Date:

07/07/2026

Webinar for Researchers and innovators in EIT and the KICs

Technology Centre Prague organises in the framework of the EIT national contacts (NCP4EIT) a series of events “Researchers and innovators in EIT and the KICs”. The main aim of this activity is to raise awareness among research organisations of the various EIT KICs opportunities across all areas of the knowledge triangle and increase the number of successful applicants. The target group of these events are the researchers and innovators, with a special focus on early-stage researchers.

The second webinar entitled “SPIN: RISE 2026” is taking place on 7 July 2026, 11:00-12:00 CEST (via MS Teams). During this event, the participants will learn more about the SPIN: RISE 2026 programme of 28DIGITAL (former EIT DIGITAL) offering four distinct tracks, each centred on a key industry-driven innovation domain and delivered by a leading 28DIGITAL partner with deep expertise in the field. In total, 100 places are available for this programme (25 in each track - Green Tech, Health Tech, Aerospace and Robotics, and Dual Tech Use).

Draft Agenda

11:00 Welcome and Introduction to EIT, TC Prague
11:10 Presentation of the NCP4EIT project, FORTH/PRAXI, coordinator
11:20 SPIN: RISE, Matteo Falsetta, 28DIGITAL
11:45 Q&A and end of the event

Registration is now open through this link http://geform.tc.cz/RISEWEBINAR_JULY26

Source: https://www.horizontevropa.cz/en/news/yiifnews/4237

News

25th International Gene Forum – international conference on genetics and genomics

25th International Gene Forum – international conference on genetics and genomics

The Institute of Genomics of the University of Tartu and the Estonian Genome Foundation are organising the 25th International Gene Forum on 25–26 August 2026 at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu, Estonia.

Gene Forum is one of the leading scientific conferences in the Baltic region in the field of genetics and genomics. The 2026 anniversary edition will provide a broad perspective on the development of genomic science and genomics-based healthcare in Europe, with a focus on the future of European genomics, biobanking, disease prevention, personalised medicine, and innovative applications in health risk prediction.

The programme will feature contributions from renowned international experts, as well as scientific sessions dedicated to human genome complexity, single-cell genomics, the microbiome, and population genomics.

Dates: 25–26 August 2026
Location: Estonian National Museum, Tartu, Estonia
Target audience: researchers, health-technology developers, health-sector decision-makers, experts, stakeholders and clinicians

Further information: www.geneforum.ee

Call for proposals: Hop-On Facility

The Hop-On Facility call allows organisations from Widening countries to join already funded Horizon Europe projects, in particular Pillar II actions and collaborative EIC Pathfinder projects.

The instrument aims to increase inclusiveness in Horizon Europe and offers eligible institutions the opportunity to become partners in existing consortia. Participation requires identifying a funded project that does not already include partners from Widening countries.

Thus, the call offers research organisations, universities and other relevant actors the opportunity to contribute to European projects already under implementation and to expand their international collaborations.

Deadline: 24 september 2026

Details here.

Call for proposals: Research Management Facility

The Research Management Facility call aims to establish a European facility that will provide tailored support to institutions in Widening countries for the development or modernisation of their research management capacities.

The support may include the assessment of institutional needs, the development of implementation plans, training activities, exchange of good practices, and networking opportunities for research managers.

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium, and the coordinator must be a legal entity established in a Widening county. The consortium must include at least three independent entities from Member States or Associated Countries, of which two must be established in Member States.

Deadline: 24 september 2026

Details here.

Opportunity to register in the European Commission’s experts database

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) invites experts from a wide range of fields to register in the European Commission’s experts database.

From this database, we select candidates with the most suitable profile to evaluate proposals for fundingand monitor the implementation of ongoing funded projects under Horizon Europe and other funding programmes.

Details here: https://rea.ec.europa.eu/working-rea/work-expert_en

International Conference on Research Infrastructures

ICRI 2026 – Bridging Science, Society and Diplomacy through Research Infrastructures

The International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI) is the flagship global forum for strategic dialogue and international cooperation on research infrastructures (RIs).

It brings together scientists, policymakers, RI directors and operators, funding organizations and industry to share best practices, align priorities, and help shape the future of the world’s most advanced facilities, services, and data ecosystems.

Period: 2–4 december 2026
Location: Roma, Italy

Details here: https://registrazioneeventi.cnr.it/event/169/

Highlights

EU Missions

A new way to bring concrete solutions to some of the EU greatest challenges with ambitious goals to deliver concrete results by 2030.

EU Missions will deliver impact by putting research and innovation into a new role in combination with new forms of governance and collaboration, as well as citizen engagement.
EU Missions are a coordinated effort by the Commission to pool the necessary resources in terms of funding programmes, policies and regulations, as well as other activities. They aim to mobilise and activate public and private actors, such as EU Member States, regional and local authorities, research institutes, farmers and land managers, entrepreneurs and investors to create a real and lasting impact.
EU Missions will support Europe’s transformation into a greener, healthier, more inclusive and resilient continent.

