Cluster 4 “Digitalisation, Industry and Space” of the Pillar II “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness” embraces six destinations.

The vision of the Cluster is to shape competitive and trusted technologies for a European industry with global leadership in key areas, enabling production and consumption to respect the boundaries of our planet, and maximising the benefits for all parts of society in the variety of social, economic and territorial contexts in Europe.

Cluster 4 supports Horizon Europe two key strategic orientations:
KSO A – Promoting an open strategic autonomy by leading the development of key digital, enabling and emerging technologies, sectors and value chains.
KSO C – Making Europe the first digitally enabled circular, climate neutral and sustainable economy.

Useful information on strategical political priorities:

Actions under the cluster 4 will achieve expected impacts through six destinations.

Destination 1: Climate neutral, Circular and Digitised Production. Actions should aim at: innovative production and manufacturing processes and their digitisation, new business models, sustainable-by-design advanced materials and technologies enabling the switch to decarbonisation in all major emitting industrial sectors, including green digital technologies.

Destination 2: Increased Autonomy in Key Strategic Value Chains for Resilient Industry. Actions should aim at: breakthrough technologies in areas of industrial alliances, dynamic industrial innovation ecosystems and advanced solutions for substitution, resource and energy efficiency, effective reuse and recycling and clean primary production of raw materials, including critical raw materials and leadership in circular economy.

Destination 3: World-leading Data and Computing Technologies. Actions should aim at : strengthening European capacities in key parts of digital and future supply chains, allowing agile responses to urgent needs, and by investing in early discovery and industrial uptake of new technologies.

Destination 4: Digital & Emerging Technologies for Competitiveness and Fit for the Green Deal. Actions should aim at developing and enabling the uptake of the next-generation computing and data technologies and infrastructures (including space infrastructure and data), enabling the European single market for data with the corresponding data spaces and a trustworthy artificial intelligence ecosystem.

Destination 5: Open Strategic Autonomy in Developing, Deploying and Using Global Space-Based Infrastructures, Services, Applications and Data. Actions should aim at conceiving, developing, deploying and using global space-based infrastructures, services, applications and data, including by reinforcing the EU’s independent capacity to access space, securing the autonomy of supply for critical technologies and equipment, and fostering the EU’s space sector’s competitiveness.

Destination 6: A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies. Actions should achieve expected impact through a two-way engagement in the development of technologies, empowering end-users and workers, and supporting social innovation.

Please find detailed funding information on how to apply on the Funding and Tenders portal.

Funding opportunities under Horizon Europe are set out in multiannual work programmes – Horizon Europe Work programme (2023-24) – Cluster 4

Research and innovation actions under cluster 4 take into account expected impacts, areas of intervention and European partnerships.

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
Global leadership in clean and climate-neutral industrial value chains, circular economy and climate-neutral digital systems and infrastructures (networks, data centres)

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Manufacturing Technologies
    • Advanced Materials
    • Circular Industries
    • Low-Carbon and Clean Industries
    • Key digital technologies
    • Artificial Intelligence and Robotic
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Clean Steel – Low Carbon Steelmaking
    • Made in Europe
    • Processes4Planet
    • Photonics
    • Artificial Intelligence, Data and Robotics

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
Industrial leadership and increased autonomy in key strategic value chains with security of supply in raw materials

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Advanced Materials
    • Circular Industries
    • Low-Carbon and Clean Industries
    • Manufacturing Technologies
    • Key digital technologies
    • Emerging enabling technologies
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Made in Europe
    • Processes4Planet

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
Globally attractive, secure and dynamic data-agile economy

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
    • Advanced Computing and Big Data
    • Manufacturing Technologies
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Artificial intelligence, Data and Robotics
    • Smart Networks and Services
    • Key Digital Technologies
    • High Performance Computing
    • European Metrology

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
Open strategic autonomy in digital technologies and in future emerging enabling technologies

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Key digital technologies
    • Emerging enabling technologies
    • Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
    • Next Generation Internet
    • Advanced Computing and Big Data
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Artificial intelligence, Data and Robotics
    • Photonics
    • Smart Networks and Services
    • Key Digital Technologies
    • High Performance Computing
    • European Metrology

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
Open strategic autonomy in developing, deploying and using global space-based infrastructures, services, applications and data

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Space, including Earth Observation
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Globally Competitive Space Systems

Expected impacts of cluster 4:
A human-centered and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies

  • Areas of intervention:
    • Next Generation Internet
    • Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
    • Manufacturing Technologies
  • Horizon Europe partnerships:
    • Made in Europe
    • Artificial Intelligence, Data and Robotics
    • Key Digital Technologies