1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Pillar II: Piloting Innovative Approaches to Support Academic Startups and Spinoffs is a Horizon Europe grant (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-04) from the European Commission that funds coordination and support actions aimed at strengthening the European Research and Innovation system by scaling academic entrepreneurship.
The program supports the development and piloting of new models to help universities and research institutions create, support, and grow startups and spinoffs. Eligible applicants include legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe, including EEA/EFTA countries. The deadline was March 12, 2026.
Lump-sum funding applies under Horizon CSA rules.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
# EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal * Results & Innovation support * SME Self-assessment tool Home Funding Calls for proposals Pillar II: Piloting innovative approaches to support academic startups and spinoffs Pillar II: Piloting innovative approaches to support academic startups and spinoffs HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-04 * Conditions and documents Enhancing the European R&I system (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06) HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] 12 March 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time Proposals will deliver on the impact of “Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy”, contributing to the ERA Structural Policy “Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities”.
Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes: * Upgraded guidance and services for supporting early-stage academic spinoffs and startups to bring their innovative solutions to market; * Tested and shared innovative valorisation best practices addressing the needs of early-stage academic spinoffs and startups for engaging with industry, societal actors, and end-users.
The objective of this topic is to strengthen ecosystems for knowledge valorisation and innovation by supporting academic startups and spinoffs to benefit from end-user feedback and links to industry and society. The topic supports the objectives of the Startup and Scaleup Strategy[1] by fostering the market uptake of innovative solutions.
Academic startups and spinoffs need access to excellent support services to commercialise their research and bring their innovations to market.
Beyond technology validation, there is a need to test the desirability of their products and services with a broader public, learn from citizens’ feedback, and adapt and improve their value propositions to improve their prospects for collaborating with industrial partners, attracting investors, and growing locally and internationally.
A variety of organisations – such as science parks, technology parks, living labs, hubs, and practitioners in citizen engagement for knowledge valorisation – engage societal actors in experimentation practices that aim to support, at an early stage, the market uptake and growth of university spinoffs and startups.
To be effective, such practices need to align with the fast pace of innovation and integrate skills and methods from different areas, drawing also from the social sciences and humanities, and the arts and design.
To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities: * At least 20 pilot actions across Europe enabling university spinoffs and technology startups to link up to end-users, societal actors, industry, and other stakeholders to boost market uptake and growth.
* Development of guidance and services, including methodologies and best practices to support spinoffs and startups, where testing and validating their innovative solutions to better fit society and the market is important. Proposals should describe their target group in terms of its scope and size. A wide geographical coverage, inclusivity, broad participation, and accessibility should be ensured.
In project activities, particular attention should be paid to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges. Projects are expected to contribute to the EU Knowledge Valorisation Platform, which highlights best practices for knowledge valorisation.
Additionally, projects are expected to establish synergies with ongoing projects under the topic “Experimentation and exchange of good practices for value creation”[2], taking their results into account. Expected project duration is up to 2 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified. [1] https://research-and-innovation.
ec. europa. eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/jobs-and-economy/eu-startup-and-scaleup-strategy_en.
[2] Funded under HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ERA-01-03 and HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-ERA-01-05. If your lump sum budget contains any cost items in cost category C and/or D, please make sure to justify these items in the ‘Any comments’ sheet of the Excel detailed lump sum budget table. The reason is that we simplified the proposal template, removing this information from Part B and bringing it closer to the relevant budget items.
Specifically, you must include justification in the ‘Any comments’ sheet if you are in any of the following situations: * If the sum of the costs for ’travel and subsistence’, ‘equipment’, and ‘other goods, works and services’ (i.e. the purchase costs) exceeds 15% of the personnel costs for a participant.
If this is the case, justify the most expensive cost item(s) up to the level that the remaining costs are below 15% of personnel costs. * If other cost categories (e.g. internally invoiced goods and services) are used.
* If in-kind contributions are used (non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties, which must be included as direct costs in the corresponding cost category, e.g. personnel costs or purchase costs for equipment).
The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-01, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-08, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-02, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-07, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-05, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-03, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-04 Reforming and enhancing the EU research and innovation system (2026-27) The guiding policy framework of this destination is the Communication "A New ERA for Research and Innovation"[1], the Council Recommendation on the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe (Pact for R&I)[2], and the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda (2025-2027)[3].
