Subject matter
This Regulation establishes the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for the period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 (the ‘2026-2027 Euratom Programme’) and the rules for participation and dissemination in indirect actions under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, complementing Horizon Europe.
It lays down the objectives of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, the budget for the period 2026-2027, the forms of funding and the rules for providing such funding.
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the relevant definitions set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/695 apply. References in those definitions to the Union and Horizon Europe shall be construed as references to the European Atomic Energy Community (the ‘Community’) and the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme respectively. However, for the purposes of this Regulation, ‘work programme’ means the document adopted by the Commission for the implementation of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme in accordance with Article 16 of this Regulation.
All references in this Regulation to Regulation (EU) 2021/695 are to the version in force on 23 June 2025.
Programme objectives
1. The general objective of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme is to pursue research in the nuclear field and training activities, with an emphasis on the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, security and radiation protection, as well as to complement the achievement of Horizon Europe’s objectives, inter alia, in the context of the energy transition.
2. The 2026-2027 Euratom Programme has the following specific objectives:
(a)
to improve and support nuclear safety, security, safeguards, radiation protection, safe spent fuel and radioactive waste management and decommissioning, including the safe and secure use of nuclear power and of non-power applications of ionising radiation;
(b)
to maintain and further develop expertise and competence in the nuclear field within the Community;
(c)
to foster the development of fusion energy as a potential future energy source for electricity production and to contribute to the implementation of the European fusion roadmap;
(d)
to support the policy of the Union and its Member States on continuous improvement of nuclear safety, safeguards and security.
3. The objectives listed in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be implemented in accordance with Annex I. The implementation of those objectives may, if duly justified, include responses to emerging opportunities, crises and threats.
Budget
1. The financial envelope for the implementation of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme for the period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 shall be EUR 598 346 804 in current prices.
2. The indicative distribution of the amount referred to in paragraph 1 shall be:
(a)
EUR 252 532 225 for indirect actions in fusion research and development;
(b)
EUR 115 339 356 for indirect actions in nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection;
(c)
EUR 230 475 223 for direct actions undertaken by the Joint Research Centre (the ‘JRC’).
The Commission may not deviate from the amount referred to in the first subparagraph, point (c).
3. The amount referred to in paragraph 1 may also be used to cover expenses for preparation, monitoring, control, audit, evaluation and other activities and expenditures necessary for managing and implementing the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, including all administrative expenditure, as well as evaluating the achievement of its objectives. The administrative expenses related to indirect actions shall not exceed 6 % of the amount distributed to indirect actions of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme referred to in paragraph 2, first subparagraph, points (a) and (b). The amount referred to in paragraph 1 may also be used to cover:
(a)
in so far as they are related to the objectives of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, expenses relating to studies, meetings of experts, information and communication actions;
(b)
expenses linked to information technology networks focusing on information processing and exchange, including corporate information technology tools and other technical and administrative assistance needed in connection with the management of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme.
4. If necessary to enable the management of actions not completed by 31 December 2027, appropriations may be entered in the budget beyond 2027 to cover the expenses provided for in paragraph 3.
5. Budgetary commitments for actions extending over more than one financial year may be broken down into annual instalments over several years.
6. Without prejudice to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 (the ‘Financial Regulation’), expenditure for actions resulting from projects included in the first work programme may be eligible as from 1 January 2026.
7. Resources allocated to Member States under shared management may, at the request of the Member State concerned, be transferred to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme subject to the conditions set out in the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 19 ) . The Commission shall implement those resources directly in accordance with Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (a), of the Financial Regulation or indirectly in accordance with point (c) of that subparagraph. Those resources shall be used for the benefit of the Member State concerned.
Third countries associated to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme
1. The 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall be open to association of the following third countries:
(a)
acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Community programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council decisions or similar agreements and in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in agreements between the Community and those countries;
(b)
European Neighbourhood Policy countries, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Community programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council decisions or in similar agreements and in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in agreements between the Community and those countries;
(c)
third countries and territories that fulfil all of the following criteria:
(i)
a good capacity in science, technology and innovation;
(ii)
commitment to a rules-based open market economy, including fair and equitable dealing with intellectual property rights, backed by democratic institutions;
(iii)
active promotion of policies to improve the economic and social well-being of citizens.
2. Association to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme of each of the third countries under paragraph 1, point (c), shall be in accordance with the conditions laid down in a specific agreement covering the participation of the third country to any Community or Union programme, provided that the agreement:
(a)
ensures a fair balance as regards the contributions and benefits of the third country participating in the Community or Union programmes;
(b)
lays down the conditions of participation in the Community or Union programmes, including the calculation of financial contributions to the individual programmes and their administrative costs;
(c)
does not confer to the third country a decisional power in respect of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme;
(d)
guarantees the rights of the Union to ensure sound financial management and to protect the Union’s financial interests.
The contributions referred to in the first subparagraph, point (b), of this paragraph shall constitute assigned revenues in accordance with Article 21(5) of the Financial Regulation.
3. The scope of association of each third country to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall take into account the objective of driving economic growth in the Union through innovation. Accordingly, with the exception of acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, parts of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme may be excluded from an association agreement for a specific country.
4. The association agreement shall, where appropriate, provide for the reciprocal participation of legal entities established in the Union in equivalent programmes of associated countries in accordance with the conditions laid down in those programmes.
