From bureaucracy to AI: why access to Horizon Europe is getting harder, not easier
Horizon Europe (HEU), the EU’s flagship programme for Research & Innovation, has made significant improvements over past Framework Programmes in terms of simplification and socio-economic impact, but businesses (particularly SMEs) and researchers still struggle to access and fully benefit from HEU opportunities. Administrative complexity, inconsistent evaluation procedures, intensified competition, and limited financial attractiveness continue to hinder participation and impact.
To these long-standing challenges, we can now add the widespread use of generative AI in proposal development, which complicates the assessment of proposal quality and applicants’ actual capacity to deliver. Improving access to the programme requires a holistic approach: one that simplifies application processes, improves evaluation fairness, strengthens international cooperation, and increases the strategic appeal and relevance of the programme.
As excellent proposals are rejected, strengthening procedural fairness is crucial
As HEU applicants face increased competition, evaluation procedures must evolve to ensure procedural fairness. Currently, even ‘Excellent’ proposals can be rejected due to misinterpretations or subjective judgments, with no opportunity for rebuttal. Introducing a structured negotiation or clarification phase where applicants can respond to evaluators’ concerns would enhance fairness, improve funding outcomes, and ensure that high-potential projects are not lost due to avoidable misreading.
In addition, HEU’s often-used two-stage application process means that only a limited number of applicants are taking the full cost and effort of developing full applications/proposals, but in fast-moving technological fields, non-prescriptive one-stage calls and faster time-to-grant procedures are still crucial, as technologies evolve quickly. This approach aligns with recommendations in the Heitor report and offers a way to capture emerging, fast-moving opportunities.
The growing use of generative artificial intelligence in proposal writing further complicates evaluation. It has become more difficult for evaluators to accurately assess merit, feasibility, and the applicant’s actual capacity to execute the proposed work. In this context, interviews could be introduced as a critical tool for restoring fairness, trust, and authenticity. They would allow evaluators to assess the depth of expertise and the capacity of the applicant to deliver the described work, while filtering cases where AI-generated content may overstate expected impacts.
SMEs face rising barriers despite Horizon Europe’s ambitions
Improving access to HEU for companies goes beyond simply facilitating entry. It requires strengthening their financial capacity, providing tailored support mechanisms, and clearly demonstrating long-term benefits and return on investment. Increased visibility of impact and strategic alignment can make participation more attractive for businesses of all sizes.
In particular, SMEs face disproportionate barriers due to resource constraints. Introducing SME-dedicated funding streams with simplified application processes and faster disbursement mechanisms would significantly boost participation. Furthermore, expanding innovation cluster models, such as Built4People, to co-funded partnerships would create more supportive ecosystems for SMEs.
Fragmented national rules undermine global collaboration
Certain co-funded partnerships remain difficult to navigate due to complex and divergent national regulations. Multiple funding programs currently coexist, often managed in collaboration with national authorities, yet many calls remain under-explored due to limited dissemination and divergent regulations between participating countries. Greater harmonisation and flexibility of rules would reduce administrative confusion and create a more level playing field for participants.
Furthermore, simplifying the application process for international partnerships with non-EU countries (for example, when co-funding mechanisms with third countries are used) would foster global collaboration. This would make it easier for international researchers to engage with European innovation initiatives and amplify the global impact of Horizon Europe.
Finally, the “Seal of Excellence” could also be better leveraged through automatic alignment with National or Regional funding, namely Operational Programmes or other funding opportunities, ensuring that strong but unfunded proposals still receive support. Further, beyond the Seal of Excellence, the new Framework Programme should include a provision that excellent proposals could receive funding by the National or Regional programmes, but following the rules of the original programme, i.e. Horizon Europe or FP10.
Tackling societal challenges requires accessibility and clear evaluation rules in Horizon Europe
While the proposals for the next framework programme show promise, there is still much to improve if Europe wants HEU to remain a genuinely accessible, competitive and transformative programme. Simplification must focus not only on application, but also evaluation, with faster and more open decisions, stronger support for SMEs and rules that enable international collaboration. At the same time, the use of AI demands evaluators to be more transparent and have more contact with proposal writers. If Europe is serious about tackling societal challenges and boosting economic competitiveness, it must ensure that the best ideas are not excluded due to a lack of accessibility or unclear evaluation rules on AI use.
Written by the Greenovate! Europe Secretariat based on the opinions of its members.
This article is part of a Special Issue of The Greenovator! from February 2026. You can see the whole newsletter, including our members’ articles on HEU evaluation, here.