Mini-tool

How many partners for Horizon Europe?

Short answer: collaborative RIA/IA projects often land around 8–15 partners; CSA and Pathfinder stay smaller; the legal minimum for most collaborative topics is three entities from three countries.

Get the size profile for your action type

Pick RIA, IA, CSA, MSCA, or EIC — see typical ranges, when to go larger, and when to stay compact.

Open consortium size tool

Rule — indicative ranges

Action type	Typical	Common band
Research and Innovation Action (RIA)	8–15	5–18
Innovation Action (IA)	8–16	6–20
Coordination and Support Action (CSA)	4–10	3–12
EIC Pathfinder	3–6	3–8
MSCA Doctoral Networks	6–12	4–15

Curated guidance on GRANTIBASE — not official Commission advice. Confirm minima in the topic text.

Example

A mid-sized RIA with one demonstration WP often works with ~10–12 partners: coordinator + 2–3 research partners + industry + end users + 1–2 SMEs. Going to 20+ only pays off when the call demands multi-country pilots or value-chain coverage — otherwise evaluators see dilution.

Next step

Know the size? Find or build the consortium. Still checking eligibility geography? Read consortium requirements.

Turn the range into a shortlist

Generate a starter consortium by topic and geography once you know the target size.

Open Consortium Builder