Call for University Incubators and Entrepreneurship Support Providers - Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture

EIT Health issues a single-stage call under its Business Plan 2026–2028 for consortia composed of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver the Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture programme for Master’s and PhD students. Total funding available is €72,000 (€36,000 in 2027 and €36,000 in 2028) for a 24-month delivery covering two cohorts with masterclasses, mentoring and a final Pitch Day. Applicants must obtain a PIC in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and submit via the EIT Health application platform by 2 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time and be available for an online pitch. Proposals undergo admissibility checks, an online pitching evaluation and an Ethical, Legal and Social Issues review, and must score at least 70/100 to be considered for funding.

Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture (EIT Health 26-28)

Essential facts

What it funds:delivery of the Beyond the Idea venture-building programme for two cohorts over 24 months, including masterclasses, mentoring and a final Pitch Day to help MSc and PhD students validate early-stage healthcare innovations.

Total budget and duration:Total funding available €72,000. Expected participation duration 24 months. ¹

1. 1Who can apply: a consortium composed of one University Incubator (unit of a higher education institution) plus one Entrepreneurship Support Provider (venture builder, accelerator, incubator or similar) with demonstrated venture-building experience.
2. 2Key dates: call opens 02 Sep 2026; deadline 02 Nov 2026 16:00 CET; eligibility notification 06 Nov 2026.
3. 3Selection process: single-stage submission, admissibility and eligibility check, online pitch with Q&A, Ethical Legal and Social Issues review, ranking by external and EIT Health experts; minimum score to be considered for funding 70/100.

How to apply:obtain a PIC in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and submit your application through EIT Health’s platform before the deadline. Applicants must be available for assigned pitching slots and may apply to multiple learning paths if capacity and expertise are demonstrated.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call and application details: EITHEALTH Business Plan 2026 on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call page.

Opportunity overview

EIT Health invites consortia composed of a University Incubator and an Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver the Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture venture-building programme for Master and PhD students developing early-stage healthcare solutions. The selected provider(s) will deliver two cohorts over 24 months, providing masterclasses, mentoring and a final Pitch Day, working to a programme design and management provided by EIT Health. The call is run under the EIT Health Business Plan 2026-2028 (Grant agreement 101269968, HORIZON-EIT). Total funding available for this call is €72,000. The call opens on 02 September 2026 and closes on 02 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. Expected duration of participation is 24 months.

Who should apply

This call targets consortia formed by:a University Incubator (organisational units within higher education institutions that provide structured incubation, mentoring and business support for research- and innovation-based start-ups) AND an Entrepreneurship Support Provider (venture builders, incubators and accelerators, innovation consultancies or specialist entrepreneurship support organisations) with demonstrated experience in venture building in the health/medical domain. Applicants should have capacity to recruit and support MSc and PhD students, deliver masterclasses and mentoring, and organise Pitch Day events.

Eligible Applicant Types:University incubators (units of higher education institutions), entrepreneurship support providers including venture builders, incubators, accelerators, innovation consultancies, and entrepreneurship support organisations. Implicit eligible organisational types include universities, research and technology organisations, SMEs and not-for-profit incubator/accelerator operators capable of forming the required consortium.

Funding Type:Grant funding provided as part of EIT Health cascade funding under the EIT Health Business Plan 2026-2028. The call is managed by EIT Health; funds are awarded following selection and contracting.

Consortium Requirement:Consortium required: a minimum composition of one University Incubator AND one Entrepreneurship Support Provider. Applicants must apply as the defined consortium. Single organisations cannot apply unless they satisfy both roles and can demonstrate capacity to deliver both types of activities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Targeted to organisations participating in EIT Health activities across Europe. The underlying programme is part of the EU Horizon/EIT framework (Programme period 2021-2027). Applicants should register on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (PIC) and apply through EIT Health, so eligibility is EU-focused; specific national restrictions are not listed in the scraped text but participation aligns with EIT/EU eligibility rules. EIT Health call page Official opportunity ¹

Target Sector:Healthcare and health innovation broadly. Focus on early-stage healthcare solutions developed by MSc and PhD students (medical devices, digital health, diagnostics, biotech/medtech adjacent solutions), with an emphasis on venture creation and commercial validation.

