EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities of the call “Programme-level collaboration” (HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-05)

1. Single Market Access: 450+ Million Consumers & Users

• Market-ready R&I solutions emerging from transnational projects can instantly address the entire EU/EEA market without duplicate certification, opening a potential customer/user base larger than the USA.

• Societal uptake channels (e.g., EIT KICs, Enterprise Europe Network) ease piloting & roll-out in multiple Member States, accelerating time-to-market.

• Public-procurement pull: Joint results can be positioned for cross-border Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) & Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI) financed under cohesion & structural funds.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Consortia of Ministry-level funders (or regional agencies) pool resources, reaching critical mass that no single country could commit.

• Transnational joint calls lower entry barriers for SMEs & RTOs to form multinational R&I teams, nurturing durable value chains.

• Mutual learning on programme design (evaluation, impact monitoring, gender mainstreaming) upgrades administrative capacity across the ERA.

• Third-country bridge: Topic exceptionally funds non-associated third countries, enabling EU funders to leverage global excellence while embedding EU values.

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Strategies

• European Green Deal: Joint priorities can converge on climate neutrality (e.g., clean hydrogen, circular materials) and use the Green Deal Call lessons.

• Digital Europe & Chips Act: Coordination with national digital agendas avoids fragmentation in AI, cybersecurity & semiconductor research.

• EU Missions & Partnerships: Concerted calls can feed validated projects directly into Mission implementation pipelines or trigger new co-funded Partnerships.

• Pact for R&I: The action operationalises the Pact’s objective of committing ≥5 % of national R&D to joint programming.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Policy Shaping

• Co-creation of EU-level standards (e.g., data, sustainability, ethics) through "additional joint activities" complements legislative initiatives and speeds market adoption.

• Evidence-based policymaking: Funded projects provide a common knowledge base that national ministries can feed into Council working groups and comitology.

• Streamlining state-aid compliance: Joint calls apply a single CSA-based template, reducing national administrative burden.

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Gateway to 3,000+ universities & 40+ European University Alliances, 300+ RTOs, and pan-EU clusters.

• Synergies with EIT: EIT KICs can act as dissemination/acceleration partners, translating research to market.

• Talent circulation: Projects support researcher mobility, reinforcing ERA talent pipelines and widening participation from Widening countries.

6. Funding Synergies & Leverage

• Stacking with other EU funds: Results can be scaled via InvestEU, Innovation Fund (for TRL 6-9 climate tech), LIFE, Interreg or Digital Europe DEP.

• National co-funding unlocked: Each euro of EU CSA money typically catalyses 4-6 € of national/regional investment in subsequent calls.

• Private/philanthropic capital: Foundations and charities may co-finance, especially in health & social innovation, multiplying impact without extra EU budget.

7. Scalability & Pan-European Impact

• Multiannual joint agendas enable long-term roadmaps aligned with SDGs, ensuring continuity beyond the 3-year CSA.

• Critical mass for global challenges (climate resilience, pandemic preparedness, raw-materials independence) where fragmented national efforts fall short.

• Visibility & branding: A single, recognisable European call brand attracts top talent and industry, reinforcing Europe’s soft power.

8. Strategic Value Proposition Compared with National-Level Action

• Economies of scale: Shared call management platforms, peer-review panels and monitoring systems cut costs up to 30 % per proposal.

• Risk sharing: Multilateral funding distributes financial risk of high-gain research, encouraging bolder, mission-oriented projects.

• Avoiding duplication: A common priority-setting exercise prevents redundant national initiatives and channels scarce resources to genuinely novel areas.

• Policy coherence: Coordinated funding amplifies Europe’s collective negotiating power in international R&I fora (OECD, G7, UN) and standard-setting bodies.

9. Actionable Tips for Applicants

• Map existing European Partnerships/Missions to ensure complementarity and carve a unique niche.

• Secure letters of commitment from ministerial-level funders covering ≥3-year cash/in-kind contributions.

• Integrate Horizon-linked European Open Science principles (EOSC onboarding, FAIR data) to score on excellence & impact.

• Embed gender equality plans and Widening participation targets to align with ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027.

10. Key Takeaway

By leveraging the EU’s single market, harmonised regulations and unmatched network of public R&I funders, the "Programme-level collaboration" CSA offers a strategic springboard to design, finance and deploy transnational research that no individual country could achieve alone—maximising European added value while directly supporting the ERA, EU Missions and the Sustainable Development Goals.