The European Excellence Initiative (EEI) is part of the Horizon Europe - Widening participation and spreading excellence programme. Its objectives are to empower higher education institutions in Widening Countries and strengthen their research and innovation capacity.
The initiative supports universities in developing scientific excellence, improving knowledge valorisation, and building stronger links with partners across Europe. Through strategic cooperation, talent development and institutional reform, it will create a more competitive, resilient and internationally connected higher education systems that can contribute more effectively to regional and European innovation.
The latest EEI call for proposals ran from May to November 2025, with 284 applications received. Out of them, 16 projects were selected to start their activities between September 2026 and January 2027.
What will the funded projects do?
The projects’ research focus goes from circular economy to agriculture, brain health, robotics and much more. Here are some examples:
VALORWIDE is a project coordinated by the Technical University of Sofia with an EU contribution of around €5 million. Through industry collaboration, Artificial Intelligence support and Intellectual Property solutions, training and innovation services, the project will strengthen regional ecosystems and Europe’s Industry 5.0 competitiveness.
WARIE is coordinated by the Institute for Informatics and Automation of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. It will support universities in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova to advance AI excellence through research hubs, skills development, upgraded digital infrastructure and a closer European Research Area integration, enhancing innovation and regional competitiveness.
HydraLink is coordinated by the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. With an EU contribution of around €5 million, the project aims to modernise higher education institutions in Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Greece by strengthening institutional excellence, research capacity and innovation in ‘Controlled Environment Agriculture’. This is a technology-based approach to farming that grows crops inside enclosed structures by precisely managing environmental factors like temperature, light, humidity and nutrients.
CIRC4FOOD is a project coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens. It addresses critical research and innovation disparities within the European Research Area by empowering Widening Countries to become engines of excellence in sustainable food systems.
More about the Widening funding opportunities
In line with the policy objectives of the European Research Area, the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ provides funding for projects that enhance the research and innovation capabilities of countries with lower performance.