Enhancing the involvement of philanthropic organisations in innovation ecosystems

HORIZON-EIE is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action call opening 1 June 2027 with a deadline of 15 September 2027 (17:00 Brussels time), an indicative budget of €6 million and an expected EU contribution of about €1 million per project. Projects must be coordinated by a higher education institution, research technology organisation or network thereof, and consortia must include at least three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries including eligible philanthropic organisation(s) that meet Philea public-benefit foundation criteria. Funding is provided as lump-sum grants and projects should run 1–3 years. The action aims to mobilise philanthropic resources and networks alongside HEIs, TTOs, investors and industry to accelerate technology transfer, create living labs/accelerators and support spin-offs and market uptake of academic research.

Enhancing the involvement of philanthropic organisations in innovation ecosystems

Call context

Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems (HORIZON‑EIE‑2027‑01, topic CONNECT‑03)

Purpose: support collaboration between higher education institutions, research technology organisations and philanthropic organisations to accelerate transfer of academic research to market, create experimentation spaces (living labs, test beds, incubators/accelerators), launch spin‑offs and mobilise investor networks. Philanthropic partners are expected to provide finance, expertise, networks and early user opportunities.

Deadline:15 September 2027, 17:00 Brussels time (single‑stage call).

Type of action and funding model:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). Grants use the Horizon Europe lump‑sum model. Projects typically last 1–3 years.

1. 1Who can apply: coordinator must be a higher education institution, an RTO or a network of such organisations; consortia must include at least three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries and must include at least one philanthropic organisation or network of philanthropic organisations.
2. 2Eligible philanthropic organisations: must meet Philea criteria for public‑benefit foundations (independence, no members/shareholders, own income source, governing board, public‑benefit distribution).
3. 3Consortium scope: may also include technology transfer offices (TTOs), accelerators, investor networks, government organisations and other innovation stakeholders; participation of widening regions is encouraged.

What activities are funded:Examples: establishing/operating living labs, test beds, incubators/accelerators; structured collaborations between HEIs, TTOs and philanthropy to commercialise tech; support for spin‑offs to secure venture funding; accelerator programmes that channel startups to investors; stakeholder engagement and first‑user testing.

Typical grant size:Around €1 million per project (topic indicative contribution €6 million total for multiple grants). Projects use lump‑sum payments tied to completion of work packages; beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties if specified in the proposal.

1. 1Duration: expected 1–3 years (project proposal should justify timeline to deliver concrete commercialization results).
2. 2Funding model: lump‑sum grants. Applicants must submit a detailed budget estimate during proposal preparation that experts will review; payments are released when agreed work packages are completed.
3. 3Financial support to third parties: allowed where the topic permits; maximum per third party follows Horizon rules and topic conditions.

Consortia should describe a concrete commercialization plan (how HEI research will be advanced to market), engagement with philanthropic organisations and/or VCs, routes to early users and investors, expected number of spin‑offs or deals, and measurable outcomes (e.g., signed deals, startups accelerated). The Commission will also run a mapping study of philanthropic organisations to support matchmaking ¹.

Apply via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Read the topic description, General Annexes (eligibility, lump‑sum rules, financial support to third parties) and the application templates carefully; proposals are evaluated on excellence, impact and implementation.

Footnotes

1. 1The Commission will commission a study to map and profile philanthropic organisations working in research and innovation in Europe to help higher education institutions find partners.

Enhancing the involvement of philanthropic organisations in innovation ecosystems

Call and Topic Identification

Call title: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems (2027.1). Topic ID: HORIZON-EIE. Call type: Call for proposals under Horizon Europe - Destination CONNECT. Type of action: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Type of Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. Deadline: 15 September 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Planned opening of submission system: 01 June 2027. Single-stage submission model. Indicative EU contribution per selected project: around €1,000,000. Indicative number of grants: around 6. Topic budget line: part of the Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems call series in the 2027 budget.

Topic objective, expected outcomes and scope

Objective: strengthen and scale up collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs), research and technology organisations (RTOs), Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), philanthropic organisations (foundations, corporate funders, high-net-worth individuals), investors and other innovation stakeholders to accelerate commercialisation and market take-up of university-developed research and technologies.

