Since Japan has not yet been confirmed as an associated country, Japanese institutions participate with third-country status. This means they cannot receive EU funding and must take part using their own research funding.

The main schedule is outlined in the document.

From an evaluator’s perspective, if two institutions carry out the same task in parallel, it may raise questions such as why two institutions are assigned to a single task and whether one partner has been added without clear justification.
Therefore, even for a similar role, it is advisable to divide the work into distinct components—for example, assigning Part A to one institution and Part B to another. Evaluators tend to look for aspects they can critique, so it is best to avoid leaving room for such comments from the outset.
In particular, since many Horizon Europe proposals receive very high scores, the key is not simply to exceed the minimum threshold of 10 points, but to focus on avoiding any deductions from the maximum score of 15. In other words, a useful strategy is to ensure that all evaluation criteria are fully addressed while minimizing any potential weaknesses that could lead to point deductions.

Many strong project ideas and consortia are formed at international conferences. You may also find useful tips on page 18 of the webinar presentation on how to participate in Pillar II, which was held in December.

The Work Programme specifies how many projects (consortia) will be selected for each call, as well as the budget allocated per consortium.




 

 

Most Horizon Europe 2025 calls have not yet been officially opened or are still in draft status, so they may appear as Closed on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The official opening is expected around June–July, and any information released beforehand is for preliminary guidance.

You can access previous calls on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by selecting Horizon Europe as the category and applying the Closed filter.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate&isExactMatch=true&status=31094501,31094502,31094503&frameworkProgramme=43108390

According to the 2025 call documents provided by SESAR 3 JU, associated countries can also apply to SESAR 3 JU calls (in line with the general Horizon Europe rules).

For Pillar II, a consortium must include at least three institutions, and one of them must be from an EU Member State. The other two institutions must be from EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries (e.g. Korea, Switzerland, the UK, Canada, etc.).

It may vary depending on the call. You should carefully read the call text to check whether the call requires all aspects to be addressed or allows applicants to cover only some of them.

In my case, I found the contact details during an Info Day. Such information is usually not provided in the general call documents.
It is recommended that European partners participating in the consortium attend the Info Days organized in their respective countries.

The application deadline must be strictly observed. Since the application period is relatively short, in many cases applicants begin preparing even before the official call is launched.
As Work Programmes are usually published on a two-year basis, there is generally enough time to prepare in advance. Even in cases where the Work Programme is released later than expected, such as in 2025, it is common for applicants to obtain information from draft versions and start preparing early.

In most cases, the schedule varies by call. The application period for each call can be checked in the Work Programme.

In Horizon Europe Pillar II, all calls follow a top-down approach, meaning that you can only apply to the predefined research topics. Therefore, in general, it is not possible to create your own topic.

It varies by call, but generally an application period of about 4–5 months is provided. In the case of the 2025 calls, most started in May and closed in September.

TRL stands for Technology Readiness Level, which is an indicator used to assess how ready a technology is, from the idea stage to actual market deployment.
It consists of nine levels, each with the following meaning:
• TRL 1 – Basic principles observed (basic research stage)• TRL 2 – Technology concept formulated• TRL 3 – Experimental proof of concept in the laboratory• TRL 4 – Technology validated in a laboratory environment• TRL 5 – Technology validated in a relevant environment• TRL 6 – Technology demonstrated through a prototype• TRL 7 – Prototype demonstrated in an operational environment• TRL 8 – Actual system completed and qualified• TRL 9 – Successfully operating in a real environment (market entry)
In European research frameworks such as Horizon Europe, early research actions (RIA) often require TRL levels 3–5, while innovation actions (IA) related to technology development and demonstration typically require TRL 5–7 or higher.




 

 

You can find it on page 14 of the Work Programme General Annex B.(https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/9d9a75d46da8-4902-95c4-34a4de01ebe5_en?filename=ec_rtd_he-wp-2025-annexes-pre.pdf)

Lump sum funding is a funding scheme introduced to allow researchers to receive research funding based on the completion of work packages (regardless of success or failure), without the need to report each individual expenditure item.
This approach aims to reduce administrative tasks such as financial accounting, cost claims, time recording, and financial audits. For more details, please refer to the link below.

KPI information is often not explicitly stated in the Call document. In general, it can be identified indirectly in sources such as General Annex B, the Strategic Plan 2025–2027, or the Work Programme Introduction (particularly in relation to Impact).
Specific KPIs usually need to be defined and proposed directly in the proposal.

The affiliated institution must register on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal website. You can find related information in the guide on how to register for a PIC on the National Research Foundation of Korea website.
If you have any further inquiries, please contact the NRF Horizon Europe team.