Africa-EU CO-FUND action on climate
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
Not an R&D call a Polish company can use, by Scindu's rule.
Funds coordinated African-European climate research collaboration and alignment of research funding; direct company eligibility is unspecified.
- Who can apply
- Unclear from the source: research org, public body, other.
- Amount
- €15M per projectTotal budget €15,000,000
- Deadline
- 04 Mar 2027 01:00 CETin 131 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 17 Nov 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
• A long-term collaboration on climate change research between the EU and the African Union is established through development and implementation of the Climate Action pillar of the EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE),[1] in co-design between African and European partners;
• Reduced fragmentation by aligning the EU, national and multilateral R&I efforts with increased leverage and impact of funding;
• African scientific, policy and practice communities have knowledge and tools to better understand, withstand and adapt to the accelerating effects of climate change, fostering science-based implementation of the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change, the international dimensions of the EU Adaptation and Preparedness Union Strategy, the Global Gateway and the Team Europe Initiative on Adaptation and Resilience in Africa[2];
• African science is better accounted for and African scientists are better represented in international fora such as IPCC and UNFCCC.
Scope:
The European Commission Political Guidelines 2024-2029[3] call for new impetus in EU partnership with Africa to jointly address Africa’s concerns which include increasing impacts of climate change. This requires stepping up research and innovation cooperation between Europe and Africa in this crucial domain for securing Africa’s prosperity and resilience, which also aligns with Europe’s interests. With disproportionate burden from climate change risks, high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity, Africa faces unique challenges that require tailored, context-specific solutions.
The action should establish joint collaborative activities between the EU and the AU, their respective Member States and other like-minded countries implementing the Climate Action Pillar of the CCSE Partnership. For framing its activities, the action should use the CCSE Roadmap[4] and the priorities identified by the Coordination and Support Action funded from the call “HORIZON-CL5-2025-03-D1-07: Implementing the climate action pillar of the EU-African Union Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy”. It should also consider the latest scientific and policy developments for adjusting the course of its activities. The action should address a well-balanced variety of climate issues under the Climate pillar of the CCSE Partnership, with particular emphasis on climate risk reduction and resilience. It should advance availability of climate-related data, data sharing and related information platforms, enhance climate services, and promote an integrated approach to knowledge. This should include awareness raising – in particular for the most vulnerable sectors and parts of the population – while leveraging the opportunities offered by the digital revolution to improve accessibility and impact. Co-design, co-development, and demonstration with end-users should be an integral part of the activities to increase uptake of the outcomes.
The action should organise joint calls and allow sufficient time for the implementation of the co-funded projects. The estimated duration of the action in order to achieve the establishment of the long term, sustainable collaboration is 5-6 years.
As a horizontal requirement, the action should promote collaborations between government, research and academia, private sector, and civil society, including for the sake of valorisation of results from the funded and other relevant activities. It should also prioritise capacity building among African scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders, including development of skills and researcher exchange.
Proposals should specifically consider elements within the FSTP scheme to ensure geographical balance and inclusiveness of a broad range of EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, but especially widest possible representation of different African Union member states.
Beyond implementing transnational calls, the action should also design and carry out an ambitious programme of coordination and clustering activities to seek synergies, align efforts, exchange results, and organise joint activities with other relevant Horizon Europe, and other EU, national and multilateral initiatives[5]. It should provide support to the operation of the CCSE partnership and promoting its activities on international stage to increase the visibility of EU science diplomacy actions in Africa for climate-resilient development.
It is recommended that the action draws on the experience and lessons learnt from the implementation of the energy pillar of the CCSE Partnership[6].
[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/europe-world/international-cooperation/regional-dialogues-and-international-organisations/eu-africa-cooperation/partnership-climate-change-and-sustainable-energy-ccse_en
[2] Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience - Africa | Capacity4dev
[3] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en
[4] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/bb5227b4-5573-4078-bf70-2b668f8a573e_en?filename=ccse_roadmap_2017.pdf
[5] Such as PRIMA, FNSSA, CS4RRA, ClimSA, Regional Centers of Excellence related to the green transition, or climate related components of the Africa-EU Space Programme
[6] https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/963530 and https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101172838
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- Research org, Public body, Other
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 1 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- —
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Required
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Africa-EU climate research
- Climate adaptation
- Research funding coordination
- Disaster risk reduction
- Climate resilience
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Consortium required
- No
The topic exceptionally makes legal entities established in all African Union member states eligible for Union funding. It does not state a minimum consortium size. The CoFund application may be submitted by one or more legal entities, with at least one established in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Separately, at least 30% of beneficiaries must be established in African Union member states.
