HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM

Overview

The HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM call under the Horizon Europe program is an EU funding opportunity designed to provide financial support for accessing services from ecosystem partners. This initiative falls under the HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions category. It features a single-stage application process, with the opening date set for January 8, 2026, and a submission deadline of March 26, 2026. The total budget for this call is €4,500,000, with an expected grant allocation of one principal beneficiary organization known as the Coordination and Support Action (CSA) Beneficiary.

The CSA Beneficiary is tasked with distributing financial support in the form of lump sums to EIC Awardees and other eligible entities, covering up to 70% of costs for R&D infrastructure, prototyping, and intellectual property (IP) and legal services, and up to 50% for other types of services from the EIC Ecosystem Partners. Notably, at least 80% of the total budget must be used for direct financial support to recipients.

Eligible applicants are organizations with the capacity to manage financial distributions effectively, requiring operational capacities including a continuous open call for EIC Awardees, helpdesk functions, and reporting systems. Geographic eligibility follows the standard Horizon Europe provisions, allowing participation from EU Member States and associated countries.

Support focuses on accelerating commercialization and innovation development, particularly for EIC Awardees who have already received funding under various EIC schemes. The selected CSA Beneficiary will implement an ongoing application process that functions on a first-come, first-served basis for EIC Awardees. This approach emphasizes rapid access to necessary services to support innovation.

No co-funding is required, as the grant covers 100% of eligible costs. The organization must also ensure effective financial management and maintain real-time monitoring and reporting systems to keep track of applications, funding distribution, and service quality.

Proposals submitted will be evaluated based on criteria outlined in the program’s general annexes. While historical success rates for similar calls range from 10% to 25%, the exact rate for this specific opportunity remains undetermined due to its unique structure. The maximum support for each third-party recipient under this initiative is capped at €60,000.

The call outlines essential responsibilities for the CSA Beneficiary, including dissemination of information, monitoring the quality of services provided, conducting surveys for quality assurance, preventing double funding, maintaining streamlined application processes, and collaborative efforts with the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency and external contractors.

Overall, this initiative aims to strengthen the European innovation ecosystem by facilitating access to vital resources for innovation development and commercialization, thereby enhancing the competitive landscape within the EU.

Detail

The HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM call, under the Horizon Europe program, aims to provide financial support to access services from Ecosystem partners. It falls under the HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement. The call adopts a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 08 January 2026, and the deadline for submission is 26 March 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for this topic is 4,500,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 1 grant to be awarded.

The scope of this call involves the standard admissibility and eligibility conditions for Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), as outlined in Annex 2. The CSA Beneficiary will offer financial support to EIC Awardees in the form of lump sums, covering up to 70% of the cost for accessing R&D infrastructure, prototyping, and IP and legal support. Additionally, it covers up to 50% of the cost for all other types of services received from EIC Ecosystem Partners. A continuously open call will be implemented for the selection of EIC Awardees, ensuring timely and flexible access to support. Applications should propose a limited number of maximum lump sum amounts, corresponding to different categories of services, as defined in the EIC Service Catalogue.

EIC Awardees eligible for this support are defined in the Glossary and include Awardees selected through calls under the H2020 EIC Pilot (2018-2020) and entities awarded a Seal of Excellence under the EIC Work Programmes and the EIC Pre-Accelerator call under WIDERA Work Programme under Horizon Europe.

The CSA Beneficiary will launch a continuously open call, inviting eligible entities to apply for a fixed-amount lump sum under this action. Applications from eligible entities submitted to the CSA beneficiary must reference a specific partner from the online EIC Ecosystem Partner Catalogue and provide proof of approval from this Partner. The application may concern a service to be still implemented or already delivered services (no later than 6 months from the accomplishment of the service). Lump sum grants will be awarded by the CSA beneficiary on a “first-come, first-served” basis, determined by the electronic timestamp of the successful application submission, and subject to eligibility checks and confirmation of the absence of double funding.

The CSA Beneficiary will also be responsible for disseminating information about the call and establishing a dedicated helpdesk to reply to questions from EIC Awardees and other eligible entities. The application system should be lean and should not request to create a full profile on already existing platforms.

The CSA Beneficiary will monitor the services received by the EIC Awardees, run a quality survey directly after the end of the service, and an impact survey 6 months after the end of the service. Both surveys should be validated with the Agency. The maximum cumulative support allocated to a recipient (or third party) under this action is EUR 60,000.

The CSA Beneficiary needs to implement a real-time reporting and monitoring system about applications received and funding awarded per EIC Awardee and other eligible entities, as well as aggregated data displayed in dashboards. This includes but is not limited to geographical distribution, type of service, financial support received (value of the lump sums, type and geographical distribution of partners, results of the quality and impact surveys etc). The exact content of the dashboard will be defined at the beginning of the project. By the end of the project, all data gathered during its implementation will be made available to the Agency following a template provided by the Agency.

