Making Europe a global magnet for talent - Attracting and retaining students, researchers and high-skilled workers from outside the EU

The grant opportunity is part of the EU Horizon Europe program titled "Making Europe a global magnet for talent - Attracting and retaining students, researchers, and high-skilled workers from outside the EU," designated as HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-06. It is categorized under Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and operates under a lump sum grant model.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of legal entities such as universities, research organizations, higher education institutions, industry players, non-academic organizations, and other partners. The Joint Research Centre can participate as a zero-funding beneficiary or associated partner. A multi-partner consortium is required, emphasizing collaboration among various stakeholders.

The geographic eligibility covers EU member states, EEA countries, and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries under specific funding provisions. This initiative targets sectors related to education, social and economic transformation, migration policy, and human capital development. The focus is particularly on issues like labor mobility, migration pathways, and retention of skilled individuals.

The total budget for this call is €10 million, with expected funding for three projects ranging from €3 million to €3.3 million each. The application process is single-stage, with a submission opening on May 12, 2026, and a deadline of September 23, 2026. The nature of support provided will be in the form of monetary grants, alongside non-monetary services like access to networking events and guidance from National Contact Points.

Proposals are expected to generate rigorous, policy-relevant evidence that enhances the EU's ability to attract international talent, develop actionable advice for improving retention mechanisms, and assess the effectiveness of various EU policies. Projects should employ both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and consider intersectional dimensions such as gender and disability.

The expected success rate for proposals is estimated to be around 10-15%, reflecting a highly competitive funding environment. There are no explicit co-funding requirements, though leveraging additional funding sources is encouraged to enhance proposals.

In summary, this grant aims to improve the attractiveness and retention of international talent in Europe, contributing significantly to the EU's competitive position in the global innovation landscape.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the Call Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01). The topic is "Making Europe a global magnet for talent Attracting and retaining students, researchers and high-skilled workers from outside the EU" (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-06). It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement.

The call follows a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 12 May 2026, and the deadline for submission is 23 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic are:

1.  Generation of rigorous, policy-relevant evidence on the factors influencing students, researchers, and high-skilled workers from non-EU countries to move to and remain in the EU.
2.  Provision of guidance to policymakers and higher education/research institutions on effective policies and programs for attracting talented individuals from non-EU countries.
3.  Development of actionable advice for retaining talented individuals to ensure a long-term positive impact on the EU economy's innovation and competitiveness.
4.  Provision of evidence-based policy insights/options to improve the coherence of migration pathways for skilled talent across the EU.
5.  Support for more flexible and attractive mobility schemes, reducing administrative barriers, increasing accessibility, and enhancing retention mechanisms to enhance the EU’s competitiveness in research, innovation, and cultural exchange.

The scope of the topic is to address the EU's need to attract and retain talent from outside Europe to compete on a global scale. The Union of Skills, adopted in March 2025, aims to make the EU and the European Research Area (ERA) a global magnet for talent. There is limited research on the specific factors influencing the decision-making process of international students, researchers, and high-skilled workers when choosing destinations. More evidence is needed on:

*  How policies and programs can successfully retain students, researchers, and high-skilled workers from abroad in the EU (and associated countries) in the medium to long term. Projects should assess the functioning of Talent Partnerships.
*  How to mobilize the professional potential of humanitarian migrants already in the EU in the context of global competition for talent.

Proposals should use rigorous quantitative methods and may complement them with qualitative research methods and relevant research from SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines. They should address gender and disability dimensions and can focus on students, researchers, and/or high-skilled workers. Cooperation with higher education institutions, research institutions, non-academic organizations, industry, and social partners is strongly encouraged.

General conditions include:

1.  Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The page limit for Part B of the Research and Innovation Action (RIA) application using lump sum is 50 pages. A detailed budget table must be submitted using the template in the Submission System.
2.  Eligible Countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
3.  Other Eligible Conditions: The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium with zero funding or as an associated partner.
4.  Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5.  Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6.  Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
7.  Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
8.  Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the end of the action.

Specific conditions are as described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

*  Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).
*  Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA).
*  Guidance: HE Programme Guide.
*  Model Grant Agreements (MGA): Lump Sum MGA.
*  Call-specific instructions: Detailed budget table (HE LS), Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents include:

*  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
*  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
*  HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
*  HE Programme Guide
*  HE Framework Programme 2021/695
*  HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
*  EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
*  Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
*  Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
*  EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
*  Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
*  Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
*  Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview indicates that for the year 2026, there are several topics under the same call (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01) related to Democracy, Heritage, and Transformation. Each topic has a specific budget, type of action (RIA, IA, CSA), and indicative number of grants. The opening date is planned for 12 May 2026, with a deadline of 23 September 2026. Contributions vary depending on the topic, and the indicative number of grants ranges from 1 to 4.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

General FAQs and support are available through the Funding & Tenders Portal, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to address the challenge of attracting and retaining international talent within the EU to enhance its global competitiveness. It seeks to generate evidence-based insights and actionable advice for policymakers and institutions to improve migration pathways, mobility schemes, and retention mechanisms for students, researchers, and high-skilled workers from non-EU countries. The call encourages rigorous research methodologies, collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and consideration of gender and disability dimensions. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process involves a single-stage submission with a deadline in September 2026.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are higher education institutions, research institutions, non-academic organizations, industry, and social partners. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. The actions are HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity encourages cooperation with higher education institutions, research institutions, non-academic organisations and notably industry, and social partners, as well as clustering and cooperation among selected projects under this call and other relevant projects, are strongly encouraged. This suggests a consortium is preferred, but it is not explicitly stated whether a single applicant is disallowed.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sectors are culture, creativity, and inclusive society. The specific focus is on attracting and retaining students, researchers, and high-skilled workers from outside the EU, addressing skills, migration, and innovation ecosystems.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries (third countries) with specific provisions.

Project Stage: The project stage is research and innovation actions.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from approximately €3,000,000 to €6,000,000. For example, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-06 has a budget of 10,000,000 EUR and contributions of 3,000,000 to 3,300,000 EUR, while HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-02 has contributions of 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants is provided for each topic, allowing for an estimation of the competition level.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary: This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically within the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society domain. It aims to fund research and innovation actions focused on attracting and retaining international students, researchers, and high-skilled workers to the EU and the European Research Area. The call is structured around several topics related to democracy, heritage, and transformations, each with its own budget and expected number of grants. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, research institutions, industry, and social partners, who are encouraged to form consortia. The funding will be provided as lump sum grants, and the application process involves a single stage. The goal is to generate evidence-based policy insights and actionable advice for policymakers and institutions to enhance the EU's competitiveness in research, innovation, and cultural exchange by becoming a global magnet for talent.