Do I always need a consortium to get Horizon Europe funding?

No. The EIC Accelerator funds a single SME or startup directly, with no consortium required, and some EIC Pathfinder Challenges accept single entities or two-partner teams too. Most Cluster-based collaborative calls — including Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) — still require the full three-country consortium.

What is a Consortium (Horizon Europe)?

Q: How many organisations do I need for a Horizon Europe consortium?

For most collaborative calls, at least 3 independent legal entities established in 3 different eligible countries, with at least one of them from an EU member state. The other two can be from EU member states or Horizon Europe associated countries. Some topics set a higher minimum, so always check the specific call text before you start partner-hunting.

A consortium is the group of independent legal entities that jointly submits a proposal to a Horizon Europe collaborative call and, if funded, jointly carries out the project under a single Grant Agreement. Most collaborative topics require at least 3 such entities established in 3 different countries, at least one of them an EU member state, with one partner taking on the coordinator role as the main point of contact with the funding body.

The minimum composition rule

For most Horizon Europe collaborative calls, the baseline eligibility bar is "3 from 3": at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different eligible country, with at least one of the three based in an EU member state. The other two can be from EU member states or from a Horizon Europe associated country. The EIC applies near-identical wording to its own consortium-based call: EIC Pathfinder Open requires "consortia of at least three different independent legal entities," one from an EU member state and two more from different member states or associated countries. "Independent" does real work here — entities under common ownership or control don't count as separate partners. Work programmes and topic texts can raise this floor or attach extra conditions, so "3 from 3" is a default to verify against the specific topic, not a guarantee for any given call.

The coordinator's role

One beneficiary takes on the coordinator role: the main point of contact with the European Commission or its executive agency for the life of the project. In practice, the coordinator submits reports, payment requests and proof of deliverables on behalf of the whole consortium through the Funding & Tenders Portal, and steers overall project activities. The coordinator typically also organises drafting of a Consortium Agreement — a private contract between partners covering payment splits, IP and liability — which sits alongside, but is legally distinct from, the Grant Agreement signed with the Commission.

When a consortium isn't required

Not every Horizon Europe route needs one. The EIC Accelerator is built for a single SME or startup — no partners, no "3 from 3" rule. EIC Pathfinder splits the difference: its Open call needs the standard three-country consortium, but Pathfinder Challenges also accept single applicants or two-partner teams. For a founder without co-applicants yet, checking whether a single-applicant EIC route fits the technology stage is usually faster than spending weeks partner-hunting for a Cluster 4 topic that structurally needs a 3-country team. Where a consortium is unavoidable, CORDIS — the public database of every funded EU project — is a fast way to find organisations with matching experience to approach as partners.

Official source: European Research Executive Agency — Horizon Europe: who should apply; REA — Horizon Europe grants & reporting.

Written by Tymofiy Badikov, founder of VIRA.space (Virtual Innovation Research Assistant) — operated by Space Tech Gateway Sp. z o.o., Kraków Technology Park. VIRA tracks live European space funding calls and checks your eligibility free: see live tenders.