Introduction
The next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation is already taking shape. Often referred to as FP10, the programme is expected to continue under the name Horizon Europe and cover the period 2028-2034. For companies, universities, research and technology organisations, public authorities, clusters and innovation ecosystems, this is not a distant policy discussion. It is the beginning of the next strategic positioning phase for EU-funded research and innovation.
The European Commission has proposed a significantly larger and more strategic Horizon Europe programme for 2028-2034, with a proposed budget of around EUR 175 billion. The direction is clear: the future programme should be bigger, simpler, faster and more connected to Europe’s competitiveness, technology leadership and real-world impact.
For organisations planning to participate in future EU-funded projects, the key message is simple: FP10 will reward early positioning, strong consortia, credible impact pathways and a clear contribution to European added value. Proposal writing alone will not be enough. The strongest applicants will be those who understand the policy direction early and translate it into concrete project concepts, partnerships and implementation strategies.
FP10 will continue the Horizon Europe brand, but with a stronger competitiveness logic
According to the European Commission’s proposal, Horizon Europe 2028-2034 will build on the achievements of the current programme while increasing its role in Europe’s economy and investment strategy. The programme is expected to support excellent science, collaborative research, innovation, the European Research Area, and stronger links between research results and deployment.
This stronger competitiveness logic is one of the most important changes. The next programme will not only fund research activities. It will also aim to help Europe transform research and innovation results into solutions, products, services, industrial value chains and market-ready technologies.
This matters especially for organisations active in strategic fields such as AI, data, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, clean technologies, digital transformation, health innovation, space, security, critical infrastructure, circular economy and industrial competitiveness.
The innovation-to-investment journey becomes central
A central idea behind the future programme is the need to close Europe’s innovation gap. Europe is strong in science and collaborative research, but too often research results do not move quickly enough towards demonstration, deployment, scale-up and investment.
FP10 is therefore expected to support a more coherent innovation-to-investment journey. This means that future projects will need to demonstrate not only scientific and technical quality, but also a credible route towards use, uptake and value creation.
For applicants, this changes the way proposals should be designed. A strong FP10 project concept should show how research results can be validated, demonstrated, exploited, communicated, adopted by stakeholders and connected to future investment or policy implementation. This will be relevant not only for industrial projects, but also for mission-oriented, societal and regional innovation projects.
The European Competitiveness Fund will shape the future funding landscape
One of the major novelties in the next EU budget architecture is the proposed European Competitiveness Fund. Horizon Europe 2028-2034 is expected to be tightly connected to this fund, especially for the competitiveness-related part of collaborative research.
The purpose of this connection is to create stronger links between research, innovation, industrial deployment and investment. In practice, this could create more opportunities for projects that are able to move from research to demonstration and real-world implementation, especially in strategic technology areas.
For companies and innovation actors, this means that EU-funded project strategies should become more integrated. It will be important to understand not only Horizon Europe calls, but also the broader EU competitiveness agenda, industrial policy priorities, strategic value chains and possible synergies with other funding instruments.
Collaborative research remains important, but it must become more strategic
Collaborative research will remain one of the core strengths of Horizon Europe. However, future collaborative projects will likely need to be more clearly aligned with European priorities and more convincing in terms of impact, exploitation and stakeholder relevance.
In FP10, consortia will need to explain more clearly why the project matters for Europe. This includes the scientific rationale, but also the industrial, societal, regional or policy relevance. Projects should show how partners complement each other, how the work connects across the value chain and how results can be used after the project ends.
This creates a strong need for strategic consortium building. The right partners should not be selected only because they are available. They should be selected because they are essential for the project logic: technology providers, research organisations, end-users, industry partners, public authorities, clusters, associations, standardisation actors, communication and exploitation experts, and potential deployment partners.
European Partnerships: fewer, stronger and more aligned with EU priorities
European Partnerships will continue to play an important role in FP10, but the partnership landscape is expected to become more selective and strategic. The Commission’s direction points towards simplification, stronger coordination and clearer alignment with EU priorities.
Future partnerships are expected to be assessed according to principles such as EU added value, necessity, strategic coordination, policy alignment, portfolio logic, shared commitment and a life-cycle approach. This means that partnerships should be used where they are genuinely the best instrument to achieve common objectives.