Project Stage targeted:Early-stage projects: concept / idea stage moving toward validation and venture creation. The programme supports progression from idea to validated venture opportunity and business modelling, preparing participants to establish companies.

Funding Amount:Total funding available for the call: €72,000. The scraped content indicates the call funds activities for two cohorts over 24 months; individual award amounts and the number of awards are not explicitly specified in the provided text. The final funding decision will depend on ranking and available funding under the EIT Health Business Plan 2026-2028.

Application Type and How to Apply:Open competitive call with a single-stage submission. Step 1: register organisation in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal to obtain a PIC. Step 2: prepare and submit application via EIT Health’s application platform. Applicants must prepare a separate application for each EIT Health Bootcamp learning path they wish to deliver. Applications submitted through EIT Health’s platform only; the EU Portal PIC is used for organisation identification.

Deadline and Key Dates:Call opening date: 02 September 2026. Application deadline: 02 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time. Eligibility notification: 06 November 2026. Call Information Session: 09 September 2026, 11:00 CEST. Q&A session: 15 October 2026, 11:30 CET.

Evaluation and Selection Process:Single-stage submission followed by: 1) admissibility and eligibility check, 2) online pitching (pitch + Q&A to an evaluation panel of three external independent experts and up to two EIT Health subject matter experts), 3) Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI) review by independent experts, and 4) final selection and contracting. Scoring: each panel member scores proposals out of 100. Final score is the mean of reviewers’ scores. External experts carry 60% weight of the score; EIT Health staff carry 40% weight. Only proposals scoring at least 70/100 are eligible for funding. Final funding decisions are taken by EIT Health management based on scores, expert recommendations and available funding. If a top-ranked applicant fails contracting, the next eligible applicant with at least 70/100 may be offered funding.

Application Stages:There are four distinct review stages applicants must pass: admissibility and eligibility check, online pitch and Q&A evaluation, ELSI review, and final selection/contracting.

Success Rates:Not explicitly published. The call description indicates limited funding (€72,000) and that ranking is used to select top applications; only applications scoring >= 70/100 are considered. The call implies selection of a top-ranked application and possibly subsequent offers to next-ranked applicants if contracting fails, so the effective success rate is expected to be low but not numerically specified.

Co-funding Requirement:The scraped text does not explicitly state any co-funding requirement. The call documentation available via the official call document should be consulted for details on whether co-funding, in-kind contributions or eligible cost categories are required or recommended.

Templates and Application Structure:Applicants must register and apply via the EIT Health application platform. The call text instructs applicants to prepare a separate application for each Bootcamp learning path. The official call document and supporting documents referenced on the EIT Health site contain the application form templates and technical annexes. The application will require: organisational PIC, consortium description (roles of University Incubator and Entrepreneurship Support Provider), delivery plan for two cohorts (masterclasses, mentoring, Pitch Day), participant recruitment strategy for MSc/PhD students, evidence of venture building experience, budget and capacity justification, and availability for an online pitching session. Applicants should consult the official call pack for exact form fields and annex templates. Official call document and supporting documents

1. 1Register organisation in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and obtain a PIC (Participant Identification Code).
2. 2Prepare a separate application for each EIT Health Bootcamp learning path to be delivered.
3. 3Submit application via EIT Health’s application platform before 02 November 2026 16:00 CET.
4. 4If longlisted, attend and deliver an online pitch and Q&A at the assigned slot (applicants must ensure availability).
5. 5Undergo ELSI review if advanced to funding recommendation.
6. 6Receive final decision and, if successful, enter contracting with EIT Health.

Mentioned countries and region:The call is managed by EIT Health under the EU Horizon framework and is targeted at organisations operating within EIT Health’s European network. The scraped material does not list individual countries; applicants should assume EU/EIT-relevant geography and consult the official documents for any country-specific eligibility rules.

