But how to ensure that access, the necessary guidance, and practical information is available to all who are interested? This is where the National Contact Points or NCPs come into play. The NCPs are an EU support structure that provide guidance, practical information, and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe.  

NCPs are key components of national structures that are offering the following basic services as part of their involvement with Horizon Europe:  

NCPs offer support in all participating countries, and they are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries"). They provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe to potential applicants and beneficiaries in the applicant’s own language.  

To make things easier the EU has created a portal with all the NCPs in all their respective countries. This portal can serve as a launching point for future involvement with Horizon Europe as it offers those interested an opportunity to find a first point of contact in their own country and their own language.  

The NCPs involved in the dissemination of information vary in form and bring together a cross section of the EU’s diverse society with actors coming from ministries to universities, research centres and special agencies to private consulting companies. 

The NCP Network allows Horizon Europe to truly become a research and innovation fund that is fostering a culture of international collaboration built from the ground up.