ATHENA Grant & Support Office

NEWS

The State of Regions and Cities in the European Union

On 12 October 2026, the European Committee of the Regions will publish the seventh edition of its EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities, – under the motto "Strong Regions. Strong Europe"  – as a...

Irish Presidency publishes its Proposal for the EU’s Long-term Budget

On Saturday, 10 October 2026, the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU circulated its revised Negotiating Box for the next long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. A Decisive Moment After three months of in-depth engagements on...

EIT approves seven-year strategic agenda for EIT Water

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has approved EIT Water's Strategic Agenda, setting the direction for Europe's newest Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) from 2027 to 2033. This is a key step towards the signing of the Partnership...

Commission selects 46 new Strategic Projects to bolster the EU’s supply of critical raw materials

To strengthen EU supply chains and diversify sources of critical raw materials, the European Commission today announced that it has selected 46 new Strategic Projects across 16 Member States. The projects will contribute to the benchmarks set in the Critical Raw...

Lead MEPs on EU’s long-term budget react to Irish presidency’s negotiating box

Statement by leading MEPs on the long-term budget and own resources, in response to the negotiating box presented on Saturday by the Irish Presidency. The European Parliament’s lead co-rapporteurs on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) Siegfried Mureșan...

From Nobel ambition to budget decisions: Europe must invest in its future

LERU urges the Irish Presidency to give research, innovation and education a strong financial foundation in the next EU budget The League of European Research Universities (LERU) calls on the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU to give Europe’s ambitions for...

MintNeuro raises $5 million to scale-up chip platform for neural devices

The spinout’s semiconductor chips are purpose-built to work in the brain, enabling implants and other innovative devices that promise better management of conditions such as stroke, epilepsy and depression. MintNeuro, an Imperial spinout developing specialised chips...

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

#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...

Erasmus Days, 12-17/10/2026

From language exchange meetups to international food festivals, the Erasmus Days offer a unique chance to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and learn about different cultures. You can attend talks on studying abroad, discover the beauty of traditional...