First FIDELIS Open Call for Support for the Adoption of Solutions

The FIDELIS project is launching its first open call to provide cascading grants and expert support to repositories for adopting tested best-practice solutions, with up to €280,000 available in this first call. Individual awards are calculated at €500 per day and range from €6,000 to €7,500 for support offers requiring 12 to 15 working days; financial support is payable by invoice upon successful completion. Eligible applicants are individuals or individuals representing a team within a single organisation based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country and not affiliated with direct FIDELIS beneficiaries, with applications due via the TRUST-Grants platform by 30 June 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Selected support will be delivered virtually within a period not exceeding three months, expected between 15 August and 15 November 2026.

What it funds

Summary

Cascading grants to help repositories adopt tested solutions (services, tools, methodologies, policies) that increase repository trustworthiness and preservation capabilities. The first open call will distribute up to €280,000; across two calls FIDELIS will allocate €500,000 in total. Support offers include registry exposure, privacy-preserving tools, preservation process support, and management/service approaches.

Who can apply:Individuals or individuals representing a single organisation (team in one organisation) residing and/or working in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Applicants must not be beneficiaries of the FIDELIS project.

1. 1Deadline: 30 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
2. 2Expected activity period: mid-August to mid-November 2026 (support delivered within ~3 months)

Compensation and effort:participants commit 12–15 person-days. Standard day rate is €500/day, so each successful participant receives approximately €6,000–7,500 paid by invoice upon completion of the support offer.

Selection:applications reviewed by FIDELIS staff (three reviewers); selection aims for balanced geographic, repository-type and maturity representation. Applicants must state the chosen support offer, prior experience, expected benefits (max 300 words), confirm eligibility and commitment to the required effort. Apply via the grants platform listed on the FIDELIS Training & Support pages FIDELIS Training & Support ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call details, support-offer descriptions, FAQs and application instructions are available on the FIDELIS Training & Support webpage: eden-fidelis.eu

Key facts and dates

Call opening date:30 April 2026. Deadline (single-stage): 30 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Expected delivery period for selected participants: mid-August to mid-November 2026 (actual delivery does not exceed 3 months). Expected participant effort: 12 to 15 person-days across the delivery period. Total funding available for this first open call: €280 000. This call is part of the FIDELIS project (Grant Agreement 101188078) under HORIZON-INFRA.

Purpose and scope of the open call

Objective:Provide cascading grants and expert guidance to support repositories in adopting and implementing tested best-practice solutions (services, tools, methodologies or policies) developed by FIDELIS, EDEN, existing repositories or relevant EOSC projects. The solutions aim to help repositories become or strengthen their capabilities as Trustworthy Digital Repositories.

Total funding across FIDELIS open calls:Across the two open calls, FIDELIS will allocate a total of €500 000 in cascading grants; the first open call will distribute up to €280 000 ¹.

Eligible applicants and applicant types

Who may apply:Individuals, or individuals representing a team within a single organisation, provided they reside and/or work in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country for the duration of the grant. The call is explicitly not open to individuals affiliated with direct beneficiaries of the FIDELIS project. The opportunity is targeted at repository staff/teams and organisations responsible for research data and digital objects (repositories, research performing organisations, universities, national or domain-specific repositories, library services and comparable units).

1. 1Primary eligible applicant types: individuals (including an individual representing a team in a single organisation).
2. 2Organisational contexts typically expected: research data repositories, university libraries, research institutes, national data services and similar organisations responsible for repository services.
3. 3Ineligible: individuals affiliated with FIDELIS project beneficiaries (direct beneficiaries).

Funding type, modality and payment

Funding mechanism:cascading grants (grant paid as compensation based on a standard day rate). This combines financial support and non-financial support (expert guidance and training). Financial payment: standard day rate of €500 per day. Each support offer defines required days of effort (12 to 15 days), so each successful participant will receive between €6 000 and €7 500 upon successful completion, payable by invoice to the cascading grants coordinator (Trust-IT).

Nature of support

Beneficiaries will receive both monetary compensation (cascading grant payable on completion) and non-monetary services: tailored expert guidance, workshops/contact points, implementation support, access to technical infrastructure for virtual delivery, pedagogical and administrative support, and the opportunity to co-author an Implementation Story describing lessons learned.