Mission Starfish 2030: Restore our Ocean and Waters

Targets by 2030: cleaning marine and fresh waters, restoring degraded ecosystems and habitats, decarbonising the blue economy in order to sustainably harness the essential goods and services they provide.

Caring for Soil is Caring for Life

Targets by 2030: at least 75% of all soils in the EU are healthy for food, people, nature and climate. The proposed mission combines research and innovation, education and training, investments and the demonstration of good practices using “Living labs” (experiments and innovation in a laboratory on the ground) and “Lighthouses” (places to showcase good practices).

Conquering Cancer: Mission Possible

Targets by 2030: more than 3 million more lives saved, living longer and better, achieve a thorough understanding of cancer, prevent what is preventable, optimise diagnosis and treatment, support the quality of life of all people exposed to cancer, and ensure equitable access to the above across Europe.

A Climate Resilient Europe - Adaptation to Climate change

Targets by 2030: prepare Europe to deal with climate disruptions, accelerate the transition to a healthy and prosperous future within safe planetary boundaries and scale up solutions for resilience that will trigger transformations in society.

100 Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030 - by and for the citizens

Targets by 2030: support, promote and showcase 100 European cities in their systemic transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030 and turn these cities into innovation hubs for all cities, benefiting quality of life and sustainability in Europe.

European Parterships in Horizon Europe

European Partnerships bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address additional challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives, on top of the challenges addressed by Horizon Europe. They are a key implementation tool of Horizon Europe, and contribute significantly to achieving the EU’s political priorities.

By bringing private and public partners together, European Partnerships help to avoid the duplication of investments and contribute to reducing the fragmentation of the research and innovation landscape in the EU.

Find out more about European Partnerships in the Commission’s infographic.

Identifying partnerships

The Commission carried out impact assessments that helped identify the candidates for partnerships.

The portfolio of European Partnerships includes 49 candidates which have now been taken into the next step of preparations.

The partnership candidates are collected across 5 areas.

Full details of candidates, draft proposal documents and contact details please see below.

The current list of candidate European Partnerships is found in Annex 7 of the Orientations towards the first Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe.

Results from the structured consultation of EU countries are summarised in the report European Partnerships under Horizon Europe: results of the structured consultation of Member States.

Types of partnership

The Horizon Europe proposal lays down the conditions and principles for establishing European Partnerships. There are 3 types.

Co-programmed European Partnerships
These are partnerships between the Commission and private and/or public partners. They are based on memoranda of understanding and/or contractual arrangements.

Co-funded European Partnerships using a programme co-fund action
Partnerships involving EU countries, with research funders and other public authorities at the core of the consortium.

Institutionalised European Partnerships
These are partnerships where the EU participates in research and innovation funding programmes that are undertaken by EU countries.

These partnerships require legislative proposals from the Commission and are based on a Council Regulation (Article 187) or a Decision by the European Parliament and Council (Article 185). They are implemented by dedicated structures created for that purpose.

Institutionalised partnerships will only be implemented where other parts of the Horizon Europe programme, including other types of partnership, would not achieve the desired objectives or expected impacts.

Documents

Horizon Europe’s next generation European partnerships (PDF File)

Source:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe/european-partnerships-horizon-europe_en

Widening & ERA

WIDERA NCPs is an umbrella name for the transnational network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area under Horizon Europe.

NCP_WIDERA.NET Project is a 3 years Coordination and Support Action financed by the European Commission and established with the aim to empower the network of National Contact Points (NCP) for WIDERA under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.

Check-list for HE CSA actions – single-stage submission procedure

The check-list was developed as a tool for NCPs to help them to review the project proposals in order to help the applicants to develop their project proposals in higher quality. There are included all the conditions / questions published in the WP General Annexes, Application form and Evaluation form

SSH and Interdisciplinarity in Horizon Europe

Following a workshop activity which took place in May in Dublin, the report summarises delegates' input on opportunities, barriers and useful support.

In a nutshell, the main conclusions are:

From engaging in Horizon Europe, SSH researchers can gain funding, prestige, expansion of networks and opportunity for impact.
Social science and arts & humanities should not be understood as a monolith.
Reliable partners are a huge resource. Being included in networks might be challenging for newcomers.
Early career researchers can benefit from participation in Horizon Europe projects. However, provisions for their inclusion and career-development are not explicitly required nor rewarded by the funder.
There are considerable differences among institutions in terms of in-house, opportunities for peer-learning, expertise, capacities and contractual conditions

Upcoming Events