HELIOS grant digest May 2026: programmes for researchers

HELIOS is a Horizon Europe project on white-emitting organic lighting systems, coordinated by Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine. Each month, HELIOS publishes a curated review of current grant calls for its research community. The May 2026 issue covers 9 open Horizon Europe programmes.

Deadlines run from September 2026 through March 2027. The selection covers MSCA fellowships and doctoral networks, EIC Pathfinder Challenges for breakthroughs in AI, medicine, and materials science, and Horizon Europe research calls in photonics, chemistry, and circular materials.

About HELIOS and its monthly grant review

HELIOS (White-Emitting Organic Lighting Systems) is a Horizon Europe project researching organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs), advanced materials, and biocircular economy applications. The project coordinator is the Department of Electronics at Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine. It runs under Grant Agreement 101155017.

The HELIOS team publishes a monthly digest of relevant grant calls in organic lighting, advanced technologies, and biocircular economy. This article summarises the second issue, May 2026. Full digest: helios-euproject.eu →

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

HORIZON-MSCA-2026-PF-01 | Deadline: 9 September 2026

The fellowship supports the professional development and mobility of experienced researchers who already hold a PhD. It gives scientists the opportunity to run their own research project at a foreign institution, build new skills, and work in an interdisciplinary setting.

Two tracks: European Fellowships (mobility within Europe) and Global Fellowships (mobility outside Europe with a mandatory return phase). The grant covers 100% of costs: the researcher’s salary, mobility, research activities, training, and networking.

ERC Proof of Concept Grants 2026

ERC-2026-POC | Deadline: 17 September 2026

This call is open exclusively to researchers with an active or recently completed ERC grant (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy). The goal is to verify the commercial or societal potential of ideas that emerged during the core fundamental project.

A fixed €150,000 can go toward technical validation, intellectual property protection, market analysis, finding business partners, or developing a commercialisation strategy. PoC projects do not involve new fundamental research – they focus on the early stages of turning existing lab results into a product, service, or social solution.

EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026

EIC Pathfinder funds high-risk, high-gain research at TRL 1-4. Pathfinder Challenges focus on specific strategic problems and ask applicants to demonstrate not only scientific quality but also a vision for future deployment. All three challenges below share the same deadline: 28 October 2026.

Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing

HORIZON-EIC-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-02

This call aims to turn decades of ageing biology research into concrete biotechnology-based solutions. Projects must deliver a proof of concept in one of three areas: a preventative or therapeutic intervention targeting a fundamental molecular or cellular process of ageing; a biomarker-based tool to guide ageing interventions; or a non-animal method (NAM) to model ageing. TRL 1-4 (high-risk, high-gain). EIC programme managers actively co-manage funded projects.

DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning

HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01

The call targets AI systems capable of genuine deep reasoning, abstraction, and planning – beyond current pattern-recognition limits. Priority goes to neuro-symbolic AI and hybrid approaches that can handle causal reasoning, transfer learning, and adaptive planning in real-world environments. Projects must reach TRL 4, align with EU AI Act standards, and propose new evaluation benchmarks.

Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems

HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01

The call focuses on materials for miniaturised energy-harvesting systems with performance superior to existing solutions – using new physical or chemical phenomena and reducing dependence on critical raw materials. Materials must be implemented in small harvesting modules (solar cells, thermoelectric generators, piezoelectric devices) and integrated into autonomous systems such as IoT devices or wireless sensor networks. Required: TRL 4.

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026

HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01 | Deadline: 24 November 2026

The call supports international consortia running doctoral training programmes. All projects must follow the “Triple i” principle: inter-sectoral (academia plus business or another sector), interdisciplinary, and international (mobility). Funding covers doctoral researcher recruitment, training, research activities, and consortium management costs.

Two separate tracks: Industrial Doctorates (joint supervision with a company) and Joint Doctorates (joint degree from multiple universities).

Horizon Europe Research Actions 2027

Three Horizon Europe research calls with deadlines in February and March 2027. All three target the transition from laboratory development to industrial deployment and the digital transformation of production.

Advanced integrated photonic devices (RIA) – Photonics Partnership

HORIZON-CL4-2027-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03 | Deadline: 18 March 2027

The call supports the development of next-generation integrated photonic devices with significantly lower energy consumption and greater functionality. Priority goes to research on energy-efficient light sources, sensors, and data transmission systems. Projects must demonstrate novel contributions at the level of materials or device architecture. Expected TRL: 2-5.

Circular innovative advanced materials (RIA)

HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-06 | Deadline: 2 February 2027

The call funds advanced materials developed according to circular economy principles (“circular by design”), accelerating the transition from lab to industrial scale while minimising critical raw material use. Materials must be easily recyclable or biodegradable. Target sectors: energy, electronics, construction. Partnerships: Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU and Made in Europe.

Fast Track to Innovation – Chemical Industry Action Plan

HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-62 | Deadline: 2 February 2027

The call supports the rapid transition from scientific discoveries to practical implementation of new synthesis and processing methods in the EU chemical sector. Projects must address the decarbonisation of chemical processes, waste minimisation, and replacement of hazardous substances with safe alternatives (“safe-and-sustainable-by-design”). Results should also contribute to the digitalisation of production and Europe’s strategic autonomy in chemical compounds.

Summary table: HELIOS digest, May 2026

Source: HELIOS Monthly Review of Grant Proposals №2, May 2026. The HELIOS project runs with EU support under Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement 101155017.