Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation programme, has published its funding opportunities for 2026–2027. The work programme sets out the research questions, expected results and application conditions for the final two years of the current programme. Its scope extends well beyond health, from climate and energy to digital technologies and research infrastructure.
Several topics are relevant to the community of the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA), which brings together researchers, clinicians, clinical research networks, patient associations and other key stakeholders. Among these topics are predictive biomarkers, virtual human twins and support to develop results from earlier collaborative projects, offering routes to explore alongside dedicated rare disease funding.
What is different in this work programme?
The 2026–2027 general introduction describes changes intended to make applications and grant management less burdensome. Compared with 2023–2024, there are fewer topics, with less prescriptive descriptions and more freedom for applicants to decide how to achieve the expected results.
The programme also makes greater use of fixed lump-sum grants. Some calls use two-stage evaluation: applicants submit a shorter proposal first and prepare a full application only if invited. These arrangements vary by topic, so they should not be assumed to apply to every opportunity.
New calls also connect different parts of Horizon Europe. These include the Bridging Actions 2027, which prepare the transition to the next European research programme. Part of their purpose is to help existing research results progress towards practical use, rather than fund new discoveries alone.
Three topics worth examining
The Health work programme covers prevention, disease research, access to care and new health technologies. Within this wider offer, the following topics address questions that also matter to rare disease research.
The predictive biomarkers topic supports the clinical development of measurable indicators that help anticipate disease progression or treatment response. It combines established artificial intelligence methods with biomarker information, clinical studies and data collected over time or through routine care. For rare disease teams, the relevant question is whether their work on tracking disease or assessing treatment response fits this broader topic on chronic non-communicable diseases, which excludes cancer. Its focus is clinical usefulness, not the development of AI methods alone.
The virtual human twins topic explicitly includes rare diseases among possible applications. It supports computer models linking processes across cells, tissues and organs to assist prevention and diagnosis. For teams studying conditions that affect several organs, the connection is particularly concrete: proposals must model complex disease processes over time and demonstrate that the resulting tools provide meaningful clinical support. They must also examine how the tools could fit into care, drawing on input from prospective users.
The call to advance promising results from Horizon Europe collaborative projects, HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-02-05, covers all six Pillar II research clusters, including health. For rare disease teams with results from eligible projects, it offers a different starting point: what further development is needed before those findings can be used? It is not a general continuation grant or a dedicated rare disease call. Applications close on 28 January 2027.
From a relevant topic to a suitable proposal
The distinction matters for clinical networks and patient associations as well as researchers. A topic may concern a familiar scientific problem, but a proposal must also address its expected results, evidence requirements and intended users. The Health programme calls for early involvement of patients, healthcare professionals and public authorities, making their contribution relevant to research design and adoption in care.
Applicants can consult the biomarker application page and the bridging call and submission information. The Funding & Tenders Portal provides the wider list of opportunities and current application documents. Announced topics do not all open together; applicants should check the individual call’s status, eligibility rules and deadlines before preparing a proposal.
