Imperial launches Horizon Europe Connect Fund to boost grant proposals

Imperial has launched a new fund to help scientists win more major Horizon Europe grants.

The Horizon Europe Connect Fund will bolster support for Imperial’s academics to apply for and win grants from the prestigious funding programme.

"This fund will support our scientists to explore exciting new partnerships, develop their ideas, and establish the foundations for the next big scientific discoveries." Professor Mary Ryan Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)

Horizon Europe is the world’s biggest research and innovation funding programme and its current grant scheme runs until 2027. Imperial is one of the UK’s top recipients of Horizon Europe funding and was the 8th most successful higher education institution across Europe in its predecessor, Horizon 2020.

The Fund aims to support the development of high-quality proposals to Horizon Europe, help identify potential European partners for joint projects and support early career researchers to build and expand their European networks for future proposals.

Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) Professor Mary Ryan said: “Some of the most significant scientific research projects are taking place through the collaborative programmes enabled by Horizon Europe.

"In the next few years, our researchers have the opportunity to benefit from some of the programme's enormous benefits  - and for those starting their careers a chance to expand their European networks.

"This fund will support our scientists to explore exciting new partnerships, develop their ideas, and establish the foundations for the next big scientific discoveries."

The awards, worth up to £10,000, can be used to support visits to and from potential collaborators, capability-mapping with the aim of targeting Horizon Europe programmes, and networking and workshops to foster new links or strengthen existing European collaborations. Up to half of the funding through the new programme will support early career researchers.

The call is open to all three pillars of Horizon Europe – excellent science (Pillar 1), global challenges and industrial competitiveness (Pillar 2), and innovative Europe (Pillar 3).

Find out more and apply for the fund

Horizon Europe

The UK is now fully associated to Horizon Europe and Imperial research can participate in and lead projects across the programme.

Imperial was recently awarded major funding for projects in climate and weather, carbon capture and Alzheimer’s healthcare.

To find out more about opportunities in Horizon Europe, please get in touch with the Research Office and the Enterprise Research Impact Management Office.