EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction Call: Building Future-Ready STEM Talent

EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction Call 2026 (managed by 28DIGITAL for the EIT) funds the design, development, delivery and validation of structured STEM induction and training activities targeting learners at ISCED levels 3–5 with emphasis on VET. Total call budget up to €2,000,000 with up to 25 awards and an indicative maximum funding of €80,000 per project; activities must start by 1 April 2027 and finish by 31 December 2027. Consortia are mandatory and must include at least one education provider and one business/industry partner, projects must plan for quality checks, summative assessment, verifiable certification and robust inclusion and recruitment measures aiming for at least 1,200 successful participants per project. Deadline for single-stage applications is 14 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time and applications are submitted via the 28DIGITAL platform after registering in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Purpose

Grants to develop and deliver induction STEM training activities (online, offline or blended) that increase participation in STEM, improve education-to-employment alignment, and enable learner progression. Activities must follow the Initiative quality standards, be industry-informed, target ISCED 3–5 learners (with emphasis on VET), and support inclusion and scalability.

Footnotes

1. 1Call for Proposals 2026, EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction: full call text, annexes, timeline and guidance available at 28digital.eu.

Call snapshot and administrative details

Key facts

Purpose, scope and objectives

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicant types

Any legal entity may participate regardless of place of establishment, including entities from non-associated third countries, subject to the Horizon Europe eligibility-for-funding conditions. Participation is open and not limited to 28DIGITAL KIC members. Applicants must form consortia that include specific actor types as beneficiaries (see consortium requirement).

Consortium requirement

Project design, implementation and quality

Financial and administrative rules

Selection, evaluation and award

Admissibility, eligibility, exclusion and selection checks

Admissibility checks include submission before deadline, use of provided electronic forms, completeness and readability, and compliance with AI Act declaration if AI is used. Eligibility checks include geographic eligibility for funding, consortium composition (must include at least one education provider and one industry/business partner), and compliance with Horizon Europe rules. Exclusion checks rely on Article 138(1) of the EU Financial Regulation and applicants must submit a declaration of honour on exclusion criteria and absence of conflicts of interest. Legal Entity Validation and financial capacity checks may be performed via the Partners Validation Service where required.

Monitoring, reporting and KPIs

Application process and templates

Application evaluation timeline (indicative)

Co-funding, financial responsibility and checks

Application stages and success rates

Target sectors, project maturity and intended outcomes

Nature of support and co-funding

Success factors and requirements applicants must meet

Risks, exclusions and legal considerations

Applicants must not be in exclusion situations per Article 138(1) of the EU Financial Regulation. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures, and entities established in Russia, Belarus or non-government controlled areas of Ukraine are ineligible for funding. Applicants must comply with ethical standards, GDPR, the AI Act where AI is used, and the Horizon Europe regulatory framework. 28DIGITAL reserves the right to cancel the call, with transparent notification obligations. The Financial Support Agreement sets out withdrawal and recovery clauses for undue amounts and breaches.

How to prepare a competitive proposal — checklist

What this opportunity is about — summary

Footnotes

1. 1The detailed Call for Proposals 2026 document, including full eligibility, evaluation, financial and administrative rules, Annex 1 Timeline and Annex 2 Core Quality Standard Requirements, is available from the 28DIGITAL call page at 28digital.eu.

Building Future Ready STEM Talent

This open cascade funding call supports the design, development, delivery and validation of structured STEM induction and training activities. It aims to widen participation in STEM education and careers, strengthen links between education and industry, address regional and sectoral skills gaps, and help learners progress towards further education, employment, entrepreneurship or innovation opportunities. The call is implemented by 28DIGITAL on behalf of the EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction initiative under the Cross KIC EIT Entrepreneurial Education and Skills 2026 to 2028 project.

The initiative focuses on practical, inclusive and scalable learning opportunities for learners at different stages of their education and professional journeys. The priority target is learners at ISCED levels 3 to 5, particularly learners in vocational education and training and short cycle tertiary education.