The CSA Beneficiary will work in close coordination with the Agency and the contractor responsible for implementing the call for Ecosystem Partners and EIC service catalogue, as well as with other EU services as necessary. This collaboration will include participation in regular coordination meetings and the timely provision of relevant information to support the effective implementation of the action. In addition, the CSA Beneficiary will contribute, in cooperation with the Agency, to the preparation of an “uptake and impact report” summarising the overall activities and outcomes of the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Action.

The CSA Beneficiary must ensure sound financial management, and applicants must clearly outline in their proposals the mechanisms that will be put in place for the effective and efficient administration of financial support, including measures to prevent misuse or abuse.

If admissible and eligible, the proposals for the Coordination and Support Actions will be evaluated and ranked against the criteria as described in Annex 2. The funding rate of the CSA is 100% of the eligible costs. At least 80% of the total budget to be funded by the EIC must be allocated to financial support to third parties (the EIC Awardees and other eligible entities). An effective duration of around 2-3 years would enable the project to achieve the desired objectives.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, evaluation and award processes, and legal and financial setup, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application forms are available in the Submission System, with various templates provided for different action types (RIA, IA, CSA, RI, PCP, PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA, ERC, EIC). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations. Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), and call-specific instructions. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 sections, EIC and ERC Work Programmes 2026, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and other related regulations and guidelines.

The call aims to bolster the European Innovation Ecosystem by providing financial support to EIC Awardees, enabling them to access essential services from EIC Ecosystem Partners. This support is designed to facilitate R&D, prototyping, IP protection, and other critical business development activities. The call seeks a CSA Beneficiary to manage the distribution of lump sum grants, monitor service quality, and report on the overall impact of the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Action. The initiative promotes collaboration, sound financial management, and efficient resource allocation to drive innovation and competitiveness within the European Union.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant for this opportunity is the CSA Beneficiary. The CSA Beneficiary will then provide financial support to EIC Awardees and other eligible entities. EIC Awardees are defined in the Glossary and include Awardees selected through calls under the H2020 EIC Pilot (2018-2020) and entities awarded a Seal of Excellence under the EIC Work Programmes and the EIC Pre-Accelerator call under WIDERA Work Programme under Horizon Europe.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The CSA Beneficiary will provide financial support to EIC Awardees in the form of lump sums.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to be targeted towards a single applicant, referred to as the CSA Beneficiary, who will then distribute funds to third parties.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: This program targets the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE). It aims to provide financial support to EIC Awardees for accessing services related to R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP, and legal support, as well as other services from EIC Ecosystem Partners.

Mentioned Countries: Non-EU and non-Associated Countries are mentioned as having specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on providing support for access to services, which suggests projects are in the development, validation, or demonstration stages, needing resources for prototyping, IP protection, and legal advice.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM is EUR 4,500,000. The maximum size of cumulative support allocated to a recipient (or third party) under this action is EUR 60,000.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call. A continuously open call will be implemented for the selection of EIC Awardees.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants. The CSA Beneficiary will receive funding to disburse to third parties.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 1, suggesting a highly competitive process.

Co-funding Requirement: The funding rate of the CSA is 100% of the eligible costs, suggesting no co-funding is required from the CSA Beneficiary. However, EIC Awardees receive up to 70% of costs for R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP, and legal support, and up to 50% for other services, implying some level of cost-sharing or own contribution for those awardees.

This opportunity, HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM, is a call for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the European Innovation Ecosystems. The goal is to provide financial support to EIC Awardees and other eligible entities by giving them access to services from EIC Ecosystem Partners. A successful applicant, the CSA Beneficiary, will receive a grant to distribute lump sum payments to these awardees, covering costs related to R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP, legal support, and other services. The CSA Beneficiary will also be responsible for setting up a helpdesk, monitoring service quality, and reporting on the program's impact. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline in March 2026, and the selected CSA Beneficiary will need to ensure sound financial management and work closely with the European Innovation Council (EIC) Agency. The maximum cumulative support for a third party is EUR 60,000. This action aims to bolster the EIC Ecosystem by facilitating access to essential resources for innovative ventures.

Short Summary

Impact
This funding aims to strengthen the European innovation ecosystem by providing financial support to EIC Awardees for accessing essential services such as R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP protection, and legal support.
Applicant
Organizations capable of acting as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) Beneficiary with strong project management capabilities and experience in grant management.
Developments
The activities will focus on providing financial support to EIC Awardees for accessing services from EIC Ecosystem Partners, facilitating innovation commercialization.
Applicant Type
Organizations capable of acting as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) Beneficiary.
Consortium
This funding is designed for a single applicant, referred to as the CSA Beneficiary.
Funding Amount
The total budget for this call is €4,500,000, with a maximum cumulative support of €60,000 per recipient.
Countries
Eligible applicants must be from EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe programme.
Industry
This funding targets the European Innovation Ecosystems, supporting various sectors including technology, clean tech, AI, and biotech.

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