For industry, research organisations and associations, this is an important signal. Participation in future partnerships will depend not only on reacting to calls, but also on early visibility, contribution to strategic agendas, participation in consultations and active positioning within European innovation communities.
A portfolio approach will change how organisations prepare
The future partnership landscape is expected to follow a stronger portfolio approach. Instead of continuing every existing structure in the same form, the Commission is considering broader thematic areas and a more coherent overview of priorities.
This means that some future partnerships may become broader, more integrated or more selective. Organisations that want to be visible in these ecosystems should start preparing before calls are published. This includes monitoring consultations, analysing strategic research and innovation agendas, identifying relevant associations and building relationships with potential coordinators and policy communities.
For many organisations, this will be a shift from short-term proposal participation to long-term ecosystem positioning. The earlier this positioning starts, the stronger the chances of being invited into relevant consortia and future project pipelines.
Simplification does not mean easier proposals
Simplification is one of the strongest elements of the FP10 direction. The Commission is proposing a simpler programme with faster implementation, reduced time to grant, shorter work programmes, less prescriptive topic descriptions, streamlined reporting obligations and wider use of lump sum funding.
At first glance, this sounds easier for applicants. In reality, it may make strategic proposal preparation even more important. When topic descriptions become shorter and less prescriptive, applicants have more flexibility, but they also carry more responsibility. They must interpret the topic correctly, define the project logic themselves and demonstrate why their concept is the right answer to the EU priority.
This is why shorter templates and simplified rules require stronger strategy. A good proposal will need a clear concept, a credible consortium, a strong impact pathway, realistic work packages and a convincing explanation of European added value.
Lump sum funding will continue to expand
The Commission’s direction also points towards broader use of lump sum funding. Lump sums are intended to reduce administrative burden, simplify cost reporting and allow beneficiaries to focus more on content and delivery.
For applicants, this requires a different mindset. Budgets and work packages must be planned very carefully from the beginning. Tasks, deliverables, milestones and partner responsibilities need to be realistic and well structured. Weak work package design can become a serious implementation risk under lump sum funding.
Organisations preparing for FP10 should therefore strengthen their internal capacity for lump sum proposal design, budget logic, milestone planning, risk management and implementation control.
Technology Readiness Levels and deployment pathways will matter more
The future programme is expected to cover a broad range of Technology Readiness Levels, from early research to higher levels of validation and demonstration. However, the key challenge will be to create coherence between low-TRL research, high-TRL development and real-world deployment.
This is especially important for strategic technologies. Projects should be able to explain where they stand in the innovation chain and what the next step will be after the project. Is the goal scientific validation, prototype development, pilot testing, standardisation, market entry, policy adoption or investment readiness?
A strong FP10 project will not simply describe activities. It will show a pathway: from problem to solution, from research to impact, and from consortium work to long-term European value.
Bottom-up opportunities will still matter
Although FP10 is expected to be strongly connected to EU priorities and competitiveness, bottom-up research and emerging technologies will remain important. Europe needs to support not only today’s policy priorities, but also the next wave of innovation.
The planned focus on emerging technologies is relevant for organisations working on early-stage concepts that may become strategically important in the future. This includes areas such as next-generation AI, quantum technologies, advanced materials, biotechnology, digital infrastructure, energy systems, robotics and new industrial processes.
For innovators, the lesson is to connect future-oriented ideas with a clear European relevance. Even bottom-up concepts should be able to explain why they matter for Europe’s scientific base, technology sovereignty, competitiveness or societal resilience.
EU Missions will continue, with stronger deployment needs
EU Missions are expected to remain relevant, especially towards the 2030 targets. However, as missions mature, the focus will increasingly move towards implementation, deployment, sustainability and synergies with national and regional funding.
This is important for organisations active in climate adaptation, cancer, soil, cities, oceans and waters, as well as regional innovation ecosystems. Mission-oriented projects will need to demonstrate stakeholder mobilisation, local implementation, policy relevance and long-term sustainability.
For project partners, this means mission-related proposals should be designed with strong engagement logic. Stakeholders, citizens, public authorities, practitioners, end-users and deployment actors should be integrated meaningfully, not added only as a communication element at the end.
Dual-use research will become a strategic consideration
Another important development is the possible opening of selected topics to dual-use dimensions. This does not mean that every Horizon Europe project will become dual-use. Instead, the dual-use possibility is expected to be defined at work programme or topic level.