Expected outcomes: increase collaboration of philanthropic organisations with HEIs, TTOs, innovative companies and venture capital in supporting innovative projects and companies; support the transition of academic research and innovations from HEIs to market-ready solutions; create testing and experimentation spaces and channels for philanthropic engagement that yield demonstrable commercialization outcomes (spin-offs, signed deals, adoption by startups/scaleups/corporates).

Scope and activities: projects should build on existing cooperation models between philanthropy and HEIs and propose concrete plans for advancing and commercialising HEI research. Activities may include creating living labs, test beds, incubators/accelerators, joint development of technologies, supporting spin-offs in collaboration with TTOs to secure venture funding from angel investors, accelerators, VCs, corporate investors, philanthropic organisations or National Promotional Banks, building accelerators attracting startups to venture funding, and engaging philanthropies as funders, network connectors, early adopters and first users. Cooperation may be regional, national or European. Consortia should include at least one HEI or network of HEIs, an RTO, and one philanthropic organisation or network of philanthropies, and may include accelerator/investor networks and government or other innovation stakeholders.

Philanthropy definition and eligibility:For this topic philanthropy refers to foundations, corporate funders and individuals using their own financial and non-financial resources for the public good. Eligible philanthropic organisations must meet the Philea criteria for “public-benefit foundations”: independent non-profit bodies, no members or shareholders, own established source of income (often endowment), own governing board, and distribution of financial resources for public-benefit purposes by supporting others or operating own programmes. Applicants are expected to demonstrate the philanthropic partner(s) meet these criteria.

The Commission will also launch a mapping study to profile philanthropic organisations active in research and innovation across Europe to support HEIs in identifying partners.

Funding, financial rules and implementation model

Grant type and model: HORIZON Coordination and Support Action implemented under the Horizon Europe Lump Sum Grant model (HORIZON-AG-LS). Eligible costs and financial arrangements follow the lump sum decision and Horizon Europe general annexes. Lump sum payments are broken down per work package and paid when work package conditions are met. No reporting of actual costs will be required; applicants must provide a detailed budget table in the proposal as an approximation of eligible costs following the lump sum templates. Lump sum grants use standard evaluation criteria and grant terms; payment schedule and completion-based payments are defined in the Model Grant Agreement for lump sums.

Indicative funding:Topic indicative envelope: €6,000,000 (call-level). Indicative EU contribution per selected project: around €1,000,000. Indicative number of grants expected: around 6. Projects are expected to last between one and three years depending on activities proposed.

Eligibility and consortium requirements

Coordinator eligibility: must be a higher education institution, a research technology organisation (RTO), or a network of such organisations. Minimum consortium composition: at least three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries, including at least one HEI or RTO and at least one philanthropic organisation or network of philanthropic organisations. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as beneficiary with zero funding or as associated partner (JRC will not have participated in proposal preparation).

Eligible applicant types:Eligible applicant types for this topic include: higher education institutions (coordinator obligation), research technology organisations (RTOs), networks of HEIs/RTOs, philanthropic organisations or networks of philanthropic organisations (public-benefit foundations per Philea criteria), accelerators/incubators, investor networks (angel networks, accelerators, VCs), national promotional banks, government organisations, TTOs, startups, scaleups, and other innovation stakeholders as consortium partners or associated partners.

Evaluation, selection and award

Evaluation and award follow Horizon Europe general annexes: proposals are evaluated against the three standard criteria (Excellence, Impact, Quality and efficiency of implementation) with thresholds and scoring described in Horizon Europe General Annex D. Lump sum proposals require a detailed budget table to allow assessment of resources per work package; experts assess the reasonableness of cost estimates and the ability of the proposed resources to deliver activities. The Topic uses a single-stage deadline model. Timetable: proposal submission by 15 September 2027; evaluation and grant preparation timelines follow Annex F indicative timelines.

Application method:Application method: open single-stage call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must register organisations in the Participant Register, prepare Part A online forms and upload Part B (technical proposal) following the HE CSA templates. For lump sum topics applicants must also upload the Detailed Budget Table (Excel lump sum template) as an annex to Part B. Submission through the portal only.

