During the past months, the Commission has published updated versions of several key documents for application to the call topics of the main Horizon Europe Work Programme (WP) 2025:

• Standard application form for applicants  - last updated on 16 December 2024
• Horizon Europe Programme Guide - last updated on 15 May 2025
• General Annexes to the Horizon Europe WP 2025 - published on 14 May 2025
• Standard briefing slides for Horizon Europe evaluators - updated on 15 May 2025

The updates mostly relate to cross-cutting principles of the programme which stakeholders need to take into account when developing a proposal. Therefore, it is important for (potential) applicants to read these key documents carefully and to make sure you are aware of the changes introduced by the Commission. Herewith an overview:

• Do Not Significantly Harm (DNSH) principle -> all references to DNSH in the standard application form have been removed. More info here 
• Data management plan (DMP) -> a simplification of requirements on the data managment plan has been introduced in the standard application form. More info here
• Use, development or deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based systems and/or techniques in your project -> References to AI robustness under Methodology (1.2 of Part B) in the standard application form have been removed
• Use of generative AI tools in proposal writing -> new guidance has been added in the standard briefing slides for evaluators. It reads, among others, 'applicants must be fully transparant and disclose which AI tools were used and how' and 'the use of generative AI tools in drafting proposals may not be considered by expert evaluators as a reason to penalize a proposal'
• Gender equality -> for proposals with the same score, a change occured in the method to establish the priority order (Annex F of the General Annexes). Criterion 3 now specifies: 'if necessary, the gender balance among the researchers with a leading role named in the researchers table in the proposal [Part A], will be used as a factor for prioritisation'. More info on gender equality in Horizon Europe here
• Blind evaluation pilot -> the pilot has been reintroduced in WP 25. If indicated in the specific call/topic conditions, first-stage proposals of two-stage submissions will be evaluated blindly and applicants must not disclose their identity in the proposal. More info here

Important notice: the only correct application form is the one connected to the call topic you will apply to, which is available in the submission system. This may differ from the information in the standard application form.