WIDERA Calls 2026–2027: complete guide and budgets

20 February 2026

WIDERA calls have become one of the most effective routes to strengthen research capacities, professionalise research management structures and balance participation in European R&I. Unlike other Horizon Europe lines focused on specific technological outputs, WIDERA drives institutional transformation, collaboration networks and talent ecosystems. As a result, many organisations use WIDERA to “prepare the ground” and compete more strongly in highly competitive programmes.

This article explains what WIDERA is, which objectives it pursues and how to choose the right call. It also includes a curated list of open and forthcoming opportunities with deadlines and budgets.

What is WIDERA and why does it matter in Horizon Europe?

WIDERA stands for Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area. Its mission combines two complementary pillars:

Widening: increase participation of countries and organisations with historically lower involvement in Horizon Europe, reducing capacity gaps and barriers to access.
ERA (European Research Area): accelerate reforms and practices that strengthen Europe’s research ecosystem: open science, integrity, responsible research assessment, equality and inclusion, citizen engagement and sustainability.

Therefore, WIDERA calls do not merely fund activities; they enable structural change: internal policies, tools, professional skills, networks and valorisation pathways that turn research into impact.

What WIDERA funds and who can apply

The most common action types

WIDERA typically uses several action types, with these being the most prominent:

CSA (Coordination and Support Actions): coordination, training, guidelines, methodologies, networks, pilots and support to third parties (cascading grants).
RIA (Research and Innovation Actions): research that generates evidence for system reforms and develops new approaches grounded in robust methods.
TMA (MSCA-related, such as ERA Fellowships): mobility and researcher careers, with a clear focus on talent.

Organisations with the best fit

These WIDERA calls tend to suit:

Universities and public research organisations.
Technology centres, foundations and innovation intermediaries.
Research management units and EU funding offices.
Public administrations and networks with territorial mobilisation capacity.
Organisations working on open science, integrity, citizen science or science communication.

How to choose the right WIDERA call

Define your primary objective

It helps to distinguish between three typical goals:

Strengthen internal capacities (research management, governance, policies, processes).
Build strategic partnerships with leading organisations (e.g. Twinning).
Join already funded consortia to gain EU experience quickly (e.g. Hop-On).

Align the design with evaluation expectations

Winning proposals usually demonstrate:

Measurable and sustainable institutional change.
Transferability: reusable guidelines, tools and replicable models.
Clear governance and a credible adoption plan.
Broad community reach (where relevant) and proven mobilisation capacity.

Open WIDERA calls in 2026: list with budgets and deadlines

Below is a selection of WIDERA calls open in 2026, including their objectives, deadlines and total topic budgets.

WIDERA calls 2026: ERA, open science and system reform

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-01 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €6.0 million
This call accelerates open science uptake and reforms in research assessment. In addition, it uses cascading grants, so the project must design a robust support mechanism for third parties. On the one hand, it can support open access publishing models without costs for authors; on the other, it can boost responsible assessment practices aligned with European frameworks.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-02 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €9.0 million
This topic strengthens institutional capacity for an ethical, equitable, open and inclusive ERA. It funds tools, training and structural changes in areas such as research integrity (including the digital dimension), equality, open science equity and the quality of processes such as peer review.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-03 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €6.0 million
The call supports ecosystems for an open, ethical and sustainable ERA. Consequently, it fits networks working on open science adoption (including EOSC), integrity in partnerships and environmentally sustainable research practices (reducing research footprints), with particular attention to high-impact technologies.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-04 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €4.0 million
This topic funds pilots to support academic start-ups and spin-outs. Rather than staying theoretical, it expects validation of user needs, links with industry and strengthened valorisation capabilities. Therefore, it suits universities, innovation hubs and knowledge transfer actors.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-05 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €2.0 million
Its aim is to strengthen citizen engagement and citizen science approaches, including impact assessment and standards that enable use in public policy. As a result, proposals should combine methodology, ethics, data governance and inclusion strategies.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €3.0 million
The European Citizens’ Hackathon Championship turns valorisation into a competitive, scalable European format. It connects local hackathons with a European final, supported by mentoring, services and prizes. Therefore, it fits consortia able to mobilise cities, creative communities and innovation actors.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-07 (CSA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €6.0 million
Science comes to town 2028 finances a cities programme that connects science and citizens. The design typically includes youth-focused activities, events and formats that strengthen trust and scientific culture. As a result, strong communication capacity and multi-level coordination matter.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-08 (RIA)

Deadline: 12 March 2026
Budget: €16.0 million
This topic funds research that advances the ERA through evidence and comparative approaches. It includes lines on reproducibility, ethics in emerging technologies, equality in R&D-intensive organisations, gender budgeting and analysis of research careers. Therefore, it requires a rigorous research design and robust methods.