Nature of support, co-funding and financial support to third parties

Nature of support: monetary grant in the form of lump sums (payments per work package on completion) and non-monetary facilitation (networking, access to facilities, matchmaking). Beneficiaries may implement activities that provide Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) in the form of grants where explicitly allowed by the call/topic. Under Horizon lump sum rules the maximum FSTP per third party under standard rules is €60,000 unless the call explicitly states a different cap – this topic does not specify higher cap for FSTP so the standard maximum applies unless the call text or Work Programme specifies otherwise. Projects must describe objectives and selection criteria for FSTP in the proposal and include the Information on Financial Support to Third Parties annex when FSTP is planned.

Co-funding and budgeting:Co-funding: the project must demonstrate the total estimated costs exceed the requested EU contribution; applicants should explain complementary funding sources and leverage (private philanthropic funding, national/regional funding, venture investments, institutional contributions). The consortium must provide a letter of intent or equivalent evidence about the philanthropic participation and resource commitment. The proposal must include the detailed lump sum-like estimated budget as an approximation of eligible costs following applicants’ accounting practices.

Geographic and beneficiary scope

Beneficiary geographic eligibility: Member States and Associated Countries as described in Horizon Europe General Annex B. The consortium must include participants from at least three different Member States or Associated Countries. Participation of entities from non-associated third countries is subject to General Annex B provisions (some third countries may be automatically eligible or require justification). The call explicitly encourages participation from widening countries and expects at least one philanthropic organisation or network in the consortium.

Mentioned countries or regions:Explicit region: EU and Associated Countries (Horizon Europe). The topic text references Europe-wide philanthropic landscape and expects pan-European cooperation. No individual Member State is singled out as exclusive; actions must include partners across Member States or Associated Countries. Widening countries are prioritized for participation.

Target sectors, project stage and technology focus

Target sector: innovation ecosystems across sectors with emphasis on deep tech and strategic sectors where university technologies often originate and where philanthropy can play a role. Example sectors highlighted across the Destination: life sciences, AI, clean tech, biotech, security/defence (including dual-use technologies), robotics, advanced materials, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and others. The topic is technology agnostic but focused on the transfer pipeline from HEIs to market.

Project stage:Expected project maturity: development, validation, demonstration and early commercialisation. Proposals should present plans to advance technologies from research results to market-ready solutions through prototyping, testing, living labs, pilot adoption by philanthropic first users, spin-off creation and investor engagement.

Project duration, deliverables and expected outputs

Duration: projects are foreseen to last between one and three years to deliver quality results. Outputs and deliverables: commercialization plans from HEIs; establishment or expansion of living labs/testing environments; measurable number of spin-offs created and assisted to secure venture funding; signed investment or adoption deals involving startups/scaleups/corporates and one or more investor types (angels, accelerators, VCs, corporate investors, philanthropic organisations, National Promotional Banks); evidence of philanthropic engagement (financial and/or non-financial) including network introductions and first-user testing activities.

1. 1Required consortium composition: minimum three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries, including at least one HEI/RTO and at least one philanthropic organisation or philanthropic network.
2. 2Coordinator: HEI, RTO or network of such organisations.
3. 3Project duration: 1 to 3 years (recommended).
4. 4Lump sum funding model: detailed budget table required in application; payments tied to WP completion.
5. 5FSTP: may be implemented if allowed; if used projects must include the Financial Support to Third Parties annex and selection rules.

Application materials, templates and annexes

Mandatory documents to submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal: Part A (online administrative forms) and Part B (technical proposal) using the HE CSA templates. For lump sum topics applicants must upload the Detailed Budget Table (lump sum Excel template) as an annex to Part B. If Financial Support to Third Parties is planned, include the Information on Financial Support to Third Parties annex. Use the Standard Application Form (HE CSA) Part B template (technical description) and the Detailed budget table (HE LS) where applicable. Applicants should consult the Programme Guide, General Annexes, Lump Sum Guidance and the Lump Sum Decision referenced in the call. The F&T Portal Online Manual and HE Programme Guide include procedural and template details.

Application form structure and page limits:Part B must follow the HE CSA Part B template: sections on Excellence (objectives, methodology), Impact (pathway to impact, dissemination/exploitation/communication plan), and Implementation (work plan, WPs, milestones, risks, staff effort tables). For lump sum topics page limits may be slightly increased (check call-specific instructions); applicants must respect the page limit (for HE CSA standard page limit is 25 pages except where call indicates different limit). All tables and figures included in Part B are counted in the page limit. The detailed lump sum budget table is uploaded as a separate Excel annex.

