Deadline Date: September 24, 2026
The European Commission is inviting grant applications to strengthen cooperation and ensure the long-term impact of Centres of Excellence by promoting joint initiatives and collaborative innovation efforts.
The programme focuses on strengthening long-term collaboration among Centres of Excellence through joint initiatives and clustering, enabling strategic transformation of research and innovation systems, promoting multidisciplinary and transnational cooperation to address European and global challenges, advancing priorities such as responsible AI usage, knowledge valorisation, commercialisation and entrepreneurship, increasing visibility and recognition of Centres of Excellence, improving synergies with national and European programmes, fostering strategic clustering and thematic collaboration, supporting pilot implementation of collaborative clusters, building capacity for knowledge valorisation, enabling networking and matchmaking with industry and policymakers, developing digital platforms for collaboration, organising international conferences, and supporting entrepreneurship and technology transfer activities.
This initiative aims to build on previous investments in Centres of Excellence established under Teaming calls, particularly in Widening countries, by enhancing their sustainability and international competitiveness. It seeks to create stronger collaboration frameworks and shared initiatives that maximise the scientific, societal, and economic impact of these centres.
The scope of the call includes fostering collaboration among existing and future Centres of Excellence through structured activities such as strategic clustering, pilot implementation of joint initiatives, and capacity building programmes. It also encourages the development of networking opportunities, digital platforms, and international events to facilitate continuous interaction between research institutions, industry, and policymakers.
The programme provides funding of €7,000,000 to support comprehensive project proposals that bring together a wide range of expertise aligned with the proposed activities. It is designed to ensure that research outputs are translated into practical innovations and that collaboration leads to sustainable growth and impact.
Eligibility is open to any legal entity regardless of location, including organisations from non-associated third countries and international organisations, provided they meet the conditions set under the Horizon Europe Regulation and other applicable requirements. Entities may include organisations with legal personality or those recognised under relevant legal frameworks that can participate in collaborative research and innovation activities.
For more information, visit European Commission.
