Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To strengthen and expand cooperation between innovation players, facilitating the growth and internationalization of innovative companies, particularly deep tech startups, by attracting foreign investment and expanding market access within the EU and Associated Countries.
Target recipients: Consortia primarily consisting of business acceleration service providers, investor networks/clubs, and innovation hubs. Indirectly targets startups and scaleups seeking later-stage funding and international expansion.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC' or 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC': SECTOR-AGNOSTIC, but with a strong focus on deep tech and solutions addressing key societal challenges (green, digital, social transitions, food security, healthcare, circularity).
Geographic scope: All EU Member States and Associated Countries. A key requirement is for the consortium to include entities from both 'moderate'/'emerging' innovator regions and 'strong'/'innovation leader' regions.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Requires a consortium with specific regional innovation performance representation; aims to address challenges related to startup/scaleup internationalization and investment attraction; and focuses on societal 'burning challenges'.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe 'European Innovation Ecosystems' Work Programme. It is a single-stage call for 2026, implying it is part of a recurring programmatic effort.

Financial Structure

Funding type: This grant is provided as a lump sum contribution, which covers all eligible costs based on an upfront estimation.
Total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-EIE-2026-01-CONNECT-02): 5,000,000 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per project: 1,000,000 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 1,000,000 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Number of expected grants: 5.
Funding rate: 100.0% of eligible costs, as the lump sum is intended to cover the total estimated eligible project costs.
Eligible costs: The lump sum approximates beneficiaries' actual costs and can cover personnel, subcontracting, purchase costs (e.g., travel, equipment, other goods/services), financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, and access to research infrastructure. These costs must comply with Horizon Europe eligibility rules.
Ineligible costs: Any costs deemed ineligible under standard Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect costs: A 25% flat rate is applied to the direct cost categories that qualify for indirect cost calculation under Horizon Europe rules.
Co-financing/Matching funds: The methodology ensures compliance with co-financing principles; the total estimated costs of the action are expected to be greater than the EU contribution, unless the EU funding covers 100% of the project's eligible costs.
Payment mechanism: Payments are tied to the proper implementation and completion of work packages, as defined in the grant agreement. Payments are not contingent on actual costs incurred.
Financial reporting and audits: There is no requirement to report actual costs. Financial ex-post audits are minimized. Checks focus on the technical implementation and the fulfillment of conditions for lump sum release per work package. A contradictory procedure will be used if conditions are not met.
Financial guarantee: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Structure

Eligible organization types: Business acceleration service providers, investor networks and clubs, and innovation hubs (which include private and public entities, incubators, and accelerators).
Consortium requirement: Mandatory participation of at least three (3) independent legal entities from three (3) different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
Regional representation: At least one (1) consortium member must be established in a 'moderate' or 'emerging' innovator region, and at least one (1) in a 'strong' or 'innovation leader' innovator region.
Regional classification reference: The Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS), European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), and Global Innovation Index (GII) are used. Associated Countries not in EIS/GII that rank below 25 on the latest GII are considered 'moderate'/'emerging innovators'. Countries not included in these references, but ranked below the average in the Horizon Europe country profile, are also considered 'moderate'/'emerging'.

Legal & Financial Standing

Admissibility conditions: Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout specifications as described in Annex A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, with details found in the Submission System's Part B of the Application Form.
Financial and operational capacity: Applicants must meet the criteria described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Requirements

Applicant origin: All participating entities must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.

Application Process

Submission Timeline

Planned opening date for submissions: 2025-09-10.
Application deadline: 2026-01-20 00:00:00 UTC.
Submission procedure: Single-stage application process.

Application Process

Required documentation: Applicants must use the application form specific to this call, available in the Submission System. A detailed budget table (HE LS) must also be utilized.
Budget declaration: Proposals must include a clear declaration from beneficiaries stating that they have prepared their estimated budget using their own accounting practices.

Support & Guidance

A range of support resources are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk for technical issues, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

Implementation & Reporting Obligations

Project duration: Supported activities should involve co-designed programmes lasting at least two (2) years.
Reporting: Progress and technical implementation will be monitored through technical checks, reviews, and audits to ensure that the conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package are met.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Process

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (not provided in this document).
Evaluation is conducted by external independent experts.
Assessment focuses on the proposal's excellence, expected impact, and the quality and efficiency of its implementation.

Project Specific Scoring Factors (Expected Impact)

Contribution to creating interconnected, inclusive, and efficient innovation ecosystems across the EU, engaging less represented stakeholders and regions (e.g., rural areas), to address collective challenges (including green, digital, and social transitions, and advancing the European Research Area and the New European Innovation Agenda).
Enhancement of cross-border network connectivity and inter-regional collaboration for improved innovation performance, building on strategic regional strengths to create new European value chains (relevant to green/digital transition and open strategic autonomy, including the five 'burning challenges').
Capacity building, experience sharing, and cooperation fostering wider implementation of innovation procurement to accelerate time-to-market for innovative solutions.
Increase in innovation co-investments, fostering synergies and leveraging other funding sources.
Improvement of innovation policy coordination and networking activities among Member States and Associated Countries via the EIC Forum.

Financial Evaluation (for Lump Sum Proposals)

Budget estimation check: Experts with financial expertise will review the estimated budget based on benchmarks such as market prices, statistical data, and historical data from comparable actions.
Resource assessment: Experts will assess whether the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are sufficient to achieve the planned activities and expected outputs.
Accounting practices verification: Proposals must include a declaration confirming that beneficiaries have used their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Exclusion criteria: Defined in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial framework: Projects must adhere to the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorizing lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe, as well as Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Ethical & Technical Standards

Compliance: Checks will be conducted on ethics and research integrity, intellectual property management, dissemination and exploitation of results, and gender equality during and after project implementation.

Project Specific Requirements

Challenge alignment: All proposed activities must be targeted towards one or more of the five 'burning challenges' outlined in the New European Innovation Agenda: reducing reliance on fossil fuels, increasing global food security, mastering digital transformation (including cybersecurity), improving healthcare, and achieving circularity.
Collaboration: Consortia are strongly encouraged to collaborate with national innovation agencies, relevant government organizations, and to seek synergies with existing EU initiatives (e.g., Enterprise Europe Network) and other projects funded under this topic.

Cross-cutting Themes

Inclusivity and diversity: A key focus is on fostering inclusive and gender-diverse innovation ecosystems, engaging less represented regions and actors.
Synergies with other funding: Applicants should actively explore and pursue synergies with other relevant EU, national, and regional innovation programs, including Cohesion Policy funds, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, EU's External Action instruments, and various Growth Plans (Western Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine).

Risk Management

Shift in monitoring focus: As funding is provided via lump sums, the emphasis of checks shifts from financial auditing to verifying the technical implementation and successful completion of work packages. Non-completion of work packages can lead to withholding or recovery of funds.

Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Financial Structure

Eligibility Requirements

Application Process

Evaluation Criteria

Compliance & Special Requirements

Grant Details