Evaluation process, stages and success rates

Evaluation: single-stage evaluation by independent experts using the Horizon Europe evaluation templates and scoring (0-5 per criterion with thresholds: typically 3 per criterion and overall threshold 10/15, read General Annex D and call-specific instructions). For lump sum topics evaluators also assess the detailed budget table for reasonableness using the lump sum dashboard and guidance. The Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) will include expert comments and recommended budget adjustments if applicable. After selection, grant agreement preparation follows standard processes with limited scope for changes; grant will include lump sum breakdown per WP in Annex 2.

Application stages and timelines:Application stages: 1) single-stage submission; 2) expert evaluation and panel assessment; 3) publication of results and start of grant preparation; 4) signature and project start. Indicative timelines follow Annex F of General Annexes (submission deadline 15 September 2027, evaluation and grant preparation in subsequent months per Annex F).

Success rates: for Horizon Europe competitive calls success rates vary considerably by topic and year. This topic is part of a broader EIE call where indicative number of grants for this specific topic is around 6 from an envelope of €6 million. Exact success rate depends on applications submitted and quality; applicants should assume competition is high and prepare strong consortia and clear impact pathways.

Requirements, risks and compliance

Legal, ethics and security: proposals must comply with Horizon Europe rules on exclusion, eligibility, financial and operational capacity checks, ethics and security self-assessment. If project activities involve personal data, human participants, animals, dual-use technologies, or classified information the applicants must complete the ethics and security sections in Part A and Part B and prepare required approvals. Projects must respect IP rules in the Model Grant Agreement. For lump sum grants beneficiaries keep records demonstrating that the work was carried out; the Commission will perform technical and compliance checks and may recover undue payments if WP conditions were not met.

Critical risks and mitigation:Key risks: insufficient philanthropic engagement or financial commitment; weak commercialization pipelines at HEIs; inability to secure investor follow-on funding for spin-offs; IP ownership or transfer obstacles; regulatory barriers for testing/adoption; inadequate consortium capacity. Mitigations: secure letters of intent from philanthropic partners and investors, detailed commercialization and go-to-market plans, TTO involvement and IP sharing models, strong project management with clear WP deliverables, engagement with regulators and standards bodies early in the project, use of living labs/test beds and first-user agreements with philanthropic early adopters.

Templates and application support

Templates and guidance: use the HE CSA application form (Part A web forms and Part B template), Detailed Budget Table (HE LS) Excel template for lump sum topics, Information on Financial Support to Third Parties template (if applicable), Guidance documents including Lump sums - what do I need to know, Lump sum Decision, Model Grant Agreement Lump Sum, HE Programme Guide, General Annexes, and Online Manual on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The application must include the Part B narrative (structured by Excellence, Impact, Implementation), work package descriptions, deliverable table, milestones, risk register, a plan for dissemination/exploitation/communication and a Data Management Plan deliverable due by month 6 if relevant. If FSTP is planned include the FSTP annex and selection process details. Use the lump sum budget template to present estimated costs per WP and per beneficiary; justify personnel costs if above dashboard medians.

1. 1Application documents to upload: Part B PDF (using HE CSA Part B template), lump sum Detailed Budget Table Excel (for lump sum topics), FSTP annex (if relevant), ethics annex (if relevant), any letters of intent from philanthropic partners/investors and other supporting documents.
2. 2Key templates and guidance available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: HE CSA Application Form, HE Lump Sum Detailed Budget Table, Information on Financial Support to Third Parties template, Lump Sum guidance and Decision, Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum), HE Programme Guide.
3. 3Evaluation forms and criteria follow standard HE CSA evaluation templates and scoring; experts will assess cost estimates using the lump sum dashboard.

