Open Call 5 for EEN Organisations in Horizon Europe Widening Countries Hosting Additional EIC Accelerator Training Sessions – EEN2EIC

EEN2EIC Open Call 5 funds Enterprise Europe Network organisations in Horizon Europe Widening Countries to deliver EIC Accelerator training sessions that increase business, investor and technology readiness of high‑potential SMEs. The action-level budget is €3,671,480 with an award ceiling of €60,000 per organisation and funding delivered as cascade grants. Applications must be submitted in English via the online form by 07 September 2026, 17:00 CEST. Full call details and the application form are available on the EEN2EIC project website and the EU Funding and Tenders Portal, contact een2eic@apre.it for enquiries.

What it funds

Purpose

Grants to Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) organisations to organise additional EIC Accelerator training and capacity‑building sessions aimed at recruiting and preparing high‑potential innovative SMEs for the EIC Accelerator.

Who can apply:EEN partner organisations operating in Horizon Europe widening countries. EEN organisations in the same country are strongly encouraged to coordinate and submit a single national proposal. Applications must be in English.

1. 1Application submitted via the online form (Microsoft Forms link provided by project).
2. 2Proposals should explain relevance to national/regional needs, recruitment of potential EIC Accelerator applicants, inclusiveness (including women‑led companies), and follow‑up support.
3. 3Coordinate nationally with other EEN partners before submission.

Apply through the specified online application form. Further information and the Open Call document are available from the project website EEN2EIC ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Open Call 5 document and contact (een2eic@apre.it) available via the EEN2EIC project website.

Basic facts and reference

Administrative and reference details

Call identifier HORIZON-EIC. Project acronym EEN2EIC. The opportunity is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and administered under the project Support to EIC Accelerator by the Enterprise Europe Network (Project Id 101075818). A total project-level budget associated with the broader action is €3,671,480. Applications must be submitted via the online application form no later than 7 September 2026 at 17:00 CEST (Brussels time). Applications must be submitted in English. For further information visit the official project website EEN2EIC or contact een2eic@apre.it ¹.

Application submission:Applications must be submitted through the online application form (Microsoft Forms link provided by the call). The call follows a single-stage deadline model. Before submission, EEN organisations operating in the same country are strongly encouraged to coordinate internally at national EEN level and agree on a single proposal.

Deadline:Final submission deadline: 7 September 2026, 17:00 CEST (Brussels time).

Eligibility, scope and who should apply

Eligible applicant types

Primary eligible applicants:Enterprise Europe Network organisations (EEN organisations) operating in Horizon Europe widening countries. EEN organisations are typically local/regional innovation support actors including but not limited to chambers of commerce, regional development agencies, innovation agencies, technology transfer offices, business support NGOs, consultancy units within universities and research organisations, and other entities formally designated as EEN partners. The call text requests applications from EEN organisations; it is not aimed at individual SMEs directly or to entities that are not part of the EEN network.

Beneficiary geographic scope

Geographic eligibility is limited to Horizon Europe widening countries. The call text uses the term 'Horizon Europe widening countries' rather than listing each country in the scraped excerpt. Applicants must be EEN organisations operating within those widening countries. The call encourages national EEN-level coordination so that EEN organisations in the same country agree on a single proposal.

Consortium requirement

The call is structured for single-entity submissions from EEN organisations. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to coordinate at national EEN level and agree on a single proposal when multiple EEN partners exist in the same country. The call does not require a multi-partner external consortium as a condition but allows cooperation and coordination among EEN organisations nationally.

Target sectors and beneficiaries

The activity focuses on supporting innovative SMEs preparing for the EIC Accelerator. It targets high-potential innovative companies that could become EIC Accelerator applicants, with explicit emphasis on reaching companies not previously engaged by EEN2EIC and on engaging women-led companies. Sector coverage is cross-sectoral: the objective is to prepare SMEs for the EIC Accelerator scheme rather than targeting a specific industrial sector. Therefore eligible target sectors include health, ICT, deep tech, cleantech, manufacturing innovation, advanced materials, biotech/medtech, energy, environment, transport and other technology domains relevant to EIC Accelerator panels.

Project stage targeted

The activities are capacity-building and training to prepare SMEs for EIC Accelerator applications. The expected maturity of participant companies is typically closer to development, validation, demonstration and early commercialisation/scale-up stages rather than basic research or idea-only stage. The sessions are intended to improve SMEs readiness for EIC Accelerator proposal submission and follow-up support toward commercialisation and scale-up.

