EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants Open Call

The EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants Open Call is a funding initiative aimed at supporting the preparatory work for future European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) nodes. The total funding available is €800,000, with a maximum of €50,000 per project. This opportunity targets research infrastructure efforts within EU Member States, their outermost regions, Overseas Countries and Territories linked to the EU, and certain associated countries. The call is open from November 3, 2025, to February 18, 2026, with projects expected to begin on May 6, 2026, and last for six months.

Eligible applicants include various organizations such as Potential Candidate Nodes, Mandated Organisations, Research Performing Organisations, and other parties from the broader research infrastructure landscape. However, EOSC GRAVITY consortium partners and their affiliates are explicitly excluded from eligibility to avoid conflicts of interest.

Projects should focus on developing a project charter that prepares applicants for future EOSC Node proposals. The funding mechanism operates through a lump sum tied to the achievement of specific milestones and deliverables, thereby ensuring that financial support is directly linked to project progress.

The application process involves submitting a form via the ESF online platform along with a PDF that outlines the proposed project’s excellence, impact, and implementation. Evaluation will be conducted over five stages: eligibility checks, pre-assessment by external evaluators, discussions in a review panel, generation of a consensus report, and the announcement of results.

Successful projects will contribute to the EOSC Federation's objectives, aiming to enhance the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem. The funding process aims to enhance participation in the research infrastructure while building a foundational framework before establishing formal EOSC nodes.

The EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants Open Call supports preparatory work for potential future Candidate EOSC Nodes, aligning with the EOSC Federation Build-up process. The primary objective is to prepare a project charter supporting a future application for creating a Node (national, multi-country, or thematic).

The opening date for the call is November 3, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is February 18, 2026, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation is 6 months. The total funding available is 800,000 EUR. The project acronym is EOSC Gravity, and the full name of the EU-funded project is Supporting the EOSC Partnership in further consolidating the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem. The grant agreement number is 101188045. The topic is HORIZON-INFRA-2024-EOSC-01-02, which focuses on supporting the EOSC Partnership in further consolidating the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem.

Submissions are exclusively via the ESF online platform. For a first connection, use the provided link; for subsequent connections, use the other link provided.

The submission process is supported by the following documents:

1. Online Form: Completed via the ESF platform, divided into two sections: (1) Preliminary information and (2) Submission of a PDF describing the Excellence, Impact, and Implementation of the application.
2. Guidelines for Applicants: Contains all necessary information before applying, including annexes with the Sub-Grant Agreement, technical guidelines for the platform, and a detailed payment schedule for successful applicants.
3. FAQ section: Available on the call website and regularly updated.

The evaluation process has five stages:

1. Eligibility check: A filtering process to discard non-eligible proposals based on eligible entities and countries.
2. Pre-Assessment: External evaluators with experience in EOSC activities will review each proposal, scoring them based on three criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation.
3. Review panel: External evaluators will meet to discuss the proposals and establish a ranked list.
4. Consensus Report: Panel members will produce a consensus report for each application, summarizing the panel discussions. Narrative comments (not scores) from the consensus reports will be communicated to the applicants.
5. Announcement of the results: All applicants will be informed about the evaluation process outcome: non-eligible, under threshold, approved but not selected, or selected. Each applicant will receive the decision and subsequent steps via email.

The 800,000 EUR budget will be distributed across a minimum of 16 projects, each funded with a maximum of 50,000 EUR. The duration of each funded project is 6 months, starting on May 6, 2026. Financing is provided through a lump sum scheme, linked to the completion of milestones and deliverables. The grant is awarded to the project coordinator only.

Applicants must:

Demonstrate alignment with EOSC objectives and contribute to the EOSC Federation build-up process.
Clearly define the project scope and present a clear set of objectives aligned with the EOSC Federation build-up process.
Show how the organization or consortium plans to meet the minimum requirements to become a Node, including governance, technical readiness, and community engagement.
Clearly identify the expected impact, define a robust strategy to maximize the achievement of their objectives, and ensure effective stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
Showcase integration with the EOSC Academy, delivering a matrix outlining how project partners and the future candidate Node can support curriculum delivery, including the sharing of materials, documentation, training content, best practices, and use cases for future adoption and reuse.

Eligible countries include:

Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions. Note that according to Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506, no legal commitments should be entered into with any public interest trust established based on the Hungarian Law IX of 2021 or with any entity maintained by said public interest trust, even though Hungary is an EU member state.
Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the MS.
Horizon Europe associated countries at the time the EOSC GRAVITY grant entered into force (October 2024), except those only associated to Pillar II. These include: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and potentially Egypt, Morocco, and Switzerland (if association agreements start producing legal effects). Other associated countries not included in this list are not eligible.

Eligible entities include:

Potential Candidate Nodes
Mandated Organizations
Research Performing Organizations
Other Parties (organizations, networks, associations) from the wider RI landscape, including organizations who want to become a Node, including from specific or thematic communities.

EOSC GRAVITY consortium partners, their affiliated entities, and their employees are not eligible.