Detailed evaluation mechanics and scoring:each application is scored by each panel member out of 100. Final score is the mean of reviewers’ scores. External independent experts’ combined score weight = 60% of total; EIT Health staff weight = 40% of total. Only proposals scoring >= 70/100 are eligible for funding. The top-ranked application will be selected for funding and invited to contracting. If contracting fails for the top-ranked applicant, the next applicant with a score >= 70/100 may be offered the opportunity.

Operational responsibilities expected from the selected consortium:recruit and onboard participants (MSc and PhD students), deliver the Beyond the Idea curriculum elements (masterclasses, mentoring, workshops), organise final Pitch Day events for each cohort, coordinate with EIT Health on programme design and reporting, and carry out participant and outcome monitoring during the 24-month delivery period. The Entrepreneurship Support Provider should provide practical venture creation expertise such as customer validation, business development, mentoring and go-to-market readiness.

How decisions are made and feedback:after pitching and ELSI review, applications are ranked and EIT Health management makes final funding decisions based on scores, expert recommendations and available funds. All applicants will receive feedback from each expert in line with the published timetable. Eligibility notifications and results follow the dates indicated in the call documentation.

Where to find primary documents and apply:applicants must consult the official call page and download the call document and supporting documents from EIT Health and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applications are submitted via the EIT Health application platform after obtaining a PIC on the EU portal. Links to the public call pages are provided in the footnote ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary EIT Health call information and application portal: eithealth.eu; Official EU Funding & Tenders Portal listing: ec.europa.eu

This is a single-stage EIT Health funding call under the EIT Health Business Plan 2026-2028, open for proposals to deliver the venture-building programme Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture for Master’s and PhD students developing early-stage healthcare solutions. The call is open for submission and the deadline is 2 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time.[2]

What the funding supports

The grant supports a consortium that will design and deliver programme activities such as masterclasses, mentoring and a final Pitch Day for two cohorts over two years, while EIT Health provides the overall programme design and management.[2] The topic is focused on helping early healthcare ideas move from concept toward venture creation and market readiness.[2]

Who can apply

EIT Health is calling for a consortium composed of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider, and both partners must demonstrate venture-building experience.[2] University Incubators are described as organisational units within higher education institutions that provide structured incubation services, mentoring and business support, while Entrepreneurship Support Providers include venture builders, incubators, accelerators, innovation consultancies and other organisations specialised in venture creation.[2]

Applicants must register their organisation in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal to obtain a Participant Identification Code, then submit the application through EIT Health’s application platform.[2]

Funding and project terms

Application and evaluation process

1. 1Register the organisation in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal to obtain a Participant Identification Code before applying.[2]
2. 2Apply through EIT Health’s application platform by 2 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time.[2]
3. 3Pass the admissibility and eligibility check, which verifies formal compliance with the call requirements.[2]
4. 4Take part in an online pitching session with a pitch and question and answer period if invited.[2]
5. 5Undergo an Ethical, Legal and Social Issues review for proposals suggested for funding.[2]
6. 6Receive a final score out of 100, calculated as the mean of reviewer scores, with external experts accounting for 60 percent and EIT Health staff for 40 percent.[2]
7. 7Reach at least 70 out of 100 to be considered for funding.[2]

The evaluation panel consists of three external independent experts and up to two EIT Health subject matter experts, and applicants must be available for the assigned pitch slot because sessions are not rearranged to fit applicant availability.[2] Final funding decisions are based on expert recommendations, scores and available funding, and the top-ranked proposal is selected first subject to contracting; if contracting fails, the next eligible applicant in the ranking may be contacted.[2]

Key dates applicants should note

• Call opened on 2 September 2026.[2]
• Information session listed by EIT Health on 9 September 2026.[2]
• Q and A session listed by EIT Health on 15 October 2026.[2]
• Eligibility notification listed by EIT Health on 6 November 2026.[2]
• Submission deadline is 2 November 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time.[2]

Practical assessment for applicants

This opportunity is best suited to university-based incubators and specialised entrepreneurship support organisations that can jointly deliver a practical venture-building programme for healthcare innovation students.[2] Strong proposals should show clear partnership roles, experience in venture creation, readiness for online pitching and a credible plan to support the two cohorts over the full 24 month delivery period.[2]