Leuven: Horizon Europe funding will rise by €500 million until the end of 2027, after the European Commission allocated the extra money on 29 September 2026. The European Research Executive Agency manages about half of it through two new strands called Nature and Bridging, and the first calls opened in October.

The Nature strand carries the larger share. Its first action, with a budget of €41.45 million, covers three topics that include the effects of PFAS on biodiversity and the benefits that clean and digital industries can bring to nature. Its second action holds €108 million for five topics: the decline of invertebrates, nature restoration labs, wildlife trafficking, invasive species and biodiversity monitoring. Both Nature calls opened on 13 October 2026.

The Bridging strand of the Horizon Europe funding aims to carry promising research results to market. A €32.5 million topic advances results from the collaborative research pillar through the innovation journey, and a €20 million topic helps project teams valorise their results through innovation ecosystems. Both opened on 20 October 2026, and the second one targets agriculture and food systems, the clean transition in energy and transport, health, the bioeconomy, and raw and advanced materials.

A third Bridging group focuses on research infrastructures. It holds €30.5 million across three topics and is due to open on 9 March, with an information day planned for March 2027, so the calls most likely open next spring. The agency listed no year beside the date, which is why applicants should confirm the schedule on the funding portal before they plan a proposal.

To help applicants use the Horizon Europe funding, the agency held an information day on 16 October and a brokerage event on 19 October. The five budgets listed on its page add up to €232.45 million, well short of the full €500 million. The remaining money sits with other parts of the programme and with other implementing bodies, and the page does not break that share down.

The extra Horizon Europe funding matters because it lands in the last stretch of the current programme. Researchers who want to use it have limited time, because the money runs only until the end of 2027. Nature topics reward teams that already work on biodiversity, while Bridging topics reward teams that already hold results from earlier projects and want to scale them.

Applicants in 2026 should read the work programme texts closely and check each deadline. The new Horizon Europe funding gives the Commission a way to steer research money toward nature and toward the step between laboratory results and commercial use.