Boosting sustainable competitiveness in rural areas through innovation

The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-COMMUNITIES-01 titled "Boosting Sustainable Competitiveness in Rural Areas through Innovation" is a significant funding opportunity aimed at enhancing rural regions within the EU. The initiative focuses on addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by these areas, promoting sustainable competitiveness through innovation and entrepreneurship. The total budget for this particular call is €11.8 million, earmarked for approximately two grants, each ranging from €5 million to €6 million.

Eligible applicants include diverse entities such as universities, research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, public sector organizations, and non-profits, particularly those focused on rural development. A specific emphasis is placed on supporting startups led by young entrepreneurs (up to 40 years old), showcasing the program's commitment to fostering innovation among the youth.

The grant operates as a lump sum funding mechanism, providing recipients with fixed financial support that simplifies financial management and project execution. Beneficiaries can also extend financial support to third parties, allowing for sub-grants up to €60,000.

The application process is a single-stage submission, with the opening date set for January 14, 2026, and a deadline of April 14, 2026. Proposals should focus on understanding the drivers of sustainable competitiveness in rural areas, enhancing access to services, and fostering entrepreneurial activity, particularly among young people. Projects are encouraged to demonstrate collaboration with existing initiatives and integrate contributions from the social sciences and humanities, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach.

Successful projects will aim to improve digital literacy, promote skills development, and create business opportunities, while addressing social and environmental concerns. Although specific success rates for this call are not disclosed, competitive dynamics suggest a rigorous selection process, with expectations for high-quality, innovative proposals.

Overall, this opportunity represents a vital investment in the future of rural communities, aiming to drive inclusive growth, sustainability, and innovation across Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-COMMUNITIES-01, which falls under the Horizon Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA). The call aims to boost sustainable competitiveness in rural areas through innovation. The indicative budget for this topic is 11,800,000 EUR, and it is a single-stage application process. The planned opening date is 14 January 2026, and the deadline for submission is 14 April 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The type of Model Grant Agreement is HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this call include: a better understanding of sustainable competitiveness in rural areas; improved access to services and sustainable business opportunities for rural communities; and the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills, particularly among young people, to foster sustainability, competitiveness, and digital literacy across various sectors of the rural economy.

The scope of the call emphasizes the relevance of projects to EU policies related to the long-term vision for EU's rural areas, agriculture and food, fair living and working conditions in vibrant rural areas, climate objectives, and the competitiveness compass. It acknowledges that rural areas, despite possessing natural resources, often face societal and market failures that hinder sustainable development, social inclusion, and competitiveness.

Proposals should: improve the understanding of the drivers and obstacles of sustainable competitiveness in rural areas, proposing indicators to measure competitiveness that incorporate social and environmental performance; support startups and/or businesses led by young rural entrepreneurs (indicatively up to 40 years old) to design, prototype, and test sustainable digital, technological, nature-based, and/or social solutions to improve access to services and/or create business opportunities, and propose mechanisms to share these solutions among rural areas through translocal networks; improve access to digital and hybrid education and training for rural communities to acquire new skills and support entrepreneurial mind-sets, particularly among young people, and link university graduates with young rural entrepreneurs to share knowledge and possibly create new collaborations.

Financial support to third parties (startups or businesses) is allowed, up to a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party, and must be in the form of grants. Proposals should build upon existing results, seek collaboration with other relevant projects funded under Horizon Europe, and coordinate their work with relevant initiatives developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), such as the Rural Observatory and the Startup Village Forum.

The call requires the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and experts, and proposals must consider gender in all aspects of project design and implementation.

The general conditions for this call include: admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout (described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form); eligible countries (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide); other eligible conditions (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes); financial and operational capacity and exclusion (described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes); evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds (described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes); submission and evaluation processes (described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual); indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement (described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes); and legal and financial set-up of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum (as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021).

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information includes: application form templates (available in the Submission System), standard application form (HE RIA, IA), evaluation form templates (standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)), HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction; HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment; HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes; HE Programme Guide; HE Framework Programme 2021/695; HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764; EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509; Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme; Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment; EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement; Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual; Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions; and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists several topics, including: HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-01 (6,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-02 (10,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-COMMUNITIES-01 (11,800,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-01 (11,800,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-02 (12,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-03 (12,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-04 (12,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-05 (12,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-06 (12,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-07 (3,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-08 (14,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-09 (11,800,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-10 (2,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-11 (11,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-12 (2,000,000 EUR), HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-13 (12,000,000 EUR), and HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-14 (11,000,000 EUR).

Partner search announcements are available for those looking to collaborate on this topic. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header. General FAQs and support are available through the provided links and contact points.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on fostering sustainable competitiveness in rural areas by addressing societal and market failures, supporting young entrepreneurs, improving access to education and training, and promoting innovation and digital literacy. It encourages projects that contribute to EU policies related to rural development, agriculture, climate objectives, and closing the innovation gap. The call provides financial support to third parties and emphasizes collaboration and coordination with other relevant initiatives. It also requires the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines and a consideration of gender in project design and implementation. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the call follows a single-stage application process with a deadline of 14 April 2026.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), the eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, startups, and other relevant organizations. The call specifically targets startups and businesses led by young rural entrepreneurs. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries are eligible under specific provisions.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. Financial support to third parties (FSTP) can only be provided in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, but it encourages collaboration with other projects funded under Horizon Europe, implying that a consortium or collaborative approach is beneficial.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: agriculture, food, climate, rural development, digital technologies, social innovation, education, and entrepreneurship. It focuses on boosting sustainable competitiveness in rural areas through innovation.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states and non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The project stage targets research, development, prototyping, testing, and demonstration of solutions, indicating a focus on development, validation, and demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 14,000,000. Some topics specify an "around" amount, while others provide a range (e.g., EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000).

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant. They may also provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, up to EUR 60,000 per third party.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can give some insight into the potential success rate based on the number of expected contributions.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement from the applicant.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on "Boosting sustainable competitiveness in rural areas through innovation." It aims to improve the understanding of sustainable competitiveness in rural areas, enhance access to services and business opportunities for rural communities, and promote entrepreneurship and skills, particularly among young people. The call encourages projects that support startups and businesses led by young rural entrepreneurs to develop and test innovative solutions. It also emphasizes collaboration with other relevant initiatives and the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and projects can provide financial support to third parties (startups/businesses) up to EUR 60,000. The call is structured around several topics, including climate action, farm-to-fork initiatives, and community development, each with its own budget and expected number of grants. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a planned opening date of January 14, 2026, and a deadline of April 14, 2026. This opportunity is designed to foster sustainable development, social inclusion, and competitiveness in rural areas across the EU and associated countries.