The European Commission intends to cancel or postpone 5 2024 call topics under Cluster 4. The reason behind these changes is a huge Work Plan update that aims at putting Europe on the global map again in the field of AI (e.g. LLM), or to broaden the scope of the calls and their respective topics (e.g. both 2-dimensional and advanced materials).
Please note that these proposed amendments are still pending adoption by the European Commission and the situation will like remain unclear until the beginning of 2024. The new calls and topics will only be published when an amendment to the Work Programme has been adopted by the European Commission. This is expected to happen in early February 2024.
Only the adopted work programme will have legal value.
Affected call topics
For the first call topic, the Commission is considering a new topic in a new call with a broader scope that would support the coordination of national and regional initiatives for both two-dimensional and advanced materials.
- A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies – HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-01 (opening date 15 November 2023)
The Commission intends to cancel or postpone the following 3 topics included in this call:
- Explainable and Robust AI (RIA) – HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-01-06;
- Collaborative intelligence – combining the best of machine and human (RIA) – HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-01-07;
- Facilitate the engagement in global ICT standardisation development (CSA) – HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-01-61.
The first two call topics will be replaced by a new call for proposals that would better support the policy needs emerging from the fast evolving trend on Artificial Intelligence, in particular around generative Artificial Intelligence. This strategy also aims to secure sovereignty over AI technology, requiring projects with sufficient critical mass.
The third call topic will most likely just be postponed and added (unchanged) to the later call, that would open in April 2024.
- Digital and emerging technologies for competitiveness and fit for the Green Deal – HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-CNECT (opening date 15 November 2023)
The Commission intends to cancel or postpone the following 2 topics included in this call.
- Synergy with national and regional initiatives in Europe (CSA) – HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-34;
- Stimulating transnational research and development of next generation quantum technologies, including basic theories and components (RIA) – HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-42.
The latter topic is most likely to be postponed and will be added (unchanged) to the new call for a better coordination with the national funding agencies, that would open in April 2024.