ATHENA Grant & Support Office

NEWS

European Court of Auditors publishes overview of its opinions on the next MFF

Over the past few months, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has published a dozen opinions on the new ways of financing EU policies and programmes from 2028 to 2034 as proposed by the European Commission. In these opinions, the auditors give their views on a wide...

EU long-term budget: responding to citizens’ expectations and major challenges

On Tuesday, Parliament set out its position for negotiations with member states on the main figures and structure of the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF). The 2028-2034 EU budget should be set at 1.27% of EU GNI, with debt servicing for the...

EC appoints new director for its Research Executive Agency

Stephen Collins, a British national, is currently Head of Unit for Corporate Organisational Change in the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security. He previously served as acting Director for Organisational Design and Development in the same...

EuroHPC JU launches call for proposals to strengthen European AI ecosystem

The call, HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-COAIF-03 which has an indicative budget of EUR 25 million, invites consortia to submit proposals for a Research and Innovation Action that will address three specific challenges: Coordinating and networking of AI Factories...

Eight European startups set to receive funding under EIC STEP Scale Up call

Out of 44 companies that submitted their proposal, 28 were invited to interview with independent high-level experts. Eight of those met all the eligibility and evaluation criteria and are now put forward for investment decisions by the EIC Fund, subject to due...

Country participation in European Innovation Ecosystems Programme

The European Commission has published a new report on 'Country Participation in the EU Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) Programme. The present report features of a series of country factsheets analysing Member States’ and Ukraine’s participation in EIE for the relevant...

MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 call receives 416 proposals

The sixth Staff Exchanges call of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions funded under Horizon Europe closed on 16 April 2026. The European Research Executive Agency received 416 proposals. Applicants requested a total budget close to €482.4 million. By comparison,...

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 Europe 2021-2027

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
EIC STEP Scale Up

HORIZON-EIC-2026-STEP

06 Nov 202525 Nov 2026

Open for SMEs-Innovators-Students

Call/TopicOpenDeadline
EIC Accelerator 2026 – Short proposal

HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01

06 Nov 202517 Dec 2026

EVENTS

Info session – Centres of Vocational Excellence 2026: Presentation and recording are now available

On 19 March 2026, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) organised an online Info Session to present the Centres of Vocational Excellence 2026 call for proposals.  The presentations and recording of the info session are now...

Horizon Europe info days – Cluster 2 Culture, creativity and inclusive society

https://research-innovation-community.ec.europa.eu/events/sAkccFozu9ewhdngHMM5P/live-sessions

OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026 Conference

After the launch of the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026: Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education, the OECD “Smart Data and Digital Technology in Education” project team organises a two-day international conference that will bring together leading...

Information and Networking webinar to support cooperation with Eastern Partnership (EaP) Partner countries in Research and Innovation

The Information and Networking Webinar on 19 March 2026 aiming to boost participation of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine - in Horizon Europe, the EU Funding Programme for Research and...

Energy Poverty Advisory Hub Annual Conference

The Energy Poverty Advisory Hub annual conference will take place on 17 and 18 March 2026 in Athens, Greece. Hosted by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy, in collaboration with the City of Athens and EPAH, and...

Horizon Europe info days – Cluster 2 Culture, creativity and inclusive society: Presentations available

2026 Topic video presentations Please watch the pre-recorded presentations of the call topics linked below. Destination 1: Democracy Video | Presentation slides Destination 2: Cultural Heritage Video | Presentation slides Destination 3: Transformations Video |...

STOA high-level conference – Academic Freedom in Support of Democracy

STOA high-level conference - Academic Freedom in Support of Democracy Academic freedom is widely recognised as a key condition for functioning of open and democratic societies that adhere to the rule of law. Similarly, full realisation of academic freedom is unlikely...