The funded actions will strengthen the ERA by promoting the freedom of movement of researchers, scientific knowledge, and technology and by providing new evidence for better-informed policymaking. More details on the ERA policy framework are in the introduction to the WIDERA work programme 2026-2027. The EU Member States, Associated Countries, R&I stakeholders, and the Commission work together to implement the ERA.
This process is steered by the ERA Policy Agenda, which identifies specific ERA Actions (time-limited initiatives) and Structural Policies (long-term policies) designed to tackle concrete challenges faced by R&I communities in Europe. This work programme is designed to support this process.
The funded actions will build knowledge and capacities at the level of institutions and ecosystems to adopt reforms and practices in line with the ERA Policy Agenda, thereby contributing to the implementation of the ERA.
The destination will be implemented in synergy with the European Higher Education Area and the European Education Area, especially in relation to R&I careers and institutional changes in universities and research organisations. Several call topics and other actions will also contribute to the implementation of the European framework for research careers[4].
The destination includes two calls with 13 topics in total as well as other actions, targeting a wide range of R&I stakeholders, e.g., universities, research performing and funding organisations, research evaluation agencies, networks of researchers, publishers, industry and start-ups, policymakers, local authorities, and public bodies.
The effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines is encouraged under this destination, including the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, to enhance the societal impact of project activities.
The ERA Platform showcases results from Horizon Europe-funded projects, making them available to a wide range of stakeholders to facilitate progress in ERA policy areas. Applicants are encouraged to consider these results as well as propose new tools, resources, and visual material that can be featured on the platform.
All topics in the 2026 and 2027 ERA calls are organised around four pillars, designed to enable the funded projects to strengthen R&I capacities across four complementary dimensions while addressing selected ERA Actions and Structural Policies. The table below summarises this approach, making it easier for applicants to choose their preferred policy area and type of activity. Each call topic title refers to its corresponding pillar.
_2026 and 2027 ERA calls: pillar structure_ **Pillar I: Institutional changes for ERA****Pillar II: Ecosystems for ERA** Type: coordination and support actions Focus: capacity building and support to foster adoption of ERA policies/practices within institutions. Activity types: providing tools, resources, training, services, and policy advice.
* Inclusive gender equality * Research assessment reform * Research ethics and integrity * Open access policies Type: coordination and support actions Focus: building and reinforcing networks and partnerships to foster broad uptake of ERA policies/practices. Activity types: exchanging knowledge and practice, networking and cooperative actions.
* Research ethics and integrity * Environmentally sustainable science **Pillar III: Citizens and science in ERA****Pillar IV: New knowledge for ERA** Type: coordination and support actions Focus: connecting R&I with citizens and other stakeholders. Activity types: implementing and promoting participatory approaches, such as citizen engagement and citizen science.
* Citizen and societal engagement Type: research and innovation actions Focus: creating new knowledge that supports design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and practices. Activity types: conducting analyses, developing and testing new methods and practices.
* Reproducibility in research * Research ethics and integrity * Inclusive gender equality Proposals under this destination should set out a credible pathway to one or several of the following expected impacts: * Effective and sustainable structural institutional changes aligned with the ERA priorities; * Sustainable ecosystems established around the ERA priorities through enhanced cooperation, coordination and alignment; * Increased trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs; * Strengthened evidence base for advancing the implementation of the ERA; * Increased reproducibility, trustworthiness and transparency of scientific research; * A more open, equitable and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem; * A research ethics and integrity ecosystem continually enhanced with robust methodologies that encourage benefit sharing and prevent ethics dumping; * Systemic reform of research assessment through the recognition of the diverse outputs, practices, and activities which maximise the quality and impact of research; * Improved research careers and mobility, based on the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries; * Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy; * Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes; * Increased uptake, effectiveness and impact of environmentally sustainable research; * More resilient and future-proof R&I policies and long-term strategies with effectively integrated strategic intelligence and strengthened foresight communities; * A more strategic, coherent, and evidence-based approach towards cooperation with China in the area of science, technology, and innovation.
[1] https://eur-lex. europa. eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?
uri=CELEX:52020DC0628&from=EN. [2] https://eur-lex. europa.
eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/? uri=CELEX:32021H2122. [3] https://european-research-area.
ec. europa. eu/era-policy-agenda-2025-2027.