WIDERA calls 2026: Widening for partnerships, access and research management

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-02-WIDENING-01 (CSA) — Twinning

Deadline: 9 April 2026
Budget: €264.5 million
Twinning strengthens institutions in Widening countries through partnerships with leading organisations. It funds exchanges, training and networking, plus a limited research component. It also places a strong focus on research management capacity. Therefore, it suits universities and centres aiming to improve their European positioning with top-tier partners.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-03-WIDENING-01 (RIA) — Hop-On Facility

Deadline: 24 September 2026
Budget: €30.0 million
Hop-On allows a Widening organisation to join an already funded project (Pillar II or collaborative EIC Pathfinder) if it brings clear, visible added value. Consequently, it is a fast track to gain EU experience, integrate into networks and accelerate learning.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-01-WIDENING-01 (CSA) — Teaming Synergies

Deadline: 24 September 2026
Budget: €7.0 million
Teaming Synergies strengthens sustainability and collaboration among Teaming Centres of Excellence. The call supports thematic clusters, valorisation capacity building and networking with industry and investors. Therefore, it helps consolidate excellence and build critical mass.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-04-WIDENING-01 (CSA) — Research Management Facility

Deadline: 24 September 2026
Budget: €7.0 million
This topic establishes a facility to help Widening institutions diagnose needs, plan improvements and implement stronger research management. It funds training, peer learning and alignment with competence frameworks. As a result, it professionalises internal support teams.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-05-WIDENING-01 (TMA-MSCA-PF-EF) — ERA Fellowships 2026

Deadline: 9 September 2026
Budget: €8.0 million
ERA Fellowships attract excellent postdoctoral researchers to host organisations in Widening countries. The scheme supports mobility, training, secondments and employability. Therefore, it fits universities that want to internationalise teams, strengthen profiles and open collaborations with the non-academic sector.

Forthcoming WIDERA calls in 2027: opportunities to prepare consortia in advance

Several topics are published with enough lead time to build networks and pilots. That window enables better-balanced consortia and more credible adoption plans, especially for reform-oriented calls.

WIDERA calls 2027: ERA and open science (deadline 11 March 2027)

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-01 (CSA)

Deadline: 11 March 2027
Budget: €2.0 million
This call promotes open access policies based on rights retention. Consequently, it targets networks that can produce guidelines, training and support for organisations implementing rights retention while respecting disciplinary practices and national frameworks.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02 (CSA)

Deadline: 11 March 2027
Budget: €29.0 million
This topic builds talent ecosystems for early research careers. It funds cooperation between education providers and employers (including the non-academic sector) to improve conditions, mobility and wellbeing. Therefore, it favours consortia that include companies, universities and bridging organisations.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-03 (CSA)

Deadline: 11 March 2027
Budget: €6.0 million
Science comes to town 2029 continues the cities-based annual programme connecting science and society. As a result, it values communication capacity, youth engagement and territorial scalability.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04 (CSA)

Deadline: 11 March 2027
Budget: €2.0 million
This call strengthens public engagement and scientific literacy. It includes European-scale replication of engagement initiatives, platforms and researcher visits to civil society organisations, adapted by language and context. Therefore, it suits networks with multi-country reach and experience in inclusive engagement.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-05 (RIA)

Deadline: 11 March 2027
Budget: €3.0 million
The topic develops independent EU knowledge on China’s STI system, with methods and networks to assess critical technology areas and their impact on economic security and strategic autonomy. Consequently, it requires analytical capacity, access to sources and an interdisciplinary approach.

WIDERA calls 2027: postdoctoral mobility (deadline 8 September 2027)

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-03-WIDENING-01 (TMA-MSCA-PF-EF) — ERA Fellowships 2027

Deadline: 8 September 2027
Budget: €8.0 million
The scheme continues to attract postdoctoral talent to Widening countries, strengthening mobility, training and employability. Therefore, it is particularly relevant for organisations seeking to consolidate international recruitment strategies.

Related opportunities included in the report: key budgets

Although not part of WIDERA, these opportunities often complement ecosystem-strengthening strategies:

HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM (CSA)

Deadline: 26 March 2026
Budget: €4.5 million
It supports third parties via lump sums to access infrastructure, prototyping and specialised services. Consequently, it can act as a bridge for organisations working on applied innovation that need to accelerate valorisation.

HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-03 (CSA)

Deadline: 16 April 2026
Budget: €1.9 million
It funds actions to strengthen public trust and outreach in life sciences, including training in science communication and shared tools. Therefore, it suits organisations with experience in communication, engagement and inclusion.

Practical tips to compete successfully in WIDERA calls

Design measurable institutional change

Strong proposals avoid generic activity lists. Instead, they set adoption metrics: number of policies implemented, teams trained, tools deployed and communities reached. In addition, they secure sustainability through internal commitments and post-project plans.

Build balanced consortia

A strong consortium typically combines:

Leading organisations with EU track record.
Widening organisations with clear needs and a transformation plan.
Bridging actors (clusters, cities, networks) when the topic requires social reach.
As a result, role allocation should reflect real work, not just representation.

Use synergies without duplication

Many WIDERA calls benefit from links to EOSC, assessment reform, open science policies and talent actions. Therefore, it helps to show alignment with European initiatives and explain how duplication will be avoided.

Conclusion

WIDERA calls for 2026 and 2027 provide a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen institutions, open up science, improve careers and activate ecosystems. Moreover, the budgets reveal a strong investment in high-reach actions, particularly Twinning (€264.5 million) and talent ecosystems (€29.0 million in ERA-02 2027). Consequently, organisations that structure their ambition well—real change, solid governance and transferable outcomes—can turn WIDERA into a catalyst for European growth.

To keep up to date and avoid missing opportunities, visit Kaila’s calls category: kaila.eu/tag/calls/.