Deadline: November 05, 2025
The British Academy, with the support of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, is inviting proposals from UK researchers and UK-led consortia containing EU/Associated Countries-based researchers to receive pump priming funding for Horizon Europe Pillar 2 collaborations, to help UK-based entities build multinational collaborations and maximize opportunities through the UK’s association with Horizon Europe.
Proposals are welcome in all disciplines – engineering, natural sciences, medical and health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The programme is providing pump priming funding to seed collaborations for applications to specific Horizon Europe topics in Pillar 2. The aim is to build collaborative activity between UK and EU/Associated Countries’ entities in Pillar 2 where the major consortia building type of applications in Horizon Europe are centred. Proposals are encouraged and welcomed that involve working closely with any type of organisation eligible for Horizon Europe funding (based in the UK and/or the EU/Associated Countries), including SMEs, third parties, end users and similar bodies/organisations such as hospitals, libraries, regulators, commercial partners, creative industry partners, museums, local authorities and associations, NGOs, charities and companies as appropriate to the selected Call and Topic.
The Horizon Europe Pump Priming programme is designed to address hurdles for UK-based researchers, innovators, and institutions in forming consortia and partnerships for calls related to Pillar 2. It offers awards of up to £10,000 to support collaboration preparation activities, including feasibility studies, application advice and training, partnership building, and dedicated resources to take forward an application. Each project must be led by a Principal Investigator from an eligible UK-based organisation who is responsible for directing and managing the grant as well as overall reporting requirements.
This round of funding aligns with the opening of new calls on the Horizon Europe Portal, focusing on Calls and Topics from the 2025 and draft 2026–27 Work Programmes that are listed as either ‘open for submission’ or ‘forthcoming’, or those published by the Commission that appear on the UK’s Horizon Europe Hub with a closing date no earlier than 1 January 2026. Third country partners, such as Switzerland, may also be considered if the project and consortium can meet eligibility and impact criteria.
All applicants must register in the British Academy’s online Flexi-Grant® system and submit applications in English. The expectation is that this pump priming funding will facilitate stronger collaboration between UK and EU/Associated Countries’ researchers and enhance the uptake of Horizon Europe opportunities, particularly within Pillar 2 – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.
For more information, visit The British Academy.
