Pillar III: European Citizens' Hackathon Championship

The grant opportunity titled "Pillar III: European Citizens' Hackathon Championship," identified as HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06, is part of the Horizon Europe framework. It is set to open on December 10, 2025, with a deadline for submissions by March 12, 2026. The total budget for this initiative is €3,000,000, with the expectation to fund one project at around €3,000,000.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium comprising at least three independent legal entities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, with a minimum of two entities based in EU Member States. The focus of this opportunity is on enhancing the research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem by fostering citizen engagement and addressing societal challenges. Key participants include municipalities, regional councils, research organizations, and business innovation centers.

This initiative targets the research and innovation sector with an emphasis on knowledge valorization, citizen engagement, and entrepreneurship. It aims to translate existing research results into practical applications, facilitating the development of market-ready solutions through collaborative hackathons. The project will include multiple phases, starting with local hackathons in at least 14 locations, leading to a European-level championship.

The grant will support both financial initiatives, including prize distributions of €60,000 annually among the winning teams, and non-monetary support such as mentoring and business training. The application process consists of a single-stage submission without a preliminary selection round, thereby requiring comprehensive proposals that align with the initiative’s goals.

Given that only one project is anticipated to be funded, the success rate is projected to be low, below 10%, highlighting the competitive nature of this grant. The initiative encourages the fostering of partnerships and synergies with other relevant programs while maintaining a strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and gender equality throughout its activities.

The anticipated duration of the project is structured for up to four years, spanning from the hackathons to the final championship events, all aimed at generating innovative solutions to societal challenges through active participant collaboration between citizens and researchers.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06, aimed at enhancing the European Research and Innovation (R&I) system. The call falls under HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and uses a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement. It is a forthcoming call with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is December 10, 2025, and the deadline is March 12, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The topic is titled "Pillar III: European Citizens' Hackathon Championship".

The call aims to deliver on the impact of "Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy", contributing to the ERA Structural Policy "Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities". The expected outcomes include:

Hundreds of innovative solutions resulting from the co-creation in transdisciplinary teams of researchers and citizens, supported through mentoring, business and technical advice and training to enter the market.
Upgraded skills for innovation and entrepreneurship among researchers and citizens across Europe, promoting business mindsets and contributing to new business startups that are given exposure and opportunities to grow at European level.
Increased awareness of societal challenges and R&I for new solutions to address them.
Increased trust in science and broader use of participatory and citizen engagement approaches to create value for market and society.

The scope of this topic focuses on connecting R&I with citizens and other stakeholders to upscale knowledge valorisation, increase trust in science, and align R&I with societal needs and values. It aims to accelerate knowledge valorisation through citizen engagement by co-creating innovative solutions that address citizens' needs, with the goal of supporting their market uptake.

The call invites municipalities, regional and city councils, research organisations, business and innovation centres, and other entities to jointly implement, for three consecutive years (2027-2029), an annual, year-long competition called the “European Citizens’ Hackathon Championship”, with impact at local, regional, and European levels.

Each annual competition will consist of a first-phase of hackathons taking place as physical meetings in several locations (cities and communities) across Europe, addressing issues that affect people’s lives. The detailed programme of activities, including the theme of the first annual competition, must be delivered within 3 months of start of the grant agreement and be approved by the granting authority. Subsequent themes will be agreed with the granting authority at the latest in month 14 and 26 of the action.

The winning teams of these first-phase hackathons will then compete at the European level for the title of European Champion. The total financial award of EUR 60 000 per year will be shared equally among the three winning teams of each annual competition.

The final event should also engage broad groups of stakeholders, including citizens, researchers, industry, public authorities, investors, and business developers.

Proposals should describe the plan for rolling out the competition over three consecutive years and supporting winning teams in the uptake of their solutions.

The three cities hosting the yearly European-level hackathons should be members or associated partners of the consortium. The first-phase hackathons should take place in at least 14 physical locations across Europe and be open to participating teams from all Member States and Associated Countries.

Wherever possible, synergies should be sought with other programmes such as “Science comes to town”, the European Researchers’ Night, the New European Bauhaus Festival, and others at every step of the championship.

Physical and digital accessibility should be ensured in all phases of the championship. Particular attention should be paid to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges, where relevant.

The expected project duration is up to 4 years.

