FORTHCOMING HORIZON EUROPE CALL | Africa-EU CO-FUND Action on Climate

Strengthening Africa-EU Climate Research Through Long-Term Co-Funded Partnerships

The European Commission has announced a forthcoming Horizon Europe Programme Cofund Action to strengthen long-term climate research and innovation collaboration between Africa and Europe.

The Africa-EU CO-FUND Action on Climate will establish and support joint research and innovation activities under the EU-African Union Research and Innovation Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE).

Rather than funding individual research projects, this call aims to establish a long-term collaborative funding mechanism that enables European and African partners to jointly address climate resilience, adaptation, climate risk reduction and sustainable development across the African continent.

The programme supports collaborative research that strengthens scientific excellence, informs evidence-based policymaking and improves climate resilience while contributing to international commitments such as the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change.

What the Programme Seeks to Achieve

Successful projects are expected to contribute towards:

• Long-term Africa-EU climate research collaboration
• Joint climate research funding programmes
• Climate adaptation and resilience
• Climate risk reduction
• Climate services and climate information systems
• Improved climate data collection and sharing
• Science-based climate policy development
• Capacity building for African researchers
• Researcher mobility and knowledge exchange
• Increased African participation in international climate science initiatives

Priority Areas

The programme encourages projects addressing:

• Climate adaptation
• Climate resilience
• Climate risk management
• Climate services
• Climate modelling
• Climate observations
• Digital climate information systems
• Disaster risk reduction
• Capacity development
• Climate policy
• Climate governance
• Sustainable development

Who Should Apply?

As a Horizon Europe Programme Cofund Action, proposals should be submitted by large international consortia capable of managing collaborative funding programmes and long-term research partnerships.

Competitive consortia are expected to include partners such as:

• National research funding agencies
• Government departments
• Universities
• Research institutions
• Climate research centres
• National meteorological agencies
• Innovation agencies
• Civil society organisations
• International organisations
• Development organisations
• Private sector innovation partners
• Climate policy organisations

The European Commission specifically encourages collaboration across the public sector, academia, industry and civil society to maximise the impact and uptake of research outcomes.

Geographic Participation

This opportunity is designed to strengthen collaboration between European and African partners.

Participation is expected from organisations established in:

European Union Member States

Including all 27 EU Member States.

Horizon Europe Associated Countries

Including countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Israel, Iceland, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Tunisia and Egypt, in accordance with Horizon Europe participation rules.

African Union Member States

The European Commission places particular emphasis on achieving the widest possible representation of African Union Member States. African participation is therefore expected across all regions of the continent, including organisations from countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Botswana, Namibia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Malawi, Madagascar and other AU Member States.

Projects are expected to demonstrate balanced collaboration between European and African partners while strengthening African scientific leadership and research capacity.

Important Information

Programme
Horizon Europe (HORIZON)

Call
Climate (HORIZON-CL5-2027-01)

Topic
Africa-EU CO-FUND Action on Climate

Type of Action
Horizon Europe Programme Cofund Action

Status
Forthcoming

Call Opens
17 November 2026

Application Deadline
4 March 2027 (17:00 Brussels Time)

Click HERE to visit the official website.