Categorisation answers (structured)

Below are concise and explicit answers to the categorisation questions, based on the topic text and Horizon Europe rules. Each answer reproduces the factual requirements or interpretations from the call text and general annexes.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Higher education institutions (required as coordinator type or participant), research technology organisations (RTOs), networks of HEIs/RTOs, philanthropic organisations or networks of philanthropic organisations (meeting Philea public-benefit foundation criteria), Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), accelerators/incubators, investor networks (angel networks, accelerators, venture capital firms), startups and scaleups (as beneficiaries or third parties), national promotional banks, government organisations, other innovation ecosystem stakeholders, and associated partners. Project coordinator must be an HEI, RTO or network of such organisations.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant under Horizon Europe provided as a lump sum grant (HORIZON-AG-LS). Projects may implement Financial Support to Third Parties in the form of grants if explicitly included and described (follow FSTP annex and rules).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Consortium required: minimum three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries, including at least one HEI/RTO and one philanthropic organisation or network of philanthropic organisations. Coordinator must be HEI or RTO or network of such organisations. Single applicant not allowed.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries per General Annex B. Participation of non-associated third countries is subject to the General Annex B provisions and the Programme Guide. The topic encourages participation from widening countries and building pan-European collaboration.
5. 5Target Sector: Innovation ecosystems and commercialization across multiple sectors; emphasis on deep tech and strategic sectors where HEI research is commercialized: life sciences/biotech/medtech, artificial intelligence, clean tech/energy, quantum technologies, semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics, advanced materials, and others; also cross-sector innovation support (TTO strengthening, living labs, accelerators).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: No single Member State specified; region specified: Europe (EU and Associated Countries). Widening countries and less-connected innovation territories are explicitly referenced as priority targets for inclusion.
7. 7Project Stage: Projects should target later research-to-market stages: development, validation, demonstration, pilot adoption and early commercialisation, and support for spin-offs and scale-up activities.
8. 8Funding Amount: Indicative topic envelope €6,000,000. Indicative EU contribution per project around €1,000,000. Number of grants: around 6. Project duration typically 1 to 3 years.
9. 9Application Type: Open call (single-stage) via EU Funding & Tenders Portal with standard HE CSA application procedure. Submission of Part A and Part B; lump sum Excel detailed budget annex required for lump sum topics.
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary (grant in lump sum payments) and non-monetary services (access to networks, expertise, facilities, living labs, first-user testing, matchmaking) — both money and non-monetary support are expected.
11. 11Application Stages: Single-stage evaluation process. Applicants submit full proposal once; evaluation and panel selection; grant preparation and signature — effectively 1 application stage (single-stage).
12. 12Success Rates: Not specified in the topic. Indicative number of grants and budget enable an approximate success rate estimate only after call closure; competition expected to be high. Historically EIE/CONNECT calls are competitive; applicants should expect low-to-moderate success rates depending on submission volume and quality.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No mandatory co-funding level specified, but proposals must demonstrate sound budgeting and co-financing principles. Projects must show total estimated costs exceed EU contribution and explain complementary funding sources (letters of intent from philanthropic organisations, national/regional funds, private investments, in-kind contributions). The consortium must provide letters of intent for philanthropic participation and financing commitments where relevant.

Template and application structure guidance

Use the standard HE CSA Part B template. Required parts: 1) Excellence (objectives and methodology, open science practices and DMP planning); 2) Impact (pathways to impact, quantified outcomes where possible, dissemination & exploitation plan including IPR management; monitoring and KPIs for supported startups and spin-offs); 3) Implementation (work plan with WPs, Gantt/Pert, work package descriptions, deliverable table, milestones, detailed risk register and mitigation, staff effort tables and justification, subcontracting and equipment justification if applicable). For lump sum topics follow specific page limits for lump sum calls and include the Detailed Budget Table Excel for lump sum assessment. Provide letters of intent from philanthropic partners, investors and HEI leadership as supporting documents. If financial support to third parties is planned, include an Information on Financial Support to Third Parties annex detailing objectives, amounts per third party (up to the applicable cap), selection criteria, eligibility and management arrangements.

Essential attachments: Part B PDF, Detailed Budget Table (lump sum Excel template), FSTP annex (if used), letters of support/intent (philanthropic organisations, investors, TTOs, regulatory bodies if relevant), ethics documentation (if required).

How to structure WP and lump sum budget:Structure Work Packages logically (management; TTO and commercialization activities; philanthropy engagement and investor matchmaking; living labs/test beds and piloting; spin-off support and access to finance; dissemination/exploitation and policy engagement). For lump sum justifications use the Detailed Budget Table to provide estimated personnel months per category, subcontracting tasks, purchase costs (equipment, travel), and other categories per WP. Use the Lump Sum dashboard for personnel cost benchmarking and justify deviations. Payments in the grant will be tied to WP completion milestones.