Funding and financial rules

Funding type

Primary financial mechanism:grant funding under the EEN2EIC action (Support to EIC Accelerator by the Enterprise Europe Network). The scraped content reports a project budget at the action level of €3,671,480; the call is an open call awarding funding to EEN organisations to host additional EIC Accelerator training sessions. The call text in the scrape does not specify the per-award amounts or funding rates; applicants should consult the official Open Call 5 document on the project website for exact per-beneficiary grant amounts, eligible cost categories and funding conditions. ¹

Co-funding requirement:The scraped content does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required from applicants. The call does not show a mandatory co-funding percentage in the extracted text. Applicants should consult the full call document and conditions on the official project website or the EU portal to confirm whether co-funding or financial contribution by beneficiaries is required.

Nature of support

Beneficiaries are expected to receive monetary support (grant) to organise and deliver EIC Accelerator training sessions. In addition to monetary grants, the activity includes non-monetary components such as training content, coaching, recruitment of SMEs, networking and follow-up support services delivered by EEN organisations. The scraped content implies a mix of financial and service support is intended but precise modalities must be checked in the official call documentation. ¹

Application process and assessment

Application type and submission method

Open call with a single-stage submission model. Applications are submitted online using a Microsoft Forms application form (link referenced in the call). Applications must be completed in English and submitted before the deadline. The call text specifically requests that EEN organisations in the same country coordinate to present a single national proposal where relevant.

Application stages and selection

Number of application stages:1 (single-stage submission). Selection appears to follow a competitive single-stage evaluation. The scraped content does not provide a detailed multi-step evaluation workflow (e.g., remote evaluation followed by interviews), nor does it document scoring criteria or evaluation panels. Applicants should consult the Open Call 5 description on the official website for full evaluation criteria, scoring and selection timeline. ¹

Success rates

Success rates are not provided in the scraped content. Because total action budget is stated (€3,671,480) but per-award amounts are not disclosed in the available excerpt, it is not possible to calculate success probability. Applicants should consult the full call documentation or contact the project mailbox for historic award numbers or indicative success rates.

Application content and template structure

The public Microsoft Forms application visible in the scrape indicates the call asks for narrative responses describing relevance, national/regional needs, target participants, organisational experience, recruitment strategy, delivery approach, engagement of high-potential companies including women-led companies, and follow-up support. The form does not auto-collect the respondent's name or email unless provided by the applicant; applicants must provide organisational contact details and declarations as required.

1. 1Suggested application structure based on the Microsoft Forms fields observed: 1. Applicant identification and EEN affiliation and role. 2. Description of the proposed training session: objectives, format (online/in-person/hybrid), duration, proposed agenda, expected outputs. 3. Relevance to Call 5 objectives: national/regional need analysis and target participants profile. 4. Organisational capacity: past experience supporting innovative SMEs, track record of organising similar capacity-building events, CVs or profiles of trainers or coaches (if requested). 5. Recruitment & outreach plan: how the applicant will attract potential EIC Accelerator candidates, channels, selection criteria and timelines. 6. Inclusion and outreach: plan to engage high-potential companies not previously reached by EEN2EIC and women-led companies. 7. Follow-up and support plan: post-training activities to support EIC Accelerator application preparation and subsequent coaching or matchmaking activities. 8. Budget estimate and cost justification (if requested in the full call document). 9. Declarations and attachments: any required legal or financial forms, proof of EEN status, letters of national coordination agreement (if applicable).

Applicants should prepare a concise narrative addressing each question from the Microsoft form. The sample questions shown on the form include: Please explain how your proposed training session is relevant to the objectives of Call 5. Describe the national or regional needs it addresses and the target participants. Please describe your organisation's experience in supporting innovative SMEs and organising capacity-building events. How will you recruit relevant potential EIC Accelerator applicants, and ensure the successful delivery of the training session? Explain how you will engage high-potential companies—including women-led companies not previously reached by EEN2EIC—and how you will ensure follow-up support for potential EIC Accelerator applicants.

Key risks, recommendations and next steps for applicants

Risks and open points based on the scraped content:the call excerpt does not specify per-beneficiary funding ceilings, eligible cost categories, reporting obligations, or whether a co-funding contribution is required. Recommendation: obtain and review the full Open Call 5 document available on the EEN2EIC website and the EU portal, confirm funding conditions, prepare documented evidence of EEN status, secure national EEN coordination if multiple EEN partners exist in the same country, and draft the training agenda and recruitment plan ahead of the deadline. Contact the project mailbox een2eic@apre.it for clarifications. ¹

Mentioned countries and geography

The scraped content references 'Horizon Europe widening countries' but does not list specific countries in the excerpt. No individual countries are explicitly named in the available text. Applicants must be EEN organisations operating in Horizon Europe widening countries; consult the Horizon Europe documentation and the Open Call 5 full document to confirm the exact list of countries considered 'widening' for this call.

