Nuclear research and training

Home Funding Calls for proposals Safety of SMRs, advanced and innovative nuclear reactors and fuels Safety of SMRs, advanced and innovative nuclear reactors and fuels HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-02 Topic Call for proposal Internal navigation General information Topic description Topic updates Conditions and documents Budget overview Partner search announcements Start submission Topic Q&As Get support General information Programme Euratom Research and Training Programme (EURATOM) Call Nuclear research and training (HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01) Type of action EURATOM-IA EURATOM Innovation Actions Type of MGA EURATOM Action Grant Budget-Based [EURATOM-AG] Open For Submission Deadline model single-stage Opening date 23 April 2026 Deadline date 15 September 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time Topic description Expected Outcome: the project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes: research into safety of innovative reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs) – both light water SMRs (LW-SMRs) and Gen-IV-based advanced modular reactors (AMRs); design or demonstration of SMRs and fuel cycles’ viability; and efficient integration within low-carbon and smart energy systems; research support towards a shared and consistent approach among regulators’ TSOs to safety requirements for different advanced energy systems and applications (e.g. industrial heat, district heat and the maritime sector), supported by regular exchanges and reviews and workshops with licensees, SMR developers, and research organisations, thereby further improving safety across the EU; emphasis on innovation in the safety aspects of LW-SMRs and AMRs; establishment of operating rules for specific services for innovative reactors, incorporating emerging instrumentation and digital technologies that offer potential improvements for in-service operation; research into fuel cycles (including their key features: inherently safe design, generation of less high-level waste and improved use of resources), potentially enabling interested Member States to contribute to the energy transition (according to and respecting the EU’s technology neutrality principle) and thus increase Member States’ and EU energy security. Scope: the Commission expects from this Topic a balanced portfolio of projects covering both LW-SMRs and AMRs with their fuel cycles. The focus on safety will also cover research and innovation needed to independently demonstrate the safety of innovative systems, critical structures for both LW-SMRs and AMRs with their fuel cycles. Developers’ goals are systems that offer increased safety, sustainability, economic competitiveness, and also enhance fuel efficiency, minimise waste generation, foresee non-electric applications and flexibility in terms of adaptation to the energy mix with intermittent/variable sources. These innovative reactor technologies aim at including safety-by-design features. Research should also be conducted on the safety of advanced coolant technologies, reactor hybridisation and fuel designs. Research proposals should do several of the following: keep the focus on safety-security-safeguards-by-design (3S by Design) facilitating regulators’ TSOs awareness of innovative reactor concepts that could be integrated into hybrid energy systems; investigate SMRs’ high degree of passive safety in respect to possible safety assessment harmonization of regulatory aspects; address pre-normative R&D challenges for selected SMRs, seeking cross-cutting benefits and possibly including the use of modern digital solutions; cover the viability phase of innovative technologies when basic concepts are tested under safe-relevant conditions. Examples would include assessment of proof of concept of better safety features and safety improvements; further investigate and experimentally validate the safety aspects of selected SMRs. Examples would include water natural circulation, two-phase flow, the use of non-water coolants, severe accidents, fluid-material interaction, thermal-hydraulic-neutronic coupling, design optimisation, higher operational temperatures (this is also related to the option of industrial process heat production and high-temperature H2 generation), maritime applications. The purpose would be to assess their potential to enhance specific safety subjects related to internal and external hazards (e.g. fires and explosions phenomena), radioactive waste management (waste minimisation ‘by design’, decommissioning ‘by design’), emergency preparedness and response, human and environmental impacts, safeguards, social perception and the effects on the long-term sustainability of fuel cycles; establish appropriate coordination with relevant initiatives within the following partnerships: EURAD-2 (radioactive waste), PIANOFORTE (radiation protection) and CONNECT-NM (materials). appropriate coordination should also be established in order to incorporate the perspective(s) of relevant research institution(s) in Member States that are actively planning to deploy SMRs in Euratom Members States and Associated Countries; further investigate the nuclear safety aspects of operational flexibility in an integrated energy system (for example, by design and safety demonstration aspects in combination with intermediate heat storage facilities or other means); further investigate SMRs, fuel cycles and the SMR-specific focus on modularity advantages for example, from a) factory fabrication, transportability and scalability; to b) safety case development for multi-module sites and/or underground siting; and c) focus on safety-by-design and regulatory readiness and; d) integrated energy systems. Where relevant, proposed action should ensure complementarities with the recently launched grant scheme in support of competent national regulatory authorities in coordinated approaches to new regulatory challenges in nuclear safety.[1] Where appropriate, the Commission recommends that consortia should use the JRC’s services. The JRC may participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. It would bear the operational costs for its own staff and research infrastructure operational costs. The JRC’s facilities and expertise are listed in General Annex H to this work programme. [1] Granted under decision C(2024)8345 published on https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/funding-and-financing/financing-decisions_en Show more Topic updates 07 May 2026 The submission session is currently AVAILABLE for all topics from this call: HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-01, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-02, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-03, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-04, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-05, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-06, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-08, HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-09 Show more Topic conditions and documents Conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, A - Admissibility Proposal page limits and layout: layout described in Part B of the Application Form. For RIA & IA using lump sum the page limit of Part B is 45 pages. 2. Eligible Countries Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, B - Eligibility. See the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe (including Euratom) for up-to-date information on the current list of and the position for Associated Countries. Please note that as of the date of the publication of this call, Ukraine and Switzerland are the only countries associated to the Euratom Programme, therefore eligible for funding. 3. Other Eligible Conditions The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding. Other eligible conditions are described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, B - Eligibility. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, C — Financial and operational capacity and exclusion. 5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, E — Documents and F — Procedure; and the Online Manual. 5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, D — Award criteria. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement Described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, F — Procedure. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]]. General legal and financial set-up described in General Annexes to the Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027, General Conditions, G — Legal and financial set-up of the grant agreements. Euratom WP 2026-2027 Euratom Work Programme 2026-2027 for nuclear research and training Call document and annexes: Application form templates Standard application form (HE RIA IA) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Evaluation forms Standard evaluation form (HE RIA IA) — will be used with the necessary adaptations Model Grant Agreements (MGA) Horizon Europe MGA Lump Sum MGA Call-specific instructions Detailed budget table (HE LS) Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" Information on financial support to third parties (HE) Additional documents: Euratom Research & Training Programme 2026-2027 (Council Regulation 2025/1304) EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement Show more Budget overview Topic Budget year : 2027 Budget year : 2026 Stages Opening date Deadline Contributions Indicative number of grants HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-01 - EURATOM-RIA EURATOM Research and Innovation Actions 8 000 000,00 € 7 000 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 3 000 000,00 € 5 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-02 - EURATOM-IA EURATOM Innovation Actions 8 500 000,00 € 6 500 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 3 000 000,00 € 5 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-03 - EURATOM-CSA EURATOM Coordination and Support Actions 2 500 000,00 € 2 500 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 5 000 000,00 € 1 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-04 - EURATOM-CSA EURATOM Coordination and Support Actions 3 500 000,00 € 3 500 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 7 000 000,00 € 1 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-05 - EURATOM-IA EURATOM Innovation Actions 1 000 000,00 € 1 000 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 2 000 000,00 € 1 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-06 - EURATOM-CSA EURATOM Coordination and Support Actions 250 000,00 € 250 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around 500 000,00 € 1 HORIZON-EURATOM-2026-01-08 - EURATOM-COFUND EURATOM Cofund Actions 7 500 000,00 € 7 500 000,00 € Single-stage 23 April 2026 15 September 2026 around…