European Commission logo
Horizon Europe Euratom Research & Training Lump Sum

Horizon Euratom: Nuclear Safety & Long-Term Operation

Funds €3M consortium projects that keep Europe's ageing nuclear fleet running safely, from crack detection to swapping in alternative reactor fuel.

Between cyclesEuropean CommissionEUUkraineSwitzerland

Most of the EU's nuclear power plants were designed decades ago and are now running well past their original planned lifetime. Keeping them safe as they age is its own field of research — materials degrade, safety margins narrow, and the tools used to judge a reactor's condition have to keep pace. This topic funds that research directly.

A winning project works on ageing management and long-term …

Safety research for nuclear power plants and research reactors already operating or planned across the EU, centred on ageing management and long-term operation (LTO). Funded work develops and validates tools to assess and extend safety margins as reactors age — digital twins, multi-physics and multiscale modelling and simulation, AI/ML-assisted defect detection, and updated probabilistic safety assessments — alongside materials testing and structural-integrity methods that quantify degradation in pressure boundary components, concrete structures, fuel and cladding. It also covers assessing internal and external hazards, and the safety case for switching Soviet-designed research reactors onto alternative nuclear fuel where the normal supply is at risk.

CycleiHow often this grant runs - e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.-
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.22 weeks
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.-
Award typeiThe form of funding - grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.0%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€15M

Sign up free to see the funding breakdown

Sign up free to see the industries in scope

Sign up free to see the full eligibility

Sign up free to see how to apply

Sign up free to see what you submit

Sign up free to see how they score you

Sign up free to see the timeline

Sign up free to see where teams trip up

Guides for this application

All guides →

More from European Commission

All grants from this funder →
European Commission logo
Open

Digital Europe Programme

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds Europe-wide digital capability development in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, hardware, and IoT.

AICybersecurity+3
Oct'26
European Commission logo
Open

Crime prevention approaches, online and off-line, tackling the nexus between addictions and crime

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds research and pilot collaboration between police authorities and civil-society groups to prevent addiction-linked crime across the EU.

€3MNov'26
European Commission logo
Open

Horizon Border Security: Accessible Travel Facilitation

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds two €4M border-crossing tech projects, run with Border or Coast Guard Authorities, built for travelers with disabilities or low digital skills.

DefenseAI
€4MNov'26
European Commission logo
Open

Horizon Border Security: Age Assessment Reliability

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds a €1.33M project, run with border and coast guard authorities, that compares how reliable different ways of estimating a young migrant's age really are.

Defense
€1.3MNov'26
European Commission logo
Open

Horizon Border Security: Surveillance & Drone Detection

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds two €6M projects that build border detection and surveillance tech, run jointly with national Border and Coast Guard authorities.

DefenseIoT & Edge
€6MNov'26
European Commission logo
Open

Horizon Civil Security: Bioterrorism Prevention

🇪🇺European Commission · European Union

Funds a €3M project that reviews how synthetic biology could be misused for bioterrorism and pinpoints where monitoring and regulation fall short.

Synthetic BiologyDefense
€3MNov'26