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other Eligible Conditions: Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with two of them established in a Member State.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of prizes, with a maximum amount of EUR 20 000 per third party. Subcontracting is not restricted to a limited part of the action.
Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

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

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE CSA).
Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE CSA).
Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE MGA.
Call-specific instructions and information on financial support to third parties are available.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
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
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 for the HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA call includes several topics:

HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-01 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 6 000 000, Contributions EUR 2 000 000 to 3 000 000, Indicative number of grants 2
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-02 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 9 000 000, Contributions EUR 1 500 000 to 2 000 000, Indicative number of grants 6
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-03 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 6 000 000, Contributions around EUR 2 000 000, Indicative number of grants 3
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-04 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 4 000 000, Contributions around EUR 2 000 000, Indicative number of grants 2
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-05 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 2 000 000, Contributions around EUR 1 000 000, Indicative number of grants 2
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 3 000 000, Contributions around EUR 3 000 000, Indicative number of grants 1
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-07 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget EUR 6 000 000, Contributions around EUR 6 000 000, Indicative number of grants 1
HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-08 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget EUR 16 000 000, Contributions EUR 1 500 000 to 2 500 000, Indicative number of grants 8

There are currently no partner search announcements for this specific topic, but the portal allows LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants to publish partner requests.

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

For support, applicants are encouraged to consult the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment. Partner Search tools are also available.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call invites consortia to propose projects that will implement a three-year "European Citizens' Hackathon Championship" to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and citizen engagement in addressing societal challenges through research and innovation. The call emphasizes the importance of connecting R&I with citizens, upscaling knowledge valorisation, and increasing trust in science. The total financial award of EUR 60 000 per year will be shared equally among the three winning teams of each annual competition. The call encourages synergies with other European programmes and emphasizes physical and digital accessibility, inclusive gender equality, and addressing gender-specific challenges.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include municipalities, regional and city councils, research organisations, business and innovation centres, and other entities. The call specifically invites these entities to participate. It is implied that citizens and researchers are also key participants, although they are not the direct applicants.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The call falls under HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions). Additionally, the beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of prizes.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The consortium must include participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities. Each entity must be established in a different Member State or Associated Country, and two of the entities must be established in a Member State.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The first-phase hackathons should take place in at least 14 physical locations across Europe and be open to participating teams from all Member States and Associated Countries. 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.

Target Sector: The program targets several sectors, including research and innovation (R&I), society, economy, education, and innovation. It focuses on upscaling knowledge valorisation, citizen engagement, and addressing societal challenges. The program also touches upon entrepreneurship and business creation.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as eligible regions. The hackathons should take place across Europe, implying a broad geographic scope within these eligible countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the development and demonstration stages. The call aims to translate existing research results into innovative solutions and new businesses, suggesting that the research phase is largely complete, and the focus is on practical application and market uptake.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06 is EUR 3,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1, suggesting that one project will be funded with this amount. Additionally, EUR 60,000 per year will be shared equally among the three winning teams of each annual competition. The maximum amount to be awarded to each third party is EUR 20,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date for the submission system is 10 December 2025, and the deadline for submission is 12 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to implement the "European Citizens’ Hackathon Championship". Additionally, financial support will be provided to third parties in the form of prizes, with a maximum award of EUR 20,000 per third party.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: Based on the budget overview, for the topic HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06, there is an indicative number of 1 grant. Without knowing the expected number of applications, the success rate cannot be accurately determined, but it is likely to be below 10% given the competitiveness of Horizon Europe calls.

Co-funding Requirement: The information provided does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-06, focuses on implementing the "European Citizens’ Hackathon Championship" to connect research and innovation with citizens and other stakeholders. The goal is to upscale knowledge valorisation, increase trust in science, and align R&I with societal needs. The call invites municipalities, regional and city councils, research organisations, business and innovation centres, and other entities to form a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from different Member States or Associated Countries. The selected consortium will receive a grant of around EUR 3,000,000 to organise and implement the championship for three consecutive years (2027-2029). The championship will consist of local hackathons across at least 14 locations in Europe, followed by a European-level competition. Winning teams will receive financial awards, and the project aims to support the uptake of their innovative solutions. The call emphasizes the importance of physical and digital accessibility, inclusive gender equality, and synergies with other relevant programs. The project duration is expected to be up to 4 years. This initiative seeks to foster co-creation, entrepreneurship, and the translation of research results into practical solutions for societal challenges, ultimately contributing to a stronger European Research Area.