PREVIEW FOR LIAA REVIEW — based on a draft work programme. Publish externally only after internal approval and final verification.
Horizon Europe · Bridging Actions 2027

Five opportunities Latvian businesses should watch.

From hiring research talent to commercialising Horizon results and accessing world-class research infrastructure, these draft 2027 opportunities could help ambitious companies move faster from innovation to market.

Interested in one of these opportunities? Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv
Selected for business relevance

Where could your company fit?

The page includes only draft Bridging Action topics where more than one project is indicatively expected to be funded. Final eligibility, budgets and dates must be checked against the official call once published.

01
Best fit: innovative SMEs

Skills Bridging Action

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-05-01
130indicative projects
Draft opening20 October 2026
Draft deadline16 February 2027 · 17:00 Brussels
Budget€30m total
Indicative support€150k–€300k per project

What is it?

A direct opportunity for innovative SMEs facing a genuine skills shortage. The action is designed to help a company recruit a highly skilled research associate from abroad for 12–24 months and build the person’s industrial innovation and business-management skills.

What should your business do now?

Identify a concrete innovation idea and the specialist skills you cannot find in Latvia. Prepare evidence of the skills gap, define the role you need to recruit for, and outline a 12–24 month employment and training plan. In the current draft, an eligible SME applies as a mono-beneficiary.

Why it may matter

A practical route for SMEs that need research talent to unlock the next stage of an innovation project.

Interested? Contact Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv and mention the call code above.
View the European Commission source document
02
Best fit: companies with Horizon results

Valorising Horizon project results via innovation ecosystems

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-02-02
5indicative projects
Draft opening20 October 2026
Draft deadline28 January 2027 · 17:00 Brussels
Budget€20m total
Indicative support€2.5m–€4m per main project

What is it?

Designed to move promising Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe results closer to market. Funded ecosystem projects are expected to scout promising results, run competitive calls and support prototyping, testing, demonstration, product validation and market replication.

What should your business do now?

Check whether your company owns or can exploit results from an eligible Horizon project. Be ready to explain the IP position, target customer, use case, validation gap and commercialisation path. The draft allows cascade grants of up to €150,000 per selected third party.

Why it may matter

Relevant if you already have a strong research result but still need validation, market proof or commercialisation support.

Interested? Contact Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv and mention the call code above.
View the European Commission source document
03
Best fit: owners of Horizon Europe Pillar II results

Advancing promising Pillar II results through the innovation journey

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-02-05
13indicative projects
Draft opening20 October 2026
Draft deadline28 January 2027 · 17:00 Brussels
Budget€32.5m total
Indicative supportUp to ~€2.5m per project

What is it?

Supports promising Horizon Europe Pillar II results that are ready to move beyond the laboratory. The focus is on prototyping, testing, demonstration, piloting, large-scale validation, market replication and a credible route toward deployment.

What should your business do now?

Confirm that you own or have legitimate access to the underlying knowledge or IP. Define what is still missing before market uptake — for example industrial validation, end-user testing, manufacturing readiness, regulatory work, commercialisation or investment — and identify the right consortium partners.

Why it may matter

A strong opportunity when valuable EU-funded R&I already exists and the remaining challenge is getting it into real use.

Interested? Contact Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv and mention the call code above.
View the European Commission source document
04
Best fit: SMEs, startups and scaleups needing advanced R&I infrastructure

Access to research infrastructure services for industry needs

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-03-06
3indicative projects
Draft opening9 March 2027
Draft deadline15 June 2027 · 17:00 Brussels
Budget€15m total
Indicative supportAround €5m per project

What is it?

Aims to improve industry access to advanced European research-infrastructure services. Priority areas include biomedical technologies, clean energy and mobility, advanced materials, microelectronics, advanced sensing and other infrastructure-intensive R&I.

What should your business do now?

Identify the specific facility, instrument, dataset, testing capability or specialist research service your company needs. Define how that access would advance your product or technology, then look for a role as an industrial user, pilot partner or consortium participant with the relevant European infrastructure.

Why it may matter

Useful when your bottleneck is access to sophisticated facilities, testing or scientific capabilities rather than only cash.

Interested? Contact Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv and mention the call code above.
View the European Commission source document
05
Best fit: R&D-intensive companies partnering with research infrastructures

Research infrastructures as strategic assets for talent

HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-03-07
5indicative projects
Draft opening9 March 2027
Draft deadline15 June 2027 · 17:00 Brussels
Budget€7.5m total
Indicative supportAround €1.5m per project

What is it?

Uses Europe’s research and technology infrastructures to attract global scientific talent, build international scientific networks and strengthen training, mobility and collaboration.

What should your business do now?

For businesses, the strongest route is usually as a partner rather than as a standalone applicant. Consider whether you can contribute as an industrial research partner, technology provider, training host or innovation user, and approach relevant universities or European research infrastructures with a concrete role.

Why it may matter

Most relevant to R&D-intensive companies that want deeper links with European research infrastructure and international talent.

Interested? Contact Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv and mention the call code above.
View the European Commission source document
Source

European Commission draft document

The opportunity details on this page are based on the European Commission Comitology Register document D114172/03 (Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027, Annex XIV – Horizontal Activities).

Open European Commission source document  ·  EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Not sure which route fits your company?

Tell me what you are developing, what stage you are at and what kind of support or partners you need. I can help you identify the most relevant opportunity and the next practical step.

Nauris Gabranovs · LIAA Brussels · Nauris.Gabranovs@liaa.gov.lv