Support offers and topics in this first call

The first open call includes a fixed set of support offers. Applicants choose which support offer they apply to. Support offers and topics included in the first call are:

Pilot support offers previously trialed include TTRAM workshops, CoreTrustSeal Explorer and Pathfinder tracks, and developing a FAIR EVA plugin. For each offered solution the project provides a clear description of expertise, expected participant tasks, prerequisite knowledge, and expected results on the FIDELIS Training & Support webpage FIDELIS Training & Support. ¹

Application process and required information

Application channel:Applicants must apply via the TRUST-Grants platform accessible from the FIDELIS website (the grants platform provided by the project). The call is single-stage.

1. 1Key items applicants must provide: selected support offer(s); description of relevant prior knowledge and experience; expected benefits and learning outcomes from participation (maximum 300 words); confirmation of residing/working in an eligible country; declaration of not being a FIDELIS direct beneficiary; confirmation of commitment to required 12–15 person-days of effort.
2. 2Applicants may apply as an individual or as an individual representing their organisation or team (but each application is for a single organisation context).
3. 3Submission is single-stage and will be evaluated on the basis of the application materials; there is no separate full proposal stage.

Templates and application structure

The call specifies the required fields and short narrative elements rather than long proposal templates. Required elements (structure applicants should follow) include:

1. 1Identification and contact details of the applicant (individual) and the organisation they represent if applicable.
2. 2Selected support offer name/number and brief justification for selection (why this offer is relevant to the repository).
3. 3Description of relevant prior knowledge and experience (skills, past projects, roles) and the applicant’s repository context (systems used, repository type, domain).
4. 4Expected benefits and learning outcomes (max. 300 words) describing what will be achieved and how the repository will use or embed the solution.
5. 5Confirmation of eligible country residence/work status and declaration that the applicant is not a direct FIDELIS beneficiary.
6. 6Commitment to provide 12–15 person-days of effort and to participate in workshops, implement the solution locally, present outcomes, and submit implementation reporting.
7. 7Administrative details needed for payment (organisation invoicing information) to be provided by selected applicants.

For mentoring calls there is a template to co-author the Implementation Story and guidance on peer review of the story; mentors and mentees expected deliverables follow predefined templates provided by FIDELIS during the mentoring programme setup.

Evaluation, selection and expected commitments

Evaluation panel and selection strategy:Applications will be reviewed by three members of the FIDELIS project team. The evaluation focuses on suitability for the chosen support offer and seeks a balanced cohort representing different geographic areas, repository types, maturity levels, and disciplines to maximise peer learning opportunities.

1. 1Selection criteria emphasised: relevance to the selected support offer; prior knowledge and capacity to absorb the support; expected benefits and tangible outcomes; geographic and repository-type balance across selected participants.
2. 2Notification: Successful applicants will be notified after evaluation completion; specific dates are provided via FIDELIS communications.

Participant commitments and reporting

Time commitment:Participation in a single support offer requires no more than 15 working days (usually 12–15 days as defined in the support offer description). Activities include active participation in workshops/contact points, local implementation of solutions, presentation of outcomes, and submission of implementation reporting and final deliverables (including contribution to an Implementation Story in some cases).

Payment and reporting:Financial support is payable by invoice to the cascading grants coordinator (Trust-IT) after successful completion of the support offer and submission of required reports. Reporting obligations include documentation of implementation activities and outcomes as specified per support offer.

Geographic scope, project stage and target sectors

Beneficiary scope:Applicants must reside and/or work in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country for the duration of the grant. The call aims to strengthen the European repository landscape and explicitly prioritises representation from underrepresented countries or areas with historically lower participation in training and certification activities.

1. 1Mentioned countries/regions: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (explicit).
2. 2Target sector(s): research data repositories, digital preservation, research infrastructures and ICT for data services, repository management and governance, FAIR research data practices, privacy-preserving data release.

Project stage expected from applicants:adoption, implementation, validation and demonstration of existing, tested solutions. The support is not a basic research grant but aims at practical uptake and embedding of established tools, services or policies within repository operations.

Operational details: application type, stages, co-funding and success rates

Application type:open call, single-stage submission via the TRUST-Grants platform (access via the FIDELIS website).

1. 1Consortium requirement: single-entity application model (single applicant or individual representing a single organisation). Multi-organisation consortia are not required nor indicated.
2. 2Application stages: single (1) stage — submit application; evaluation by FIDELIS team; selection and contracting/payment by invoice upon completion.
3. 3Co-funding requirement: none mandated in the call text. The call provides direct cascading grant compensation for participant effort; no matching funds are requested in the published call details.
4. 4Success rates: not specified in call documentation. The call indicates that a limited number of applicants will be supported to ensure balanced representation, but the exact number of awards or success-rate percentage is not published in the available materials.

