
- Interactive Q&A via Slido
You can submit your questions on Slido before the event with the tag #HORIZONTAL. Event page: https://research-innovation-community.ec.europa.eu/events/eugq0jjabLAe8efhoXQBd/overview
Bilkent TTO support
Bilkent researchers planning to apply to the Nature and Bridging calls can contact the TTO for support with eligibility assessment, consortium building and proposal preparation: tto.project@bilkent.edu.tr
