ATHENA Grant & Support Office

NEWS

LIFE 2026 Call for proposals sets a new record for applications

1 430 project proposals requesting a total of €4.3 billion in EU funding were received in response to the LIFE Programme 2026 Call for proposals for nature, environment, climate action and clean energy transition projects.

Digital Europe Programme – new call results published

The Health and Digital Executive Agency has completed the calls DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 and DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10, funded under the Digital Europe Programme. The call DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 received a total of 25 proposals by the deadline of 01 October 2026. The...

Guidance Document on Science Communication and Research Culture’

This guidance document provides a practical framework to help research organisations strengthen and embed science communication in research cultures and across the research lifecycle. It addresses the evolving science communication landscape, including public...

 Now Open: EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction Call for Proposals 2026

The EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction Call for Proposals 2026 provides funding for organisations to develop STEM induction activities that can respond to real-world needs, build practical skills, and help learners progress towards further learning in STEM, training and...

EU-China Joint Steering Committee meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation

EU and China held the 17th EU-China Joint Steering Committee Meeting on Science and Technology in Beijing. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms Cristina Russo, Deputy Director-General for Innovation, Prosperity and International Cooperation at the European Commission’s...

European Innovation Council backs 43 projects to turn breakthrough research into prototypes

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 43 groundbreaking projects under the EIC Pathfinder Open 2026 call, each of them receiving up to €4 million in grant funding. From pioneering cancer treatments and quantum computing to advanced manufacturing and...

The Guild calls for FP10 to scale up Europe’s frontier research

The Guild calls for the introduction of Scale-Up Research Actions (SUPRA) in FP10 to support curiosity-driven collaborative frontier research and strengthen Europe's scientific leadership. In a new position paper, we argue that FP10 must also provide opportunities for...

ATHENA FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES CALENDAR

Erasmus +

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Neighbourhood East
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-VIRT-EXCH-NE
04 Dec 202526 Nov 2026
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges in Western Balkans
ERASMUS-EDU-2026-VIRT-EXCH-WB
04 Dec 202526 Nov 2026

Horizon Chips 2023 JU

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
Quantum Experimental Pilot Lines for Quantum Technologies
HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-QEXP-14-01
13 Aug 202617 Nov 2026

Horizon Europe 2021-2027

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2027
HORIZON-MSCA-2027-SE-01-01
15 Dec 202615 Apr 2027
Pilot access schemes to Technology Infrastructures for European startups, scaleups and innovative SMEs (CSA)
HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-47
22 Sep 202602 Feb 2027
R&I Policy Support for Enlargement Countries
POLICY ENLARGE
09 Sep 202612 Nov 2026
Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Call 2026
DUT
01 Sep 202617 Nov 2026
EIC STEP Scale Up
HORIZON-EIC-2026-STEP
06 Nov 202525 Nov 2026

Horizon Europe Cluster 5

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
Africa-EU CO-FUND action on climate
HORIZON-CL5-2027-01-D1-11
17 Nov 202604 Mar 2027

Open for SMEs-Innovators-Students

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
EIC Accelerator 2026 – Short proposal
HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01
06 Nov 202517 Dec 2026

Regional Innovation-Research-Education

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
KAVA Call 14 – RIS Innovation
EIT RM BP26-28
07 Aug 202616 Oct 2026

EVENTS

14th International Week, Chania, 31st of May-4th of June, 2027

Host Institution Details Name and Erasmus Code: Hellenic Mediterranean University and G KRITIS05 Faculty/Department: School of Engineering / Department of Electronics Type of Organization: Comprehensive University City: Heraklion Country / Country Code: Greece / GR...

#EURegionsWeek – Watch Sessions Online

The following EU sessions will be webstreamed: Monday 12 Official Opening of the European Week of Regions and Cities Mon 12/10/2026, 14:30 - 16:00 CET Tuesday 13 High Level Session - Making the Right to Stay a Reality: Opportunities for our Communities and our...

Monitoring the European Universities Initiative: EHESO’s contribution to the evidence base – 13 October

You are invited to take part in the online policy workshop Monitoring the European Universities Initiative: EHESO's contribution to the evidence base, taking place online on Tuesday 13 October 2026, from 14:00 to 17:00 CEST. As the European Universities...

Online event on Building the EOSC Federation, 22/10/2026

On Thursday 22 October 2026 (14:30–16:30 CEST), the INSPIRING ERA project is organising an event entitled Building the EOSC Federation: Progress, Practice and Lessons from across Europe where process shaping the EOSC Federation across Europe including...

Horizon Europe WIDERA Brokerage Event 2027, 16/10/2026

Horizon Europe - ERA 2027 Brokerage Event NCP_WIDERA.NET, the network of National Contact Points for Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA), cordially invites you to the ERA Knowledge Day and Brokerage Event for the new ERA call...

The European Innovation Act and universities: aims, ambitions and next steps

Initiatives to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and innovation capacity have greatly proliferated with the adoption of the Startup and Scaleup Strategy in 2025, the implementation of the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027 and the still-evolving plans for the next Horizon...

Quality assurance of joint programmes: what does the ‘European Approach’ mean for universities?

Joint programmes are an increasingly common feature of European higher education, supported by initiatives such as Erasmus Mundus and the European Universities alliances, yet coordinating separate national accreditation procedures for each partner institution remains...