Destination 1: Leadership in materials and production for Europe

This Destination brings together the research and innovation for a globally competitive European industry through the twin green and digital transition, and the availability, development, use, reuse and disposal of chemicals, advanced materials and critical raw materials.

The Competitiveness Compass announces initiatives that should be served directly by industry-linked activities in Cluster 4, through new, focused R&I activities, but also through the activities supported up to now:

• Clean Industrial Deal adopted in February 2025;
• Critical Raw Materials Act;
• Advanced Materials Communication and future Advanced Materials Act planned for 2026;
• Future Circular Economy Act planned for 2026;
• Steel and Metals Action Plan adopted in March 2025;
• European Chemicals Industry Action Plan adopted in July 2025;
• Industrial action plan for the European automotive sector adopted in March 2025;
• Strategy on research and technology infrastructures, with regard to technology infrastructures and the valorisation of knowledge.

Expected impacts

• Projects funded under Destination 1 are expected to deliver tangible industrial and societal impacts, including:
• Increased productivity, flexibility and quality in European manufacturing
• Accelerated deployment of digital and automated solutions in real industrial environments
• Reduced environmental footprint, including lower CO₂ emissions, energy consumption and material waste
• Strengthened industrial innovation capacity and shorter time-to-market for new technologies
• More resilient, sustainable and technologically sovereign industrial ecosystems in Europe

Proposals are invited against the following topic(s):

Call: INDUSTRY (single stage)

• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-22: Innovative advanced materials and new production processes – reducing dependencies on Critical and Strategic Raw Materials (IA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU and Processes4Planet partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-23: Accelerating the discovery and development of chemicals and innovative advanced materials through digitalisation and artificial intelligence (IA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnership)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-24: Cooperation on innovative advanced materials with Japan (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-01: Advanced manufacturing for key products (IA) (Made in Europe partnership)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-02: Advanced manufacturing for key products (IA) (Made in Europe partnership)
• ZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-03: Factory processes and automation for deand re-manufacturing (RIA) (Made in Europe partnership)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04: Optimise the usage of resources in a circular economy (RIA) (Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-05: Circular innovative advanced materials: facilitating the transition from design to markets (RIA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU and Made in Europe partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-06: Circular innovative advanced materials: facilitating the transition from design to markets (RIA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU and Made in Europe partnerships)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-08: Textile circularity through advanced processing and manufacturing technologies and system approaches (IA) (Textiles for the Future partnership)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-31: Efficient capture / purification / utilisation of CO2 for the production of competitive products (RIA) (Processes4Planet partnership)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-41: Enhancing industry-academia knowledge exchange in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-42: Unlocking the potential of academic intellectual assets for industry, SMEs and startups (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-44: Attracting management talent for capacity building for Technology Infrastructures staff members (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-45: Pilot access schemes to Technology Infrastructures for European startups, scaleups and innovative SMEs (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-46: Mapping and service finder for Technology Infrastructures (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-47: Pilot access schemes to Technology Infrastructures for European startups, scaleups and innovative SMEs (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-48: ‘Proof of market’ to improve valorisation and commercialisation of Horizon generated R&I results (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-49: ‘Proof of market’ to improve valorisation and commercialisation of Horizon generated R&I results (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-11: Innovative technologies and tools for exploration and data modelling of raw materials (RIA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-12: Technologies for innovative extraction of critical raw materials (RIA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-13: Monitoring of secondary raw materials (CSA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14: Improving availability of secondary raw materials through recycling (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-16: Technologies for innovative processing of raw materials (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-17: Expert network on Critical raw materials (CSA)

Call: INDUSTRY (two stage)

• HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-MAT-PROD-21-two-stage: Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-02-MAT-PROD-32-two-stage: Efficient energy input from renewable sources and energy management in the process industries (IA) (Processes4Planet and Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnerships)

Call: INDUSTRY-FTRI

• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-61: Fast Track to Research and Innovation for breakthroughs in industrial technologies (Research and Innovation Action)
• HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-62: Fast Track to Innovation for breakthroughs in the Chemical Industry Action Plan (Research and Innovation Action)

Call: DIGITAL

• HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-MAT-PROD-25: New or enhanced Innovative Advanced Materials (IAM) enabled sensing functionality (RIA)

Total Budget

Call INDUSTRY (single stage): 319,6 MEUR (2026); 224 MEUR (2027)

Call INDUSTRY (two stage): 38 MEUR (2026); 52,5 MEUR (2027)

Call DIGITAL: 22,5 MEUR

Call INDUSTRY-FTRI: 35 MEUR

Deadlines

Call INDUSTRY (single stage): 21.04.2026 / 02.02.2027

Call INDUSTRY (two stage): 17.03.2026 (First stage), 13.10.2026 (Second stage) / 02.02.2027 (First stage), 02.09.2027 (Second stage)

Call DIGITAL: 15.04.2026

Call INDUSTRY-FTRI: 02.02.2027