Summary and explanation

This opportunity is an open call under the EEN2EIC action to finance Enterprise Europe Network organisations based in Horizon Europe widening countries to host additional EIC Accelerator training sessions. The objective is to increase the pipeline of well-prepared EIC Accelerator applicants by providing targeted training, outreach to under-reached groups including women-led companies, and follow-up support to progress eligible SMEs toward EIC Accelerator applications and scale-up. Applicants are EEN organisations; submissions are single-stage, in English, and made via an online form by the deadline on 7 September 2026. The action is funded via grants under the broader EEN2EIC project (total action budget quoted €3,671,480). Applicants should coordinate nationally where multiple EEN organisations operate in the same country, prepare a clear training plan, recruitment and inclusion strategy, and consult the full Open Call 5 documentation and the project contact for precise financial, reporting and eligibility details. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Open Call 5 document and further details are available at the project website EEN2EIC and via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal listing (call page). For clarifications contact een2eic@apre.it.

Opportunity Overview

Open Call 5 is a cascade funding initiative under Horizon Europe (WIDERA Work Programme) designed to support Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) organisations in Horizon Europe Widening Countries by hosting additional training sessions for potential EIC Accelerator applicants ¹. The call aims to boost innovation potential in less-represented regions by enhancing business, investor, and technology readiness of high-potential deep-tech startups ².

Key Deadlines:Applications must be submitted no later than 07 September 2026 at 17:00 CEST (Brussels time) via the online form ³.

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) member organisations established in Horizon Europe Widening Countries, including Associated Countries with comparable research and innovation performance ⁴. Before submitting, EEN organisations operating in the same country are strongly encouraged to coordinate internally at the national level and agree on a single proposal to avoid duplication ⁵.

1. 1EEN member organisations in Widening Countries (e.g., Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine)
2. 2Organisations with experience in supporting innovative SMEs and organising capacity-building events
3. 3Entities capable of recruiting high-potential companies, including women-led companies not previously reached by EEN2EIC

Funding Details & Objectives

The primary objective is to host training sessions that develop knowledge, skills, and institutional capabilities regarding the EIC Accelerator application process ⁶. Selected organisations will receive funding to cover costs related to training delivery, recruitment of participants, and follow-up support for potential applicants ⁷.

EIC Accelerator Benefits for Trainees:Successful SMEs applying through the EIC Accelerator can receive up to €2.5 million in equity-free grant funding (70% funding rate) and up to €10 million in equity investment, totaling blended financing of up to €12.5 million ⁸.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit an online form explaining the relevance of their proposed training session to Call 5 objectives, describing national/regional needs, and identifying target participants ⁹. The proposal must also detail the organisation's experience in supporting SMEs, recruitment strategies for high-potential companies (including women-led firms), and plans for follow-up support ¹⁰.

• Explain relevance to Call 5 objectives and address national/regional needs
• Describe experience in supporting SMEs and organising capacity-building events
• Detail recruitment strategies for potential EIC Accelerator applicants
• Outline engagement with high-potential and women-led companies not previously reached
• Ensure follow-up support mechanisms for potential applicants

Additional Information & Resources

The full Open Call 5 document is available on the official project website EEN2EIC Project Site. For further inquiries, contact the project team at een2eic@apre.it ¹¹. An Online Info Session for Calls 4bis and 5 is scheduled for 16 July 2026 (10:30–11:30 CET) ¹².

Footnotes

1. 1Official Opportunity Page: Open Call 5
2. 2WIDERA Work Programme 2026-2027: Widening Participation
3. 3Application Deadline: 07 September 2026, 17:00 CEST DevelopmentAid Grant View
4. 4Eligibility Criteria: EEN members in Widening Countries DevelopmentAid Grant View
5. 5Coordination Requirement: Single proposal per country Official Opportunity Page
6. 6Scope: Training and capacity-building for EIC Accelerator DevelopmentAid Grant View
7. 7Award Ceiling: €60,000 per organisation DevelopmentAid Grant View
8. 8EIC Accelerator Funding: Up to €2.5M grant + €10M equity NRWEuropa EEN2EIC
9. 9Application Form Requirements: Relevance, needs, and target participants Microsoft Forms Application
10. 10Recruitment & Follow-up: Engagement with women-led companies Microsoft Forms Application
11. 11Project Contact: een2eic@apre.it Official Opportunity Page
12. 12Info Session Date: 16 July 2026 EEN2EIC Twitter