Concluding summary

This Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action topic HORIZON-EIE seeks proposals led by higher education institutions or RTOs (or networks thereof) working with philanthropic organisations to strengthen the pipeline that converts HEI research into market-ready innovations. The action promotes philanthropic engagement beyond finance (expert networks, first-user testing), TTO collaboration, living labs and accelerators to create demonstrable commercialization outcomes (spin-offs, signed deals, venture funding). The funding model is a lump sum Horizon grant with projects expected to run 1-3 years and deliver tangible commercialization results. Consortia must include partners from at least three Member States or Associated Countries and must demonstrate credible co-financing and engagement from philanthropic partners and investors. Applicants must use the standard HE CSA templates, include the lump sum detailed budget table, and follow the Horizon Europe General Annexes for eligibility, evaluation and grant management. Successful projects will show clear plans to mobilise philanthropic resources and expertise to accelerate the transition of academic research to the market and increase the number of university-originated ventures that secure venture funding and adoption by startups, scaleups or corporates.

For procedural details, templates and official guidance consult the Funding & Tenders Portal, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the Lump Sum guidance and Decision, the Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum) and the General Annexes referenced in the call.

Reference note: the topic text cites McKinsey and Philea data on the scale of European philanthropy and clarifies the definition of philanthropy used in the call ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1McKinsey and Philea: the topic references analysis estimating more than 33,000 philanthropic organisations in Europe with €50 billion annual philanthropic expenditure and €567 billion pool of philanthropic assets. See topic text and Philea criteria for public-benefit foundations.

Enhancing the involvement of philanthropic organisations in innovation ecosystems

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (CSA) call designed to strengthen collaboration between philanthropic organisations, higher education institutions, technology transfer offices, innovative companies and venture capital providers. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic research and market-ready solutions by leveraging the financial resources and networks of Europe's philanthropic sector.

Call Identifier and Timeline:HORIZON-EIE. Opening date: 1 June 2027. Deadline: 15 September 2027 at 17:00 Brussels local time. Single-stage submission procedure.

Funding Amount:Total indicative budget: €6.00 million. Expected EU contribution per project: approximately €1.00 million. Indicative number of projects to be funded: 6 projects.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Coordinator Requirements:The project coordinator must be a higher education institution, research technology organisation (RTO), or a network of such organisations. This ensures academic leadership and research credibility in the project.

Minimum Consortium Composition:Consortia must include at least three participants from three different Member States or Associated Countries. The consortium must include higher education institution(s) or RTO(s) and philanthropy organisation(s) or networks of philanthropy organisations. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a beneficiary with zero funding or as an associated partner but will not participate in proposal preparation.

Eligible Philanthropic Organisations:Eligible philanthropic organisations must meet the Philea criteria for public-benefit foundations. They must be independent, separately constituted non-profit bodies with no members or shareholders. They must have their own established and reliable source of income, usually from an endowment, their own governing board, and distribute financial resources for educational, cultural, religious, social or other public-benefit purposes either by supporting other organisations or operating their own programmes.

Project Scope and Expected Outcomes

Europe currently has more than 33,000 philanthropic organisations with €50 billion in annual philanthropic expenditure and €567 billion in philanthropic assets. This call aims to unlock this potential by fostering collaboration between philanthropic organisations and academic institutions to accelerate technology transfer and commercialisation.

Primary Expected Outcomes:

• Increase collaboration of philanthropic organisations with higher education institutions, technology transfer offices, innovative companies and venture capital providers in supporting innovative projects and companies to develop and grow
• Support the transition of academic research and innovations from higher education institutions to market-ready solutions

Roles of Philanthropic Organisations in Consortia:

• Providing access to other investors and networks of like-minded stakeholders
• Increasing awareness of the project among relevant stakeholders
• Accelerating implementation and adoption of developed technologies by other stakeholders
• Acting as first users of new developed technologies to allow for their testing

Required Project Activities and Deliverables

Higher education institutions must propose a detailed plan outlining how they intend to advance and commercialise their research and technologies. This plan should specify engagement strategies with philanthropic organisations and venture capital investors to support early-stage companies, as well as strategies for involving other relevant stakeholders in bringing innovations to market. The cooperation can take place at regional, national or European level.