[4] Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, https://eur-lex. europa. eu/eli/C/2023/1640/oj.
Topic conditions and documents #### 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. **Proposal page limits and layout:** described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
#### 2. Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. #### 3. Other Eligible Conditions Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities: Each established in a different Member State or Associated Country; and two of which are established in a Member State.
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. #### 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
#### 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. #### 5b.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. #### 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
#### 6.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [This [decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.
europa. eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en. pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
#### Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): **Application form templates**_— the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System_ Standard application form (HE CSA) **Evaluation form templates**_— will be used with the necessary adaptations_ Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) **Model Grant Agreements (MGA)** **Call-specific instructions** Detailed budget table (HE LS) Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
#### Additional documents: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15.
General Annexes HE Framework Programme 2021/695 HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement No submission system is open for this topic.
Topic Q&As**1** item(s) found Under the WIDERA Destination “Reforming and enhancing the European research and innovation system” (calls HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06 and HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05), is there a requirement to include a partner from a Widening country?
In calls under the WIDERA Destination “Reforming and enhancing the European research and innovation system”, there are no specific conditions with respect to the involvement of legal... Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application. Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe. Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management. Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’). Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs.
The support includes guidance on the EU research funding. IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe (including EEA/EFTA countries, and other associated third countries). Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The published deadline was March 12, 2026, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Pillar II: Piloting innovative approaches to support academic startups and spinoffs is funded by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Reinforcing EU autonomous access to space through EU-based spaceports is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes: Reinforcing EU strategic autonomy by reducing non-EU dependencies for accessing space; Providing an EU access to space necessary for EU space missions through state of the art and innovative solutions; Diversifying the access to space providers in the EU; Contributing to expand commercial access to space offers and services in the EU; Reinforcing Access to Space to ensure that Europe maintains and improve autonomous, reliable and cost-effective access to space. Scope: The EU needs to improve the resilience of its access to space for the implementation of EU space programme. New entrants will contribute to this endeavour. Projects are expected to support EU launch service providers to set up launch pad(s) in the EU territory enabling to perform EU launch services. Projects are expected to contribute to the development of necessary ground facilities to conduct launch services from the EU territory; e.g. launch integration, storage and operation facilities, launch pad and complex, control command facility, payload processing and integration facilities, tracking means, safety means, propellant storage... EU launch service provider(s) are expected to be part of the project consortium and be the ultimate users of the resulting facilities making use of EU launch vehicles for providing EU launch services. Proposals under this topic should explore synergies and be complementary to past actions related to ground segment for launch services, in particular the topics: HORIZON-CL4-2023-SPACE-01-23 and HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-11. All the activities should be complementary with national and ESA on-going or future activities, in particular those decided at the ESA council Ministerial Meeting in November 2025. In this topic, the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 8 by the end of the project. The reference TRL definition is the ISO 16290:2013 applicable to the space sector. Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Digital, Industry and Space
Space critical Equipment for EU non-dependence – Space Refuelling Interface is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Reinforcing EU strategic autonomy by reducing non-EU dependencies on critical space Equipment and related technologies across their entire supply chain; Providing unrestricted access to critical space Equipment and related technologies relevant for EU space missions and pilots (e.g. In-Orbit Space Operations); Developing or regaining capacity to operate independently in space by developing resilient space Equipment and related technologies supply chains, relying on EU supply chains and/or trustable and reliable supply chains not affected by non-EU export restrictions; Enhancing competitiveness by developing products and capabilities reaching equivalent or superior performance level than those from outside the EU and compete at worldwide level. Scope: Unrestricted access to state-of-art space equipment and related technologies is a pre-requisite for the EU space industry responding to EU space missions. However, especially for some families of equipment, the available solutions in EU do not meet the current high-performance space requirements. Currently, alternative products sourced from outside EU, are either affected by non-EU export