The preliminary version of the Horizon Europe 2025 Cluster 4 work programme (Digital, Industry and Space) is available. LECLERCQ & PARTNERS analysed it for you!
Behind the technical titles and the massive calls for projects, we can see the European Union’s major strategic intentions for the years to come: technological sovereignty, sustainable industrial recovery, responsible artificial intelligence, circularity of materials, independence in space.
What follows is an in-depth, field-oriented reading of this programme.
Behind the sometimes cryptic language, real opportunities are emerging for businesses and research centres.
1. A programme at the heart of transitions: green, digital… and geopolitical
Since 2020, the European Union has been reviewing its priorities to strengthen its technological sovereignty in the face of an unstable world. Health crises, geopolitical tensions, war in Ukraine, shortages of electronic components: Europe is becoming aware of its strategic vulnerability and is speeding up the implementation of an ‘open sovereignty’ strategy. This aims to secure critical value chains while remaining connected to international trade.
This 2025 programme is fully in line with this dynamic by supporting key sectors of European innovation: advanced manufacturing, net-zero technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics and innovative materials. It also covers sensitive issues such as space autonomy, critical raw materials and generative AI.
2. Circular and net-zero industry: remanufacturing, upcycling and digital twins
The ‘TWIN TRANSITION’ pillar (green and digital transition) is at the heart of Cluster 4. The calls for projects launched here are clearly aimed at transforming traditional industrial models towards circular, low-carbon and intelligent systems.
Among the most structuring calls:
- HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-01: The aim is to double the volume of remanufactured components in Europe by 2030. The focus is on the industrial integration of de-manufacturing processes, traceability via AI, and the intelligent re-use of components.
- Appels “Processes4Planet”: These calls target the most energy-intensive industries (steel, chemicals, cement, etc.) to accelerate the integration of renewable energy and carbon capture technologies.
What is striking is the explicit desire to link innovation to economic issues: business model, industrialisation strategy, data integration, skills training, development of intangible assets – all levers that should not be underestimated in responses to calls for tender.
3. Artificial intelligence: from buzzword to European structure
AI, and even more so generative AI, has a prominent place in this programme. In contrast to the Anglo-Saxon approach, which is often dominated by cloud giants, Europe is betting on AI “useful, responsible, interoperable and sovereign”.
Highlights include:
- Foundation models for science, to optimise research in key areas such as climatology, health and materials.
- GenAI4EU” calls aimed at building a European generative AI ecosystem, serving industrial companies, administrations and citizens.
- A focus on the standardisation, safety and explicability of AI: we’re well beyond simple proofs of concept here.
What does this entail? Projects with a high degree of integration between hard sciences, human sciences, digital law and players in the field. It’s a paradigm shift that companies need to anticipate today.
4. Critical materials, local textiles and industrial sovereignty
The programme also devotes a large part to materials, in the broadest sense: rare metals, advanced polymers and intelligent textiles. Here again, two visions are combined: relocation and sustainability.
Some calls directed to :
- Advanced recycling of critical raw materials from end-of-life products
- Development of local, digital and sustainable textile value chains (with a nod to industrial relocation)
The emphasis is on :
- European cooperation (co-funded partnerships),
- standardisation (CSA), and
- environmental risk assessment throughout the life cycle (LCA, SSbD)
You need expert reading to position your proposal properly and choose your partners.
5. Space, quantum, virtual worlds: betting on the future
Lastly, the programme includes a significant number of ground-breaking topics:
- Independent access to space, via critical components (microprocessors, solar cells, atomic clocks)
- Quantum technologies, with follow-on investments in flagship and agnostic software stacks
- Web 4.0 and virtual worlds, where Europe wants to build open, interoperable, sovereign environments as an alternative to the dominant closed platforms.
These issues may seem far removed from the immediate concerns of industrial SMEs. But they herald the infrastructures and platforms of tomorrow. Taking an interest in them today means anticipating future conditions of competitiveness.
Conclusion: anticipate, target, structure
With a combined budget of over €1 billion for this cluster alone, Horizon Europe 2025 promises to be a major lever for accelerating innovation projects.
But beware: the technical nature of the programme and the competition from consortia require a strategic vision, rigorous targeting and expert support.
At LECLERCQ & PARTNERS, we help innovative entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to decipher, structure and secure their access to European funding. Because Europe is ready to invest in innovation, provided you speak its language.
📩 Want to discuss or explore an opportunity together? Contact us or book a 30-minute Teams meeting.