Concrete Project Results Expected:

• Bringing together diverse research and innovation actors to collaboratively develop technology or combination of technologies, with demonstration of application or confirmed interest in application by at least one startup, scaleup or corporate entity by project end
• Supporting creation of experimentation spaces and testing environments such as living labs, testing beds, incubators or accelerators
• Supporting launch of multiple spin-offs that successfully secure venture funding from angel investors, accelerators, venture capital firms, corporate investors, philanthropic organisations or National Promotional Banks, resulting in signed deals
• Building one or several accelerators aimed at attracting startups to venture funding

Project Duration:Project duration should be between one to three years, depending on the proposed activities and expected quality of results.

Funding and Grant Management

Type of Funding:Eligible costs will take the form of lump sum contributions as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe. This simplifies financial management by removing obligations for actual cost reporting and financial ex-post audits.

Funding Rate:As a Coordination and Support Action, the standard funding rate is 100% of eligible costs for all beneficiary types.

Lump Sum Budget Preparation:Applicants must provide a detailed budget table as an Excel file annex to Part B of the proposal. This table should estimate direct and indirect project costs broken down by cost category and work package. Cost estimations must be reasonable, non-excessive, in line with beneficiaries' normal accounting practices, and aligned with proposed activities. Indirect costs are calculated at a flat rate of 25% of eligible direct costs.

Application and Evaluation Process

Submission Requirements:

• Part A: Administrative forms completed in the online submission system
• Part B: Technical description (maximum 25 pages for standard CSA, 28 pages for lump sum topics) covering excellence, impact and implementation quality
• Detailed budget table in Excel format as annex to Part B
• Data management plan as deliverable within first 6 months
• Plan for dissemination and exploitation including communication activities as deliverable within first 6 months

Evaluation Criteria:

• Excellence: clarity and pertinence of objectives, quality of coordination and support measures, soundness of methodology
• Impact: credibility of pathways to achieve expected outcomes and impacts, suitability and quality of dissemination and exploitation measures including communication activities
• Quality and efficiency of implementation: quality and effectiveness of work plan, assessment of risks, appropriateness of effort assigned to work packages, capacity and expertise of consortium members

Scoring and Thresholds:Each criterion is scored 0-5 with a minimum threshold of 3 per criterion. Overall threshold is 10 points out of 15 maximum. Half-marks may be given.

Key Considerations for Applicants

Complementary Programmes:Participants are encouraged to leverage the EIT Higher Education Initiative and other relevant complementary programmes to maximise synergies and impact.

Commission Support Activities:The Commission will launch a study to map and profile relevant philanthropic organisations working in research and innovation in Europe. This resource will support higher education institutions in identifying suitable philanthropic partners for collaboration.

Open Science and Data Management:Proposals must demonstrate appropriate open science practices as an integral part of methodology. A data management plan must ensure research outputs are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). Proposals should describe how open science practices are adapted to the nature of the work.

Intellectual Property Management:Applicants must outline their strategy for intellectual property management, including foreseen protection measures such as patents, design rights, copyrights and trade secrets. A consortium agreement managing ownership and access to key knowledge and intellectual property rights is required if the project is selected.

Support and Resources Available

Applicants can access comprehensive support through multiple channels. The Funding and Tenders Portal provides online submission system guidance, templates and detailed manuals. National Contact Points offer country-specific guidance and practical assistance. The European IP Helpdesk provides support on intellectual property issues. The Enterprise Europe Network offers advice particularly for SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical submission questions.

Key Documents and References:

• Horizon Europe Programme Guide with detailed funding and participation rules
• Model Grant Agreement for lump sum grants
• Standard application forms (Part A and Part B templates)
• Evaluation forms and criteria
• Lump sum guidance document explaining simplified cost management
• Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 Part 10 on European Innovation Ecosystems
• General Annexes A-H covering admissibility, eligibility, financial capacity, award criteria, documents, procedures and legal setup

Footnotes

1. 1Lump sum grants under Horizon Europe simplify financial management by fixing the grant amount per work package based on estimated costs rather than actual costs incurred. This removes the need for detailed cost reporting and financial audits, significantly reducing administrative burden for beneficiaries while maintaining focus on scientific and technical implementation.
2. 2The Philea criteria for public-benefit foundations ensure that participating philanthropic organisations have genuine commitment to public benefit, financial sustainability, and governance independence. These criteria help identify organisations with capacity and commitment to support research and innovation activities effectively.