Compensation scale and number of awards (where known)

First-call budget:up to €280 000. Individual award scale: €6 000 to €7 500 per successful participant (12 to 15 days at a daily rate of €500). The number of supported participants will depend on the selected support offers and the days required per offer; the exact number of awards is not explicitly stated in the published call text.

Contacts and further resources

Primary contact for queries:training-fidelis@postit.csc.fi. Application/administrative access: TRUST-Grants platform via FIDELIS website and the FIDELIS Training & Support webpage FIDELIS Training & Support. For EU portal listing and official opportunity reference see the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page.

What applicants should prepare — checklist

1. 1Confirm eligible residence/work status in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
2. 2Confirm you are not affiliated with a direct beneficiary of the FIDELIS project.
3. 3Choose the support offer you are applying to and read its detailed description on the FIDELIS Training & Support webpage.
4. 4Prepare a concise statement of relevant knowledge and experience tied to the selected support offer.
5. 5Prepare a benefits and learning outcomes statement, up to 300 words, describing expected tangible steps and impacts.
6. 6Confirm capacity to commit 12–15 person-days between mid-August and mid-November 2026 and readiness to invoice via organisation (if applicable).
7. 7Collect invoicing/administrative details required for payment upon successful completion.

Applicants are encouraged to consult the Support for the Adoption of Solutions FAQs and the inclusivity provisions on the Training & Support pages to understand selection priorities, mentoring options, and reporting templates.

Summary and practical explanation

This open call by FIDELIS funds the practical adoption and implementation of proven repository solutions across Europe. It provides short-term, targeted financial compensation combined with expert-led support to enable repositories to integrate recognized services, tools and practices (for example, registry exposure, privacy-preserving release tools, core preservation processes and service-focused repository management). The initiative is designed to accelerate uptake of existing EOSC and community solutions, increase repository trustworthiness, produce implementation stories that document lessons learned for the community, and to broaden participation across the European repository landscape. Applications are single-stage, require a concise description of prior experience and expected benefits, and commit the participant to a bounded implementation effort (12–15 days) for which they will receive €500/day on successful completion. The first open call offers up to €280 000 total and opens 30 April 2026 with a 30 June 2026 deadline; a second open call is scheduled for March 2027 for further uptake activities.

Footnotes

1. 1Full details, support-offer descriptions, FAQs, inclusivity provisions and application access are published on the FIDELIS Training & Support webpages: eden-fidelis.eu and on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity listing.

Funding Opportunity Overview

The FIDELIS project (Establishing A European Network of Trustworthy Digital Repositories) is launching its first open call to support repositories in adopting and implementing tested best-practice solutions. This cascading grant programme aims to strengthen repository capabilities as Trustworthy Digital Repositories through a combination of financial support and expert guidance. The first open call will distribute up to €280,000 of the total €500,000 allocated across two open calls. ¹

Key Dates and Timeline

Funding Available

Total Budget for First Open Call:€280,000 distributed as cascading grants to successful applicants.

Individual Grant Amount:€6,000 to €7,500 per successful applicant, calculated at a standard day rate of €500 per day. The exact amount depends on the specific support offer selected, which requires between 12 to 15 working days of effort. ²

Payment Terms:Financial support is payable by invoice to the FIDELIS cascading grants coordinator (Trust-IT) upon successful completion of the support offer.

Support Offers Available

The first open call offers four distinct support tracks, each designed to address specific repository development needs:

• Support Offer 1: Exposing your repository in the EDEN registry for long term preservation services
• Support Offer 2: Tools for privacy preserving data release and trustworthy publication (EOSC SIESTA)
• Support Offer 3: Advancing repository capabilities with Core Preservation Processes (EOSC EDEN)
• Support Offer 4: Managing repositories: a service perspective

Each support offer includes a mix of financial support and expert guidance to help repositories implement and adopt best practices, tools, services, and methodologies. Detailed descriptions of each support offer, including specific expertise to be shared, expected participant work, prerequisite skills, and final outcomes, are available on the FIDELIS Training and Support webpage.

Who Can Apply

Eligible Applicants

• Individuals or individuals representing a team within a single organisation
• Applicants must reside and/or work in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country for the duration of the grant
• Applicants must not be affiliated with direct beneficiaries of the FIDELIS project ³

The call welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds, including repository staff, managers, and technical professionals working across different repository types, maturity levels, and disciplines.

