Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
WP3 'Algorithm development' is led by partner P2 with contributions from P1, P5, and P7 over months 7 to 30.
- Is an instance
A lump-sum Horizon Europe project assigns 800,000 EUR to WP4 'Pilot deployment'.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A single experiment within a WP is not itself a WP.
- Not an instance
A funder-level programme grouping multiple projects is not a WP.
Editorial commentary
Work packages (WPs) are the principal organising unit for Horizon Europe project plans. Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement lists each WP with: a WP number and title, lead beneficiary, participating beneficiaries with person-month allocations, start and end month, objectives, tasks, deliverables, and milestones. Typical Horizon Europe projects have 5 to 10 WPs, with WP1 usually ‘management and coordination’. Project budget is reported and (in lump-sum grants) paid per WP.
References
- European Commission Horizon Europe Application Form Part B template; Annotated Grant Agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “WP” stand for in Horizon Europe documents?
WP stands for “work package.” Work packages are the principal organising unit for a Horizon Europe project plan, with the full project broken down into a set of numbered WPs in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement.
How many work packages does a typical Horizon Europe project have?
Typical Horizon Europe projects have 5 to 10 work packages, each set out as its own entry in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement.
Who is the work package leader?
Each work package listed in Annex 1 has a lead beneficiary, alongside the other participating beneficiaries and their person-month allocations. The lead beneficiary acts as the work package leader, with responsibility for that WP’s objectives, tasks, deliverables, and milestones.
What does WP1 usually cover in a Horizon Europe project?
WP1 is usually the “management and coordination” work package, separate from the WPs that carry out the project’s research and technical work.
What information does Annex 1 list for each work package?
For each work package, Annex 1 lists the WP number and title, lead beneficiary, participating beneficiaries with person-month allocations, start and end month, objectives, tasks, deliverables, and milestones.
How is a work package’s budget paid under a lump-sum grant?
Project budget is reported per work package, and in lump-sum grants it is also paid per work package rather than reimbursed against actual incurred costs.
Also known as
WP · Work package
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Work package (Horizon Europe)"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/work-package-horizon-europe" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"@id": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/work-package-horizon-europe",
"name": "Work package (Horizon Europe)",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/work-package-horizon-europe",
"description": "A defined sub-component of a Horizon Europe project that groups related tasks, deliverables, and milestones under a single work-package leader, with its own budget allocation and timeline.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-lifecycle#set",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/work-package-horizon-europe",
"alternateName": [
"WP",
"Work package"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"publisher": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#organization"
},
"author": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#editorial-team"
},
"datePublished": "2026-05-21T02:22:59",
"dateModified": "2026-09-05T14:27:03",
"inLanguage": "en-GB",
"isAccessibleForFree": true
}
