The European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) has selected 63 new projects for funding under the Teaming, Excellence Hubs, and ERA Chair actions of the WIDERA “Widening participation and spreading excellence” programme part of Horizon Europe. The total funding for these projects amounts to €315 million. The three calls were launched in 2023, and all projects are due to start their activities between end of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.
The Teaming initiative aims to accelerate research and innovation by creating or upgrading centres of excellence in low-performing countries. It fosters partnerships between leading scientific institutions and those in low-performing countries, helping to improve competitiveness and address societal challenges. The call closed on 7 March 2024, with 34 submitted proposals. 13 projects were selected for funding, starting their activities between November 2024 and January 2025.
The goal of the ERA Chairs action is to increase research capacity at universities or scientific centres in Widening Countries, by attracting top researchers and establishing a fully integrated team to enhance performance in a chosen scientific domain. This call for proposals also closed in March 2024, receiving 158 applications, of which 38 were selected for funding.
The Excellence Hubs funding opportunity fosters collaboration between academia, business, government, and society in Widening countries. After receiving 205 project proposals in March this year, 12 were selected to receive EU funding.