The official Funding and Tenders Portal record and the detailed call document should be treated as the controlling sources for final application preparation and any subsequent amendments. 1

Key opportunity facts

Purpose and policy context

Europe faces persistent shortages and mismatches in STEM skills. The call responds by supporting learning activities that improve access to STEM education, connect training with labour market needs, and develop practical, applied and interdisciplinary competences. Supported activities should contribute to a stronger and more inclusive European STEM talent pipeline.

STEM is interpreted broadly but must have a substantive technical component. Eligible subject areas are natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, information and communication technologies, and engineering, manufacturing and construction. Interdisciplinary activities may be supported where STEM is clearly central, including suitable applications in areas such as health.

The call encourages the use of artificial intelligence, other emerging digital technologies, space related applications, responsible innovation, sustainability, creativity, design, communication, collaboration, entrepreneurship, critical thinking and human centred problem solving. Complementary STEAM approaches are acceptable where they strengthen STEM learning outcomes rather than replace the STEM focus.

Who can apply

Participation is open to legal entities regardless of their place of establishment, including entities from non associated third countries, subject to the Horizon Europe eligibility rules, the specific conditions of the call, sanctions restrictions and funding eligibility rules.

Membership of the 28DIGITAL KIC Partnership is not required. KIC members and non members are assessed under the same conditions, and collaboration with an existing KIC partner is not a prerequisite for applying or receiving funding.

A consortium is mandatory. Each consortium must include at least one education provider and at least one business or industry partner as beneficiaries.

Eligible education providers may include schools, school networks, VET providers and VET networks, large training providers, NGOs, EdTech organisations, universities and technical universities with relevant STEM activities, STEM academies, bootcamps, summer schools, educator networks, student and talent networks, certification bodies and professional training providers.

Eligible business and industry partners may include large enterprises, startups, scaleups, industry associations, clusters, digital innovation hubs, research centres, innovation labs, incubators, corporate foundations, and sectoral or professional associations connected to STEM and innovation ecosystems.

Regional and public authorities are encouraged because they can support long term learner transitions and institutional uptake. Partners from other regions or countries are also encouraged where transnational implementation is feasible and relevant.

Eligibility for funding

To receive funding, applicants generally must be established in an EU Member State, an EU outermost region, an Overseas Country or Territory linked to a Member State, a country associated with Horizon Europe, or an eligible low or middle income country. Entities from other countries may be funded where their participation is considered essential by the EIT.

Affiliated entities may be funded if established in an eligible country. Entities that are not eligible for funding may participate as associated partners where the applicable rules permit.

Entities subject to EU restrictive measures, entities established in Russia, Belarus or non government controlled territories of Ukraine, and entities otherwise excluded under applicable EU rules cannot normally participate in funded or non funded roles. Specific exceptions may apply only where expressly allowed by the applicable framework.

Hungarian public interest trusts and entities maintained by them are subject to specific restrictions under the applicable EU rule of law measures and may be limited to associated partner participation without EU funding.

Consortium design recommendations

The strongest consortium is likely to combine an education provider with genuine industry capability, learner recruitment capacity, practical delivery expertise and access to regional STEM ecosystems. Industry involvement should be substantive rather than nominal and should influence the skills gap, curriculum, practical challenges, datasets, equipment, assessment or validation of the programme.

A credible consortium should also demonstrate responsibility for learner recruitment, course quality, monitoring, reporting, safeguarding, data protection, dissemination and post project sustainability. The call recommends meaningful staff involvement and indicates that at least 0.2 full time equivalent per partner and task leader or contributor is strongly recommended.

Supported activities and formats

Supported activities must be structured learning or engagement activities that introduce learners to STEM subjects, technologies, applications, skills or career pathways and support progression towards further learning, training or employment.

Possible formats include the following:

Training may be delivered online, offline or in blended form. Delivery may be synchronous, asynchronous or semi synchronous. Applicants should select a format that is appropriate for the target learners, intended learning outcomes, geographic context, accessibility needs and scale.

Target learners and inclusion

The primary focus is on learners at ISCED levels 3 to 5, including upper secondary education, post secondary non tertiary education, medium level VET, higher VET and short cycle tertiary education. Applicants should identify the relevant ISCED level and explain how recruitment and onboarding will verify that the intended learner group is reached.

