You may have noticed that call topics for 2025 are not yet available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. This is due to ongoing preparatory work, and even though updates are expected in the coming months, adoption will be the earliest in April 2025. To stay ahead, consider reading a draft version.

A bit on the process

A work programme is typically drafted in stages. It begins with setting priorities, after which topics are drafted in collaboration between the EC, expert groups and stakeholders. This initial phase is followed by consultations with Member States and advisory bodies. Drafts undergo subsequently several reviews and revisions before their final adoption. Once a work programme is adopted, the call topics are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Timing for WP 2025

The procedure for consultation of the stakeholders runs until the end of this year, after which an Inter-Service Consultation will take place in Jan-Feb 2025. This will lead to a version that is expected to be adopted by the Programme Committee in March 2025, so that the Work Programme can finally be adopted in April 2025.

It is reasonable to expect that most of the the call topics will have submission deadlines the earliest by the end of the Summer, or early Autumn. Currently 2 October (for Digital topics) and 4 september (for Space topics) commonly circulate as tentative closing dates.

Start preparing

The best way to prepare is by reading the draft work programme. Even though these are not final documents, they do give a good indication on what to expect.

The easiest way forward is to download version from 05-07 on Science Business. More recent versions are available with the Programme Committee delegates. Stakeholders located in Flanders can turn to the Programme Committee delegates of the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation with questions regarding the Work Programme during this preparation phase. For Cluster 4, in Flanders, this is Geert Van Grootel.

Update on 2024-12-02: added some tentative closing dates information