DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems
European Commission · Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Posted 22 Jul 2026 · 27 days left
In plain terms
The European Commission funds research and innovation projects developing trustworthy cognitive AI systems with multimodal capabilities, explainability, and real-world applications. Grants range from 500,000 to 4,000,000 euros for consortia of at least two independent entities from different EU or associated countries, with applications in English due by 28 October 2026.
A generated summary of the donor's text; the original wording is below.
Summary
Expected Impact:
The resulting portfolio will not only advance the scientific state-of-the-art but also build a robust, interoperable, and application-driven community, positioning Europe at the forefront of trustworthy cognitive AI. It should also lay the foundations for future European leadership in safe, human-centric cognitive AI, supporting sovereignty and competitiveness in key sectors. It will support the ambitions of the AI Act[1] and the European approach to Artificial Intelligence[2].
Expected Outcome:
Ambitious proposals put forward under this call will deliver:
Models and/or architectures that handle multimodal data and knowledge, uncertainty, and can be trained and deployed with constrained computational resources
Provable trustworthiness mechanisms ensuring explainability, transparency, fairness, risk evaluation, security and alignment with ethical and legal standards, including fundamental rights and the EU AI Act, and
Demonstrate the developed capabilities integrated in a cognitive AI system (reaching TRL4) performing complex real-world tasks (e.g., scientific discovery, decision support, problem solving) as well as simulations at a scale.
In addition, proposals…
Excerpt from the donor's page. The full text, annexes and forms are on the original call.
Eligible regions
- eu_only
Who can apply
- academia_research
- private_company
- ngo_cso
- social_enterprise
Eligibility and conditions
Show the eligibility text from the source
">General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
In order to apply, your proposal must meet the general eligibility requirements (see Annex 2 of EIC Work Programme 2026) as well as specific eligibility requirements for the Challenge (please see the Topic description above).
Please check for particular elements (e.g., specific application focus or technology) in the respective Challenge chapter.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or from single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country (unless stated otherwise in the specific Challenge chapter). In case of a consortium your proposal must be submitted by the coordinator on behalf of the consortium. Consortia of two entities must be comprised of independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Consortia of three or more entities must include as beneficiaries at least three legal entities, independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
at least one legal entity established in a Member State; and
at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural persons. In the case of single beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will not be permitted.
Applications with elements that concern the evolution of European communication networks (5G, post-5G and other technologies linked to the evolution of European communication networks) will be subject to restriction for the protection of European communication networks (see Annex II – Section B1).
The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions and the eligibility of applicants from third countries are detailed in Annex 2.
Proposal page limit and layout:
Described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Sections 1 to 3 of the part B of your proposal, corresponding respectively to the evaluation criteria Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation, must consist of a maximum of 30 format A4 pages. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible, and will not be taken into consideration by the evaluators. Please also consult Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
2. Eligible countries
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
3. Other Eligibility Conditions
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026 and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Please refer to the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) used for Lump Sum EIC actions under Horizon Europe.
Specific conditions
Described in the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Call Documents:
EIC Work Programme 2026
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Standard application form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges)
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges)
Challenge Guide: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems
Model grant agreement (MGA):
Lump Sum MGA
Call-specific instructions
Detailed budget table (HE LS)
Information on clinical studies (HE)
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Additional documents:
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity…