The call aims to foster sustainable long-term partnerships in research, development, and/or innovation between EU Member States and associated countries, including Ukraine, which acts as the central partner country.

The Joint Call is implemented by 13 funding organizations within the LUKE project and involves participants from 11 countries. Its objective is to pool resources and support Ukraine’s integration into the European Research Area.

Key Information about the Call

• Project duration: up to 2 years
• Opening date for applications: 27 February 2026
• Application deadline: 15 May 2026, 23:59 CET
  (16 May 2026, 00:59 EET)
• Expected project start: January – March 2027
• Expected project completion: December 2028

Thematic Areas

The call covers four priority areas aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s capacity:

• Energy
• Cybersecurity
• Medicine and healthcare
• Social sciences and humanities

Conditions for Ukrainian Participants

Projects funded by the NRFU may include fundamental and/or applied research (development).

Ukrainian applicants seeking NRFU funding must comply with the NRFU National Eligibility Rules regarding project authors, executors, and participants, as well as formal requirements of the Call.

Additional Information

Announcement on the official LUKE webpage:
https://horizon-europe.org.ua/uk/luke/joint-call/

More about the LUKE project:
https://horizon-europe.org.ua/uk/luke/