5. Where appropriate, the conditions determining the level of financial contribution shall ensure an automatic correction of any significant imbalance compared to the amount that entities established in the associated country receive through participation in the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, taking into account the costs in the management, execution and operation of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme.
Implementation and forms of funding
1. The 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall be implemented by means of direct management in accordance with the Financial Regulation or by means of indirect management by funding bodies referred to in Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (c), of the Financial Regulation.
2. Funding under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme may be provided in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation; however, grants shall be the main form of support for indirect actions under the 2026-2027 Euratom programme. Funding under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme may also be provided through prizes, procurement and financial instruments within blending operations.
3. The main types of action to be carried out under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme are set out and defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, such as research and innovation actions, innovation actions, innovation and market deployment actions, training and mobility actions, programme co-fund actions, pre-commercial procurement actions, public procurement of innovative solutions actions, coordination and support actions, inducement prizes and recognition prizes.
The forms of funding referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article shall be used in a flexible manner across all objectives of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, with their use being determined on the basis of the needs and the characteristics of the particular objectives.
4. The 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall also support direct actions undertaken by the JRC.
European Partnerships
1. Parts of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme may be implemented through European Partnerships.
2. The involvement of the Community in European Partnerships may take any of the following forms:
(a)
participation in partnerships set up on the basis of memoranda of understanding or contractual arrangements between the Commission and public or private partners specifying the objectives of the European Partnership, related commitments from all involved sides regarding their financial or in-kind contributions, key performance and impact indicators, the results to be delivered and reporting arrangements; they include the identification of complementary research and innovation activities that are implemented by the partners and by the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme (co-programmed European Partnerships);
(b)
participation in and financial contribution to a programme of research and innovation activities, specifying the objectives, key performance and impact indicators, and the results to be delivered, based on the commitment of the partners regarding their financial or in-kind contributions and the integration of their relevant activities using a 2026-2027 Euratom Programme co-fund action (co-funded European Partnerships).
3. European Partnerships shall:
(a)
be established in cases where the objectives of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme would be achieved more effectively than by the Community alone, and when compared to other forms of support under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme; an appropriate share of the budget of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall be allocated to those parts;
(b)
adhere to the principles of Union added value, transparency and openness, and to having impact within and for Europe, strong leverage effect on sufficient scale, long-term commitments of all involved parties, flexibility in implementation, coherence, coordination and complementarity with Union, local, regional, national and, where relevant, international initiatives or other European Partnerships;
(c)
have a clear life-cycle approach, be limited in time and include conditions for phasing out the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme funding.
4. Provisions and criteria for the selection, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and phasing-out of European Partnerships are set out in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2021/695.
Open science
The provisions on open science set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/695 apply to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme.
Eligible actions and rules for participation and dissemination of research results
1. Only actions implementing the objectives referred to in Article 3 are eligible for funding.
2. Subject to the paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article, Title II on rules for participation and dissemination of Regulation (EU) 2021/695 applies to actions supported under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme. References in Regulation (EU) 2021/695 to the Union and Horizon Europe shall be construed as references to the Community and the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, where appropriate. References in Regulation (EU) 2021/695 to ‘security rules’ shall be construed to include the defence interests of the Member States within the meaning of Article 24 of the Euratom Treaty.
3. By way of derogation from Article 40(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, the right to object to transfers of ownership of results, or to grants of an exclusive licence regarding results, may be extended to grants of non-exclusive licenses.
4. By way of derogation from Article 41(9) of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, a beneficiary that has received Community funding shall grant access to its results on a royalty-free basis to the Community institutions, funding bodies or the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy (Fusion for Energy) established by Decision 2007/198/Euratom (the ‘Joint Undertaking Fusion for Energy’), for the purpose of developing, implementing and monitoring Community policies and programmes or obligations under international cooperation with third countries and international organisations. Such access rights shall include the right to authorise third parties to use the results in public procurement and the right to sub-license. Access rights shall be limited to non-commercial and non-competitive use.
5. The mutual insurance mechanism established pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/695 shall cover the risk associated with non-recovery of sums due by beneficiaries to the Commission or funding bodies under this Regulation.
Cumulative, alternative and combined funding
1. The 2026-2027 Euratom Programme shall be implemented in synergy with Horizon Europe and with other Union programmes.
2. In order to achieve the objectives of the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme and to address challenges common to the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme and to Horizon Europe, activities cutting across the objectives set out in the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme or those implementing Horizon Europe, or both, may benefit from the Community financial contribution, subject to Article 9. In particular, the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme may provide a financial contribution to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in order to support activities relevant for nuclear research.
3. An action that has received a contribution from another Union programme may also receive a contribution under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme, provided that the contributions do not cover the same costs. The rules of the relevant programme shall apply to the corresponding contribution to the action. The cumulative funding shall not exceed the total eligible costs of the action. The support from the different programmes may be calculated on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the documents setting out the conditions for support.
4. Actions may receive support from the European Regional Development Fund or the European Social Fund Plus in accordance with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 where they have been awarded a Seal of Excellence label under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme by virtue of complying with the following cumulative conditions:
(a)
they have been assessed in a call for proposals under the 2026-2027 Euratom Programme;
(b)
they comply with the minimum quality requirements of that call for proposals;
(c)
they may not be financed under that call for proposals due to budgetary constraints.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