Projects should actively engage groups that remain underrepresented or underserved in STEM. Relevant groups may include learners from rural and remote areas, disadvantaged backgrounds, minority or migrant communities, women and girls, adult learners changing sector, and other groups identified through national, regional or sectoral analysis.

At initiative level, there is an ambition to reach 30 percent of learners from Regional Innovation Scheme countries and 40 percent women and girls. These are important strategic targets for proposal design, recruitment planning and monitoring, although applicants should confirm the precise contractual treatment in the final call documents and Financial Support Agreement.

Applicants should provide specific recruitment channels and measures rather than merely stating that participation is open to diverse groups. Outreach may involve education providers, employers, public authorities, community organisations, regional innovation networks, women in STEM networks and targeted communication campaigns.

Quality and pedagogical requirements

Each supported course must comprise at least 10 hours of structured learning. The application should justify the proposed number of hours in relation to the target group, ISCED level, delivery model, complexity of the learning outcomes and the expected competence development.

The programme should cover the relevant elements of the EIT STEM Competence Framework, including conceptual foundations, procedural application and innovation mindset. A purely theoretical course is unlikely to satisfy the intended standard because learners should have opportunities to apply, practise, create, test, discuss or solve.

The core quality framework covers nine stages of the learner journey:

Courses must include defined learning outcomes, a structured curriculum, appropriate delivery methods and a summative assessment with a clear completion threshold. Attendance alone cannot substitute for assessment of learning outcomes.

Successful learners must receive a verifiable certificate, credential or other evidence of achievement. Digital credentials should be portable and verifiable where possible, and certificates must accurately describe the learning outcomes achieved without implying an accreditation or qualification that has not been granted.

Where activities involve learners under 18, appropriate safeguarding arrangements are required. Learner data must be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, the EIT Impact Framework and any additional reporting requirements.

Projects must provide a mechanism for learner feedback and a route for raising concerns or complaints. Course documentation and monitoring materials must be provided in English, although training may be delivered in English, local or regional languages.

Expected implementation model

Projects must follow two main phases.

The quality check is a substantive implementation condition. Funded projects must respond to clarification requests and incorporate required adjustments or revisions within the agreed timeframe.

Required deliverables and indicators

The principal deliverables are the Final Education Programme and Implementation Package and the Programme Evaluation. The first should include the industry validated learning programme, course documentation, educator and facilitator guidance, assessment tools, a learner certificate template, delivery arrangements and communication plans.

The Programme Evaluation should report learner participation and completion, achievement of intended learning outcomes, learner and industry feedback, and the potential for progression into further education, employment, entrepreneurship or innovation.

Each project is expected to reach at least 1,200 successful participants under KPI EITHE08.1, Participants in Non Labelled Education and Training. Applicants should propose a realistic evidence based target at or above this minimum and explain the recruitment, retention and completion measures needed to achieve it.

Projects must collect and report participant information, including country of citizenship, country of residence and gender, through the designated reporting system and in accordance with the EIT Impact Framework. Applicants should also define custom indicators such as enrolment, completion, learning outcome achievement, women and girls participation, RIS participation, stakeholder engagement, learner satisfaction and progression potential.

Funding and eligible costs

The maximum indicative EIT funding is €80,000 per project, with a total call budget of €2,000,000 and up to 25 indicative awards. The actual number and amount of awards will depend on the quality ranking, available budget and the award decision.

Funding is structured as reimbursement of actual eligible costs declared against the approved activity budget. Applicants must provide a precise and justified budget in the application and assign costs to appropriate tasks and partners. Reported actual costs cannot exceed the approved budget.

The main eligible cost categories are personnel costs, subcontracting costs, travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works and services, financial support to third parties where permitted, and indirect costs.

Indirect costs are calculated at a flat rate of 25 percent of eligible direct costs, subject to the applicable exclusions, including volunteer costs, subcontracting costs, financial support to third parties and any other exempted categories under the applicable rules.

Subcontracting must be explicitly described and must comply with value for money and conflict of interest requirements. Financial support to third parties should be used cautiously and only where justified and compliant with the relevant Horizon Europe rules.

