A Horizon Europe proposal has two parts: Part A is filled in directly in the portal system and holds the administrative data and the budget, while Part B is the substantive description of the project, uploaded as a PDF. Part B has a strict page limit, and anything beyond it automatically becomes invisible to the evaluators.
- RIA / IA
- 40 pages (was 45)
- Lump sum
- 45 pages
- First stage
- 10 pages
- Over the limit
- Becomes invisible
Submission is only possible through the portal – paper applications do not exist. The proposal has two parts, and they are prepared quite differently.
Part A: completed in the system
The administrative part, which you do not write but fill in: participant data, the summary budget, call-specific questions, the ethics issues table, the security issues table and declarations.
The ethics issues table has nine categories: human embryonic stem cells and embryos; humans as research participants; human cells and tissues; personal data; animals; non-EU countries; environment, health and safety; artificial intelligence; other ethics issues.
Part B: uploaded as a PDF
The substantive part, and its structure mirrors the three award criteria: Excellence (objectives and ambition, methodology), Impact (pathways to impact, measures to maximise it) and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (work plan and resources, capacity of participants).
Page limits: 40, not 45
This changed in the 2026–2027 work programme and secondary sources have not caught up. The standard limit for research and innovation actions was cut from 45 to 40 pages. Forty-five now applies only to lump sum topics.
The rest: coordination and support actions 25 pages (28 for lump sum), programme co-fund actions 65, first stage of a two-stage call 10.
Formatting is prescribed too: Times New Roman or similar, font size no smaller than 11, at least single spacing.
Three rules that cost points
Excess pages are not "skipped" – they disappear. After the deadline everything beyond the limit is automatically made invisible and is not considered. If you pushed the consortium capacity section there, that criterion is assessed as unaddressed.
Links do not rescue you. Experts are instructed to ignore hyperlinks to material designed to circumvent the page limit.
You are assessed on what you submitted, not on the proposal's potential "if certain changes were made". Content, budget and consortium cannot be substantially changed during grant preparation.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if we go over the page limit?
After the deadline the excess pages automatically become invisible to the evaluators. It is not a penalty and not a warning – the text simply disappears, and any section that ended up there counts as not addressed.
Can we move the details out into a link?
No. Experts are explicitly instructed to disregard hyperlinks to material created to get around the limit. The proposal has to be a self-contained document.
How many pages apply in our case?
Forty for a research or innovation action, 45 if the topic uses lump sum funding, 25 for a coordination and support action, 65 for a programme co-fund action and 10 for the first stage. The idea that 45 is the general limit is out of date.
Official materials
Read on GetGrant
Sources
- Application form HE RIA/IA V5.1 ec.europa.eu · checked 27.07.2026
- General Annexes WP2026-2027 ec.europa.eu · checked 27.07.2026
Data current as of 27.07.2026. Verify the terms with the donor’s official portal before applying.
Updated 27.07.2026 · Reviewed by: GetGrant editorial team
