European UnionNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Community Centres of Excellence
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COE-LH-01-01
Funding Amount
€2.0M - €4.0M
Deadline
20/01/2026
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the Community Centres of Excellence Call?
Grant Description
This call seeks Community Centres of Excellence to advance high-performance computing and artificial intelligence applications by developing, scaling, and optimizing software codes towards exascale and post-exascale performance. It addresses the need for performant, scalable, energy-efficient applications to solve scientific, industrial, and societal challenges, enhancing the European HPC ecosystem through co-design, community engagement, training, and collaboration with HPC infrastructure provi...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Funded Community CoEs will:
• Demonstrate scientific and technical excellence and deliver tangible impact on the wider European HPC community (academia and industry).
• Provide a clear strategy for advancing key application codes from current performance, scalability and portability levels to Exascale or post-Exascale/AI-optimized maturity, with quantified community benefits.
• Enhance application performance, resilience and energy efficiency through co-design with hardware/software providers and by tackling frontier HPC/AI challenges.
• Strengthen European HPC ecosystems by federating resources, fostering multidisciplinary collaborations and integrating under-represented user communities.
• Maximize uptake through co-ordinated training, capacity building and by establishing strong links with transversal CoEs, Lighthouse Codes, AI Factories, national programmes and the Support Centre for HPC-powered AI Applications.
• Ensure user-focused, inclusive support enabling new communities to leverage HPC/AI infrastructures and deliver solutions to major scientific, industrial or societal challenges.
• Demonstrate scientific and technical excellence and deliver tangible impact on the wider European HPC community (academia and industry).
• Provide a clear strategy for advancing key application codes from current performance, scalability and portability levels to Exascale or post-Exascale/AI-optimized maturity, with quantified community benefits.
• Enhance application performance, resilience and energy efficiency through co-design with hardware/software providers and by tackling frontier HPC/AI challenges.
• Strengthen European HPC ecosystems by federating resources, fostering multidisciplinary collaborations and integrating under-represented user communities.
• Maximize uptake through co-ordinated training, capacity building and by establishing strong links with transversal CoEs, Lighthouse Codes, AI Factories, national programmes and the Support Centre for HPC-powered AI Applications.
• Ensure user-focused, inclusive support enabling new communities to leverage HPC/AI infrastructures and deliver solutions to major scientific, industrial or societal challenges.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Projects must:
• Build on/complement HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2023-COE-03-01 and COE-01-01, and where relevant associate with COE-LH-01-02 and COE-LH-01-03.
• Develop HPC-ready applications with clear objectives, a roadmap to exascale/post-exascale maturity, and quantitative KPIs, milestones and deliverables demonstrating European added value.
• Adopt a user-driven approach, targeting European users beyond the consortium, including under-represented and widening countries, and articulate performance requirements in support of major scientific or industrial challenges (e.g., fusion energy, cancer research, battery storage, AI-driven cybersecurity).
• Commit to co-design activities with relevant transversal CoEs and hardware/software vendors to ensure future HPC architectures meet application and user needs.
• Federate existing European resources and competences, ensure multidisciplinary expertise (application domains, HPC systems, software, algorithms), and create synergies with national/regional programmes.
• Demonstrate how the proposal goes beyond existing CoEs (new/ upgraded codes, new user communities) and avoids duplication or overlap.
• Build on/complement HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2023-COE-03-01 and COE-01-01, and where relevant associate with COE-LH-01-02 and COE-LH-01-03.
• Develop HPC-ready applications with clear objectives, a roadmap to exascale/post-exascale maturity, and quantitative KPIs, milestones and deliverables demonstrating European added value.
• Adopt a user-driven approach, targeting European users beyond the consortium, including under-represented and widening countries, and articulate performance requirements in support of major scientific or industrial challenges (e.g., fusion energy, cancer research, battery storage, AI-driven cybersecurity).
• Commit to co-design activities with relevant transversal CoEs and hardware/software vendors to ensure future HPC architectures meet application and user needs.
• Federate existing European resources and competences, ensure multidisciplinary expertise (application domains, HPC systems, software, algorithms), and create synergies with national/regional programmes.
• Demonstrate how the proposal goes beyond existing CoEs (new/ upgraded codes, new user communities) and avoids duplication or overlap.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
Admissibility & Eligibility:
• Max 70 pages (Part B layout per Annex A/E of General Annexes).
• Participation restricted to legal entities in eligible countries (Annex B), including specific third-country provisions; must meet financial/operational capacity (Annex C).
Security & Autonomy:
• Applications target flagship HPC codes integral to EU critical infrastructure; projects must safeguard integrity, resilience and security (cyber-attack protection) and avoid technological dependency.
• May address real-time critical/emergency applications (e.g., disaster forecasting).
Evaluation & Funding:
• Award criteria, scoring, thresholds (Annex D); submission and evaluation process, timeline (Annex F).
• EU funding rate up to 50% (EuroHPC JU exception to Annex G).
Open Science & Dissemination:
• Coordinated provision of software, algorithms and validation materials without undue delay; deliver data management plan, communication plan, dissemination & exploitation plan at specified intervals.
• Joint dissemination of training activities with related grants and CSAs.
Grant Setup:
• Subject to EuroHPC JU Decision No 19/2025; use specific application/evaluation templates and Model Grant Agreement HE-RIA [HORIZON-JU-RIA].
• Max 70 pages (Part B layout per Annex A/E of General Annexes).
• Participation restricted to legal entities in eligible countries (Annex B), including specific third-country provisions; must meet financial/operational capacity (Annex C).
Security & Autonomy:
• Applications target flagship HPC codes integral to EU critical infrastructure; projects must safeguard integrity, resilience and security (cyber-attack protection) and avoid technological dependency.
• May address real-time critical/emergency applications (e.g., disaster forecasting).
Evaluation & Funding:
• Award criteria, scoring, thresholds (Annex D); submission and evaluation process, timeline (Annex F).
• EU funding rate up to 50% (EuroHPC JU exception to Annex G).
Open Science & Dissemination:
• Coordinated provision of software, algorithms and validation materials without undue delay; deliver data management plan, communication plan, dissemination & exploitation plan at specified intervals.
• Joint dissemination of training activities with related grants and CSAs.
Grant Setup:
• Subject to EuroHPC JU Decision No 19/2025; use specific application/evaluation templates and Model Grant Agreement HE-RIA [HORIZON-JU-RIA].
Important dates
Open from: 10/06/2025
Deadline:20/01/2026
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