Application Requirements

Successful applicants must clearly demonstrate the following in their application:

1. 1The specific support offer or offers they are applying for
2. 2Their level of relevant knowledge and experience prior to participation
3. 3Expected benefits and learning outcomes from participation, limited to a maximum of 300 words
4. 4Confirmation of residence and/or work location in an eligible country
5. 5Declaration that they are not a beneficiary of the FIDELIS project
6. 6Confirmation of commitment to allocate 12 to 15 person-days of effort as defined in the selected support offer descriptions

Application Process

Applicants must submit their applications through the TRUST-Grants platform, which is accessible via the FIDELIS website. The application process is single-stage, with all submissions due by 30 June 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be reviewed by three members of the FIDELIS project team. The evaluation process prioritises selecting the most suitable applicants while ensuring diverse representation and optimal peer learning opportunities. ⁴

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation committee seeks to achieve a good balance of participants across the following dimensions:

• Geographic areas across Europe
• Repository types and organisational contexts
• Levels of repository maturity
• Disciplinary backgrounds and sectors

Successful applicants will be notified following completion of the evaluation period. The exact number of applicants to be supported per support offer will be determined based on the quality of applications and the capacity of each support offer.

Effort and Time Commitment

Duration of Support:The actual delivery of support offers and related implementation work will not exceed 3 months, scheduled between 15 August and 15 November 2026.

Expected Effort:Participation in a single support offer requires between 12 to 15 working days of effort. This effort will be allocated to active participation in workshops or contact points, implementing solutions in the participant's local environment, presenting outcomes, and completing implementation reporting.

Deliverables and Outcomes

All support activities will conclude with the collaborative writing of an Implementation Story. Each Implementation Story is co-authored by the FIDELIS support team and participants, documenting main challenges encountered, lessons learned, and providing key messages and advice for peers seeking to improve skills on the same topic. Implementation Stories will be published on Zenodo and the FIDELIS website to promote knowledge sharing across the repository community.

Additional Support and Resources

FIDELIS provides the following support to successful applicants:

• Expert guidance and mentoring from FIDELIS project team members
• Technical infrastructure and administrative support for workshops and virtual meetings
• Pedagogical support for implementing solutions
• Template and peer review support for co-authoring Implementation Stories
• Opportunity to share findings via virtual webinars coordinated by FIDELIS

Inclusivity Provisions

FIDELIS is committed to providing training and support for the entire European repository landscape. The project actively facilitates increased representation of countries that have been previously underrepresented in training activities, aiming to strengthen repositories across all regions and improve access to development resources. Applicants from underrepresented countries are encouraged to contact the FIDELIS team at training-fidelis@postit.csc.fi for support.

Important Conditions and Restrictions

• Applicants must not be affiliated with direct beneficiaries of the FIDELIS project
• Participation is open to individuals or teams representing a single organisation only
• Applicants must be based in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries
• Successful applicants must commit to the full duration and effort requirements of their selected support offer
• All support activities must be delivered virtually

Contact and Further Information

For detailed information about the support offers, application process, and frequently asked questions, applicants should consult the FIDELIS Training and Support webpage. Queries and suggestions can be directed to training-fidelis@postit.csc.fi. The official application portal is accessible through the TRUST-Grants platform linked on the FIDELIS website.

Related Opportunities

FIDELIS also offers a separate Mentoring and Peer-to-Peer Support Programme with its own open call. This programme provides financial support to mentors (€5,000 per mentor) to co-design and deliver mentoring support across five thematic areas related to trustworthy digital repositories. Mentees participate free of charge. The first open call for the mentoring programme closed on 30 April 2026, with support delivery scheduled for June to October 2026.

Footnotes

1. 1The FIDELIS project is funded under the Horizon Europe programme, specifically under the call HORIZON-INFRA for enabling a network of EOSC federated and trustworthy repositories. Grant agreement number 101188078.
2. 2The standard day rate of €500 per day is applied uniformly across all support offers. Individual support offers may require different numbers of days, resulting in total grants ranging from €6,000 (12 days) to €7,500 (15 days).
3. 3Direct beneficiaries of the FIDELIS project are the organisations that are formal partners in the FIDELIS consortium and receive funding directly from the European Commission. Applicants should verify their organisation's status before applying.
4. 4The evaluation process emphasises peer learning and community building. The selection committee aims to create cohorts of participants that represent diverse experiences and perspectives to maximise the value of knowledge exchange within each support offer group.