Horizon Europe - EIT Higher Education Initiative
European Commission
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has launched a new call under its Higher Education Initiative (HEI) to boost STEM education, strengthen innovation capacity, and support Europe’s future workforce.
For the first time, the call will also deepen cooperation between EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and the European Universities alliances.
Largest EIT HEI Call to Date
The 2025 call aims to reinforce Europe’s innovation and entrepreneurship capacity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), supporting the EU’s Union of Skills and the STEM Education Strategic Plan. The initiative will train 200 000 students, academics and non-academic staff in innovation, entrepreneurship and intellectual property management by 2028.
With a budget of up to €70 million, and up to €2 million available per project over 24 months (2026–2028), this is the largest call issued under the programme to date. It strengthens innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM fields while inviting the European Universities alliances to collaborate more closely with Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem.
Funding can support:
Developing and implementing innovation action plans
Designing and delivering entrepreneurship programs
Training and mentoring
Establishing new innovation structures
Building partnerships and ecosystems
Supporting technology transfer and startups
Financement
Up to €2 million per project
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Requis d'admission
How to Apply
Consortia of higher education institutions, businesses, research organisations, public bodies and other non-academic partners are invited to consult the full call text and begin preparing applications. A dedicated matchmaking platform is available to support partner search, and a new interactive guide will help applicants assess their eligibility and readiness.
Two info sessions in December 2025 and January 2026 will provide practical guidance on the application process, project priorities and collaboration opportunities. You can learn more here.
Applications are open until 4 March 2026 (17:00 CET), with selected projects to be announced later in 2026.
About the EIT Higher Education Initiative
The EIT Higher Education Initiative is the only EU programme fully dedicated to driving innovation in higher education. It connects higher education institutions with industry and supports early-stage innovation through talent development, entrepreneurship training and startup support.
Since 2021, the initiative has supported more than 500 higher education institutions, trained more than 118 000 students and staff, and helped over 2 000 startups and scaleups grow. The initiative is part of the EIT Campus – a coordinated education portfolio designed to train 2.3 million learners by 2028, strengthening Europe’s innovation leadership.
With this new call, the EIT continues to support higher education institutions in collaborating across borders, fostering talent, and boosting Europe’s long-term innovation capacity.
Your consortium must :
Have at least 5 partner organisations, all based in Horizon Europe-eligible countries
Include at least 3 HEIs from 3 different Horizon Europe eligible countries For Topic 2, all 3 HEIs must be either members of the same European Universities alliance established under the European Universities Initiative, or were members of the same European Universities alliance after 1 January 2019
Include at least 1 business partner
Include at least 1 other non-HEI partner (business or other)
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