Call for Proposals 2026: Pre-announcement

Overview

The EIT Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI) will launch its new Call for Proposals in Q4 2026 to support higher education institutions (HEIs) in strengthening their capacity to turn STEM talent, knowledge and research into deep tech and manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship, while contributing to European competitiveness. 

Building on the EIT HEI’s established approach to institutional transformation, the Call contributes to the objectives of the Union of Skills and its STEM Education Strategic Plan, the Competitiveness Compass, and the Clean Industrial Deal.

It responds to the growing need for HEIs to (i) develop innovation, entrepreneurship and intellectual property (IP) capabilities particularly across STEM fields; (ii) improve knowledge valorisation and technology transfer, and (iii) deepen collaboration with industry, and regional and European innovation ecosystems. 

The focus is therefore on strengthening the capacity of the HEIs to transform STEM talent, research and knowledge into real-world innovation and entrepreneurship. Projects should contribute to strengthening HEIs as drivers of deep-tech innovation, with a strong focus on manufacturing capacity and strategic technologies that enable industrial applications. 

Funding & Duration

Objectives

Projects will strengthen HEIs’ long-term capacity to drive deep tech and manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship across three interconnected areas (all mandatory):

1. STEM talent for innovation and entrepreneurship: Developing innovation, entrepreneurship and intellectual property (IP) capabilities of students, academics and other HEI staff studying or working in relevant STEM fields¹*.  Activities may support the skills needed to identify opportunities, develop and validate innovative ideas, manage IP, work with industry and research partners, and create or contribute to new products, services, processes, start-ups and other forms of entrepreneurial activity.  
2. Institutional capacity for knowledge valorisation and innovation: Strengthening the institutional structures, processes, and leadership needed to support innovation and entrepreneurship within HEIs. This may include strengthening capacities for knowledge valorisation and technology transfer, IP management, stronger links between education, research and innovation, start-up and spin-off creation, commercialisation, and market uptake. 
3. Integration into innovation ecosystems: Building stronger and more systematic connections between HEIs, research organisations, industry, investors, EIT KICs and regional and European innovation ecosystems.  Projects should help HEIs access the expertise, networks, infrastructure, investment and real-world challenges needed to develop and scale innovative ideas and entrepreneurial initiatives. a Particular attention may be given to collaboration with organisations active in deep-tech and strategic industrial technologies, including advanced manufacturing and other emerging technologies. 

Who Can Participate?

The Call will support multi-partner consortia bringing together higher education institutions and relevant organisations from the wider innovation ecosystem. Given the Call’s focus on driving deep tech and manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship, consortia should bring together organisations with relevant background and experience. Participating HEIs should have expertise and be active in developing or supporting deep tech and manufacturing innovation, and consortia should have access to a significant pool of STEM students and staff. 

Eligible organisation types

• Education organisations
  • Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): institutions offering recognised degrees or other tertiary-level qualifications, and other comparable institutions at tertiary level recognised by their national authorities. Each HEI must provide proof of accreditation by the relevant national authority.  
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers.
• Research and knowledge-transfer organisations
  • Research institutes and organisations. 
  • Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs) and Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), either as organisational units within eligible HEIs or research organisations, or as separate legal entities where applicable.
• Industry and business organisations
  • Businesses (private or public; small, medium-sized or large enterprises)
  • Associations and networks representing industry, business and innovation organisations
  • Social enterprises
• Public, intermediary and civil-society organisations
  • Public bodies at local, regional or national level.
  • Intermediary organisations or associations representing HEIs.
  • Non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Consortium Composition Requirements

Applications must be submitted by a consortium of at least five funded partners, including:

• At least three Higher Education Institutions from three different Horizon Europe eligible countries, with at least one established in an EU Member State), each involving at least two faculties, departments, units or equivalent.
• At least two industry partners and/or industry representative organisations, including SMEs, start-ups and/or larger enterprises or industry representative organisations such as industry associations. At least one industry partner is encouraged to be active in manufacturing or industrial technologies.

An organisation may participate as a funded beneficiary in only one application submitted under this EIT HEI Call 2026. 

Organisations funded under EIT HEI Call 2025 are not eligible to apply (non-funded associated partners are eligible)

Full participation and eligibility requirements will be set out in the full Call text upon launch.

Start building your consortium now!

Start identifying potential partners and building your consortium ahead of the Call launch. The EIT HEI matchmaking platform is available to help organisations connect with potential project partners and develop their future EIT HEI consortium. 

Access the EIT HEI Call 2026 matchmaking platform.

Please note: The information provided on this page is preliminary and subject to change. Final details, including eligibility criteria, topics, and funding conditions, will be confirmed upon the official launch of the Call for Proposals later in 2026.

1. STEM definition: For this Call, STEM is defined in alignment with the STEM Education Strategic Plan, which “broadly covers the fields of education ‘Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics (05)’; ‘Information and Communication Technologies (06)’ and ‘Engineering, manufacturing and construction’ (07)’ of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), as well as related interdisciplinary fields and studies). ↩︎