The European Union opened the HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 single-stage call on 13 October 2026, offering 224.70 million euros across 11 topics under Horizon Europe’s Cluster 4 Industry programme. The funding targets Europe’s industrial technology pipeline and efforts to reduce exposure to concentrated raw-material supply chains. Applications are due by 2 February 2027.
Programme information identifies technology developers, mining and processing companies, research institutions and industrial consortia working on raw materials and advanced production as potential applicants. The call includes an Innovation Action for technologies for innovative raw-material processing and a coordination action to establish an expert network on critical raw materials.
A further topic supports advanced materials and new production processes intended to reduce dependence on critical and strategic raw materials. The programme’s scope goes beyond producing more raw material, covering substitution, material efficiency, advanced manufacturing and process routes that could reduce reliance on concentrated supply chains.
Potential project areas include ore sorting, hydrometallurgy and selective separation, as well as recycling, digitalisation, process control, material substitution and modular pilot plants. For mining and mineral processing, the wider programme creates opportunities in raw-material security, process electrification, energy efficiency, automation and lower-carbon industrial production.
Applicants’ immediate tasks include forming consortia, defining pilots and securing industrial-partner commitments ahead of the deadline. Projects with credible demonstration sites and clear routes from laboratory performance to industrial operation are particularly relevant as the work programme puts increasing emphasis on deployment and market uptake.
The wider 2027 Cluster 4 programme also includes two-stage calls and related funding for energy management in process industries, industrial technology breakthroughs and Clean Industrial Deal decarbonisation. Technologies supported through the cycle could later contribute to Strategic Projects, industrial scale-up and European financing programmes.