The maximum funding that can be granted to a single organization for all EOSC Gravity calls combined (3 calls in total) cannot exceed 100,000 EUR.

The application should be submitted in English.

The web address for further information is https://eosc.eu/eosc-about/calls-grants/. The email address for further information is EOSC-Gravity-grants@esf.org.

The EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants Open Call is a funding opportunity designed to support the development of future EOSC Nodes. It provides grants to eligible organizations to prepare project charters and plans that align with the EOSC Federation Build-up process. The call aims to foster the creation of national, multi-country, or thematic Nodes that contribute to the broader EOSC ecosystem. The funding is distributed across multiple projects, each receiving a maximum of 50,000 EUR for a duration of 6 months. The application process involves submitting an online form and a PDF document detailing the project's excellence, impact, and implementation. The evaluation process includes eligibility checks, pre-assessment by external evaluators, review panel discussions, and a consensus report. Successful applicants will receive funding based on a lump sum scheme linked to the completion of milestones and deliverables. The call is open to a wide range of entities, including potential candidate nodes, mandated organizations, research performing organizations, and other relevant parties from eligible countries. The overall goal is to strengthen the EOSC Partnership and promote the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible entities are Potential Candidate Nodes, Mandated Organisations, Research Performing Organisations, and Other Parties (organisations, networks, associations) from the wider RI landscape (e.g., organisations who want to become a Node, including from specific or thematic communities). EOSC GRAVITY consortium partners, their affiliated entities, and their employees, are not eligible.

Funding Type: Grant, specifically cascade funding. The financing is provided through a lump sum scheme, linked to the completion of milestones and deliverables.

Consortium Requirement: Both single applicants and consortia are potentially eligible, as the text mentions "organisation or consortium". The grant is awarded to the project coordinator only.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions. Although Hungary is a MS of the EU, according to Council Implementing Decision 2022/2506, no legal commitments should be entered into with any public interest trust established based on the Hungarian Law IX of 2021 or with any entity maintained by said public interest trust. Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the MS are also eligible. Furthermore, Horizon Europe associated countries at the time the EOSC GRAVITY grant entered into force (October 2024), (except from those only associated to Pillar II) are eligible, which include: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom and potentially Egypt, Morocco and Switzerland (if association agreements start producing legal effects). Other associated countries not included in this list, are not eligible.

Target Sector: This program targets the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) ecosystem, research infrastructures, and related areas. It focuses on consolidating the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem. The specific topic is HORIZON-INFRA-2024-EOSC-01-02 - Supporting the EOSC Partnership in further consolidating the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem.

Mentioned Countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, EU member states and their outermost regions, and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the MS.

Project Stage: The projects should be in a preparatory stage, aiming to prepare a project charter that supports a future application for the creation of an EOSC Node (national, multi-country, or thematic). This suggests an early stage of development, focusing on planning and preparation.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €800,000. The maximum funding per project is €50,000. The maximum amount of funding that can be granted to a single organisation for all EOSC Gravity calls combined (3 calls in total) cannot exceed 100,000 EUR.

Application Type: Open call. Submissions will be done exclusively via the ESF online platform.

Nature of Support: Money. The beneficiaries will receive financial support in the form of a grant, with payments linked to the completion of milestones and deliverables, using a lump sum scheme.

Application Stages: The evaluation process has 5 stages: Eligibility check, Pre-Assessment, Review panel, Consensus Report, and Announcement of the results.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly mentioned, but the text indicates that the €800,000 budget will be distributed across a minimum of 16 projects.

Co-funding Requirement: This is not explicitly mentioned, so it is unclear whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The EOSC Gravity Preparatory Grants Open Call is a funding opportunity aimed at supporting the preparatory work for potential future Candidate EOSC Nodes. This initiative aligns with the EOSC Federation Build-up process and seeks to consolidate the coordination and sustainability of the EOSC ecosystem. The primary objective of funded projects is to develop a project charter that will support a future application for the creation of a Node, which can be national, multi-country, or thematic in scope.

The call is open to a range of eligible entities, including Potential Candidate Nodes, Mandated Organisations, Research Performing Organisations, and other relevant organisations from the wider research infrastructure landscape. Applicants must be based in eligible countries, which include EU Member States, their outermost regions, Overseas Countries and Territories linked to the MS, and specific Horizon Europe associated countries.

The funding is provided as a grant, with a maximum of €50,000 per project, and is distributed through a lump sum scheme linked to the completion of milestones and deliverables. The total budget for the call is €800,000, and it is expected that at least 16 projects will be funded. The duration of each project is 6 months, starting on May 6th, 2026.

Applicants must demonstrate alignment with EOSC objectives, clearly define the project scope, show how they plan to meet the minimum requirements to become a Node, identify the expected impact, and showcase integration with the EOSC Academy. The application process involves submitting an online form via the ESF platform, along with a PDF describing the excellence, impact, and implementation of the application. The evaluation process consists of five stages: eligibility check, pre-assessment, review panel, consensus report, and announcement of results. The opening date for the call is November 3rd, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is February 18th, 2026.