control, that limits its use, or present challenges in terms of trustable supply chains for the implementation of EU space missions with a security dimension. Within the frame of this topic, it is expected to finance and implement a development project aiming at maturing critical equipment with the final goal of lowering the dependency from outside EU. This will be done by establishing a long-term sustainable supply chain for supporting EU strategic autonomy in the space sector. The selection of the supply chains shall reflect this objective. Therefore, the supply chain shall preferably be built fully based in EU and when this can only be achieved partially, services procured from outside EU shall nevertheless ensure that the overall supply chain will remain trustable and not affected by non-EU export control. The latest scenario is subject to the approval of the granting authority (i.e. DG-DEFIS and HaDEA). The space equipment and related technologies relevant for this topic represent a direct implementation of the EU Observatory of Critical Technologies (OCT) Technology Roadmap, named Robotics Manipulators for Space Applications: Space Refuelling Interface . Further details will be provided at the latest at the opening of the Call, in a Guidance document published on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Space is a low volume market affected by a dynamic industrial landscape compared to the terrestrial market therefore, technological spin in and/or bilateral collaborations should be enhanced between European non-space and space industries. Furthermore, proposed activities should be complementary to relevant national or other activities at EU level. Complementary activities should be clearly identified, described and the proposal should report how the complementarity is ensured. To achieve the non-dependence objective, applicants are expected to include a dedicated proposal’s paragraph covering: The description of the technology and/or technology processes used for developing the equipment and high-level breakdown of the supply chain to be used. Applicants should demonstrate that the supply chain and final product are free of any legal export restrictions or limitations, such as those established in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or equivalent instruments applicable in other non-EU jurisdictions. Applicants shall also report, in a dedicated subsection, if and which part of the supply chain is affected by non-EU export controls such as the Export Administration regulation (EAR) i.e. EAR99. The description of the suitable technology development process that has been identified and set up within the consortium for avoiding export restrictions of non-EU states and assess vulnerab Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Digital, Industry and Space, Space, including Earth Observation
IA Resilience call reinforcing Europe's strenght in health is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: the proposals under this call are expected to address one or more of the following subjects : • Enhanced personalized monitoring, care and treatments, focusing on the development of highly customized healthcare solutions, including the required research and diagnostic tools, tailored to individual needs, covering various scenarios such as chronic disease management, physiotherapy, precision diagnosis, personalized medicine/treatment, pre- and postoperative care, and daily assistance in homes and common spaces. It also targets effective management of chronic diseases and elderly care through personalized monitoring and interventions facilitated by advanced sensor technologies and edge-to-cloud solutions. This includes the development and integration of solutions for Hospitalization at Home, enabling patients to receive complex, remotely supervised care using intelligent medical devices capable of sensing, analysing, and transmitting real-time data. This requires a continuum, from in-hospital diagnostics to robust, long-term patient support at home via AI-driven care pathways and hospitalization at home. • Prevention and treatment of diseases, allowing the improved scientific understanding, early detection and proactive prevention of diseases through scientific research, continuous monitoring, predictive analytics, and timely alerts, possibly powered by AI algorithms. This preventive approach enables early intervention and significantly reduces risks associated with many illnesses such as viral infections (e.g. epi- and pan demics), cardiovascular diseases, diabetes complications affecting the health of the young and old. • Efficient, scalable, and cost-effective healthcare, demonstrating how ECS-based technologies can streamline clinical workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and improve resource allocation in healthcare systems. This includes automation and intelligent operations management across clinical, diagnostic, and homecare settings, ultimately improving cost-effectiveness and scalability. • Secure and compliant healthcare continuum, including solutions that ensure robust data protection and regulatory compliance (e.g. GDPR), particularly in handling sensitive health data. Projects should adopt privacy-by-design principles and implement secure data handling architectures using localized edge computing, encryption, authentication, and anonymization strategies within both clinical and assisted living environments. • Seamless interoperability across devices, systems, and platforms, addressing the integration of heterogeneous systems across the edge-to-cloud continuum. Solutions should rely on open standards and modular architectures to ensure interoperability, flexibility, and adaptability across various healthcare settings and use cases, fostering a unified European health-tech ecosystem. Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Digital, Industry and Space
The EU's last major Horizon Europe work programme puts €14B on the table through 2027. A strategic breakdown of budgets, deadlines, eligibility, and how US-based teams can compete.
Read articleEUR 307M in Horizon Europe AI calls closed April 15, 2026. US researchers can participate — but the rules are specific. Here is how to navigate them.
Read articleThe EU committed €900 million to lure researchers with relocation grants worth up to €2 million each. France placed 41 of 46 recruits from the US. Here is what the global talent war means for American research institutions and grant seekers.
Read article