Indicative payment schedule

Payment dates are indicative. Each instalment depends on submission and approval of the linked deliverables or reports and compliance with the Financial Support Agreement. Payments may be adjusted, withheld or recovered where implementation or reporting requirements are not met.

Applicants must retain verifiable and auditable evidence for declared costs, implementation and compliance. The call indicates that records should generally be retained for at least 5 years after final payment, or longer where audits, investigations, litigation or other procedures remain open.

Evaluation and selection

Applications are checked for admissibility, eligibility, exclusion, financial capacity and operational capacity before expert evaluation. Applications must be complete, readable, submitted using the required forms and accompanied by mandatory annexes and declarations.

Where artificial intelligence tools or systems are used in designing or delivering the proposed activities, applicants must provide a declaration confirming compliance with the applicable requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the Artificial Intelligence Act.

The award criteria and weighting are as follows:

Each sub criterion is scored from 0 to 5. Proposals must pass the minimum threshold for Excellence, Impact and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Proposals are ranked using the weighted final score, subject to the available budget.

The evaluation process consists of individual assessment by independent experts, a review gate and consensus evaluation, review by a 28DIGITAL selection committee, and a final award decision by the 28DIGITAL Management Committee. A reserve list may be created and remains valid for three months after the award decision.

Indicative timetable

Financial and operational capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient financial resources, relevant experience, qualified personnel and adequate technical and organisational resources to implement the project. Capacity may be assessed for applicants participating in more than one proposal to ensure that activities can be delivered in parallel.

Financial capacity verification is required for a coordinator where requested funding is at least €500,000 and may also be requested in other cases where concerns arise. Because the maximum award under this call is €80,000 per project, the €500,000 threshold is not normally reached by an individual request, but the call manager may still request further checks where justified.

Applicants may be asked to provide staffing information, team profiles, previous activity reports, details of comparable projects and evidence of financial viability. Additional safeguards may include staged pre financing, enhanced monitoring, guarantees or replacement of an applicant where capacity is inadequate.

Key applicant obligations and risks

Intellectual property and dissemination

Applicants retain ownership of their prior information and intellectual property, subject to the applicable Financial Support Agreement and Horizon Europe intellectual property rules. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they hold or obtain the rights and permissions required to use all third party materials and technologies.

Funded projects must promote the project and its results and acknowledge EIT and EU support in communications, publications, training materials, events, infrastructure and major results funded by the call. Selected projects will receive the applicable branding guidance, templates and visual assets.

Strategic assessment for applicants

This opportunity is particularly suitable for consortia that can combine a structured STEM curriculum with direct access to learners, industry validated skills needs, practical learning environments and a credible route to further education or employment.

The strongest proposals are likely to show a clearly evidenced regional or sectoral problem, a precisely defined learner group, a measurable recruitment plan, meaningful participation from underrepresented groups, an applied learning model, robust assessment and certification, and a realistic path to adoption or replication after December 2027.

Applicants should avoid proposing an unstructured event, a general digital literacy course, a passive lecture series, a programme without a summative assessment, or an activity where the industry partner is only nominally involved. The proposal should demonstrate that the activity is a genuine structured learning programme with measurable outcomes and a clear STEM component.

A budget of €80,000 must be matched by a proportionate delivery model. Applicants should explain how the award will support at least 1,200 successful participants, or justify any proposed delivery design and target that demonstrates credible value for money, quality and feasibility.

Application route and contact

Applicants should register their organisation in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal and obtain or verify the nine digit Participant Identification Code. The application is then submitted through the 28DIGITAL application platform rather than directly through the standard Funding and Tenders Portal submission form.

The listed contact point is Oana Neagu, Education Lead at 28DIGITAL, reachable at oana.neagu@28digital.eu. Applicants should monitor the official call page for amendments, frequently asked questions, webinar information and final submission instructions.

Source documents

Additional information, including applicant updates and webinar information, is available here: EIT STEM Tech Talent Induction information page.

Footnotes

1. 1The opportunity details, eligibility conditions, financial rules, evaluation criteria and implementation requirements are drawn from the supplied call document and the official Funding and Tenders Portal record. Applicants should verify the latest published version before submission because the call may be amended and the final Financial Support Agreement governs the funded project.