This will be especially relevant for technologies with both civil and security-related applications, such as AI, cybersecurity, sensors, advanced materials, robotics, semiconductors, space technologies, communications infrastructure and critical systems.
Applicants in these areas should prepare for stronger attention to ethics, research security, responsible innovation and beneficiary requirements. Dual-use potential can create new opportunities, but it also requires careful project design and compliance awareness.
What companies should do now
FP10 may officially start in 2028, but the strategic preparation phase has already started. Companies that want to participate successfully should not wait until the first calls are published.
The first step is to map technologies, products and services against future EU priorities. The second step is to identify where the company can bring value in a consortium: as a technology provider, pilot owner, industrial validator, end-user, exploitation partner, standardisation actor, data provider or deployment partner.
Companies should also prepare short and clear EU project profiles. These profiles should explain the technology, the problem it solves, the relevant sector, the expected impact, the TRL level, the type of partners needed and the role the company can take in a European project. This makes it easier to approach coordinators and become visible in future consortia.
What coordinators and research organisations should do now
Coordinators, universities and research organisations should start building FP10-ready project pipelines. This means identifying strategic topics, mapping future partnership areas, preparing concept notes and connecting with industry, regions and deployment actors early.
The strongest coordinators will be those who can combine excellent research with a clear impact route. This includes communication, dissemination, exploitation, stakeholder engagement, business logic, standardisation, policy relevance and sustainability planning.
Research organisations should also think beyond the project duration. FP10 proposals will need to show how results will be used, who will benefit, what uptake pathway is realistic and how the project contributes to European objectives.
Why communication, dissemination and exploitation must become more strategic
In FP10, communication, dissemination and exploitation should not be treated as a separate administrative work package. They should be integrated into the project strategy from the beginning.
A strong impact approach should identify the right audiences, stakeholder groups, policy communities, industrial users, regional ecosystems and communication channels. It should also connect project results with uptake pathways, exploitation opportunities and long-term visibility.
For many projects, this will require a more professional approach to stakeholder mapping, content strategy, policy communication, market-oriented dissemination, ecosystem building and exploitation support. The goal is not only to communicate what the project does, but to help the project create impact.
What this means for Nexuswelt’s clients and partners
For companies, SMEs, research organisations and coordinators, FP10 creates both opportunities and pressure. The opportunities are significant: larger budgets, stronger strategic priorities, more attention to competitiveness and clearer links between research and deployment. At the same time, competition will remain high, and successful participation will require much better preparation.
Nexuswelt supports organisations in this preparation phase by helping them understand EU priorities, identify relevant calls and partnership opportunities, build consortia, develop proposal strategies, structure work packages, and design professional communication, dissemination, exploitation and stakeholder engagement activities.
The future of Horizon Europe will favour organisations that are visible, well connected and strategically positioned. For this reason, the best time to prepare for FP10 is not when the call opens. It is now.
Conclusion: FP10 will reward those who prepare early
FP10 will open a new chapter for European research and innovation funding. The future Horizon Europe 2028-2034 is expected to be larger, more strategic, more connected to competitiveness and more focused on real-world impact.
For applicants, this means that success will depend on much more than good writing. It will depend on early positioning, strong partnerships, clear project logic, credible impact pathways and the ability to connect research with deployment and European added value.
Organisations that start preparing now will be better placed to join the right ecosystems, influence future project ideas and build competitive consortia. FP10 is still ahead, but the strategic race has already begun.
Key takeaways for quick internal use
Topic | Strategic implication |
FP10 / Horizon Europe 2028-2034 | Start positioning now; do not wait for the first calls. |
European Competitiveness Fund | Connect R&I concepts to competitiveness, deployment and investment logic. |
European Partnerships | Monitor consultations and partnership agendas early; visibility matters. |
Simplification | Shorter topics require stronger interpretation and project strategy. |
Lump sum funding | Plan work packages, milestones, deliverables and budgets very carefully. |
Impact and exploitation | Build uptake pathways from the start, not at the end of the proposal. |
Dual-use research | Prepare for ethics, security and responsible innovation requirements in relevant fields. |
Related Nexuswelt programme:
For future Horizon Europe proposal strategy, consortium building and project preparation, visit our Horizon Europe support page.