- Eligible geography
- Legal entities established in all African Union member states are exceptionally eligible for Union funding; at least 30% of beneficiaries must be established in AU member states.
“African Union member states” includes countries whose membership has been temporarily suspended, as stated in the call footnote.
- Other condition
- Programme Co-fund Action.
- Other condition
- If a project uses satellite-based Earth observation, positioning/navigation or related timing data/services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other sources may also be used.
- Other condition
- The topic does not state a lump-sum exception in its specific conditions; standard Grant Agreement and General Annex G conditions govern the grant form and eligible actual costs. The final form and amounts are set in the signed grant agreement.
No distinct actual payroll entitlement or salary level is published by the topic.
- Other condition
- The overview expects around 1 project(s) to be funded under this topic. This is an indicative planning number, not a guaranteed award count or consortium-size condition.
Scope is funded projects under this topic; not beneficiaries, consortium members, or award entitlement.
- Other condition
- The action should implement the Climate Action Pillar of the EU-AU CCSE Partnership, based on its roadmap and prior coordination priorities, and deliver joint EU-AU collaboration.
- Other condition
- The action should organise joint calls and allow sufficient time for implementation of the co-funded projects.
- Other condition
- The FSTP scheme should consider geographic balance and broad representation of EU Member States and Associated Countries, especially African Union member states; coordination and clustering are also required in the action design.
- Expected project duration, maximum
- 72 month
The 6-year endpoint is part of an estimated action duration, not a binding maximum.
- Expected project duration, minimum
- 60 month
The call estimates 5–6 years for establishing sustainable collaboration; this is an estimated duration, not a minimum eligibility condition.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €15,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Funding per beneficiary, maximum
- €500,000
FSTP is optional: beneficiaries may provide it to third parties in the form of grants. When FSTP is provided, it is one of the action’s primary activities to achieve its objectives. EUR 500,000 is the maximum amount to each third-party recipient under this action; a higher recipient maximum is allowed only if objectives would otherwise be impossible or overly difficult and the proposal duly justifies it. The source does not state a separate cap per grant.
- Eligible cost
- Natural persons under direct contract and third-party seconded persons may qualify as personnel only if assigned to the action and working under employee-like conditions, the work result belongs to the beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and the rate reflects costs actually incurred without significant difference from comparable employees. The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement.
- Eligible cost
- Employee personnel costs may be included only for people employed by the beneficiary (or equivalent appointing act), assigned to the action, meeting all general eligibility conditions, and calculated under the grant rules. The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement.
- Eligible cost
- Unpaid SME owners and natural-person beneficiaries may claim personnel costs only under the applicable Annex 2a unit-cost method and the general eligibility conditions. The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement.
- Eligible cost
- Subcontracting estimates/costs and purchase costs are governed by the relevant grant form. Under actual-cost rules, subcontracting must meet general eligibility and usual purchasing practices ensuring best value for money (or lowest price) and no conflict of interest. The signed grant agreement fixes the final permitted categories and amounts.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 50 percent of eligible costs
The topic fixes an up-to-50% rate within the General Annex 30–70% CoFund range; this is a ceiling, not a guaranteed rate.
- Expected contribution per project
- €15,000,000
Commission estimate of EU contribution per project. Different requested amounts are not precluded; this is indicative, not a floor, cap or guarantee.
- Topic allocation
- €15,000,000
Indicative topic allocation; separate from per-project EU contribution and not an individual award or grant cap.
Personnel and services
General eligible personnel cost category only; not a call-promised hire.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement. The person must be assigned to the action, work under employee-like conditions, the work result must belong to the beneficiary unless otherwise agreed, and costs must correspond to actual costs without significant difference from comparable employees.
General cost category permitted by applicable MGA rules; no specific job or hire asserted.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement. Eligible only when assigned to the action and all MGA Article 6 conditions are met.
Conditional cost category, not an advertised role.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
The Grant Agreement may allow this personnel cost category when every Article 6 condition is met; the call does not promise a position, headcount, salary level or individual wage entitlement. Costs must follow the Annex 2a unit-cost method and general eligibility conditions; no call-specific hire or salary is stated.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 17 Nov 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL5-2027-01 · CLIMATE
- Types of action
- HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 24 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 7 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.