Create a thriving and competitive Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0 ecosystem (CSA) (Virtual Worlds Partnership)

The co-programmed European Partnership for Virtual Worlds aims to develop and promote a thriving industrial and end-user ecosystem in the EU, covering all aspects of the virtual worlds value chain. It seeks to actively engage with industrial and societal sectors, providing access to a broad range of resources, including funding, expertise, and technology. The action is expected to support the development and strengthening of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Virtual Worlds in Europe, promote the adoption and acceptance of Virtual Worlds technologies, foster standardisation, and reinforce links between related initiatives at EU, national, and regional levels.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	17 Nov 2026
End date	18 Mar 2027
Max funding	3,000,000 EUR per grant (expected 1 grant to be awarded in this topic)
Budget	3,000,000 EUR (2027 budget for this topic)
Coverage	See Horizon Europe rules for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).

Grant application conditions

Admissibility Conditions	Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal layout must follow guidelines in Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries	EU Member States and Associated Countries are eligible. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also participate if specific provisions are made.
Other Eligible Conditions	Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and Operational Capacity	Applicants must have the necessary financial and operational capacity, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and Financial Set-up	The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as per Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Consortium Composition	Proposals should involve and be driven by representatives of academia, Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), industry including SMEs, and Social Science and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Project Duration	Proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months are considered appropriate, but other durations may be proposed.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-CL4-2027-04-HUMAN-02

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements