Strengthening skills and capacity for the deployment of EU Missions
Overview
Eligible applicants include research organizations, higher education institutions, public authorities, SMEs, NGOs, and public-private partnerships, particularly involving local authorities. The funding is structured as a grant under the Horizon Action Grant Budget-Based model.
A consortium of applicants will be required to ensure diverse expertise and collaboration across regions, which is essential given the call's emphasis on cross-regional knowledge exchange. Geographic eligibility includes all EU member states, associated countries, and selected third countries under specific conditions.
The target sectors span multiple areas, focusing on skills development and capacity building rather than basic research. Project activities will include skills inventory and gap analysis, development of capacity-building methodologies, strategic training programs, and building collaborative networks.
The application process is single-stage, open from December 9, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Proposals must adhere to specific submission guidelines detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme. Although success rates are not explicitly provided, the opportunity is expected to be highly competitive given the limited funding and the number of expected projects.
Funding covers up to 100% of eligible costs with no explicit co-funding requirement, although leveraging additional resources may strengthen proposals. The expected outcomes from successful projects include improved understanding of skill sets needed for local authorities, increased innovation uptake, and enhanced interregional collaboration.
Overall, this grant aims to empower local stakeholders to leverage opportunities arising from the EU Missions by addressing skill gaps and fostering innovative solutions through a structured capacity-building approach.
Applicants are encouraged to consult the Horizon Europe guidelines and utilize available support resources, including National Contact Points and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, for successful proposal submission.
Detail
The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date was December 9, 2025, and the deadline for submission is March 31, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.
The expected outcome of this call is to ensure that local authorities, including those not directly participating, have a better understanding of the required skill sets and expertise needed to effectively participate in EU Missions and accelerate the deployment of solutions. It also aims to increase the uptake and scaling of innovations, fostering a culture of experimentation and impact-driven action, and enhance collaboration and knowledge exchange across regions, thereby strengthening the overall implementation of the EU Missions.
The scope of this call is to strengthen research-driven capacity-building and institutional readiness to accelerate the deployment of innovative solutions in support of the five EU Missions. This involves identifying skills gaps, enhancing capacity within local authorities, and fostering experimentation and innovation at the local level, empowering key actors to fully leverage the Missions’ potential.
Proposals should address the following key areas:
Skills inventory and gap analysis: This includes conducting a comprehensive assessment of required and desirable skills and capacities relevant to the implementation of the EU Missions. It also involves developing and promoting methods to identify gaps, barriers, and training needs across sectors and stakeholders, ensuring alignment with the specific challenges of diverse missions.
Specific capacity building activities with local authorities should be undertaken to co-create and validate the methods and materials to be developed related to skills mapping and skills gap analysis for the deployment of innovative solutions. These activities may include targeted training programs, peer-learning networks, and mentoring schemes for local authorities to build up skills and knowledge necessary to deploy innovative solutions, engage stakeholders, and mobilize funding for Mission-related activities.
Topic updates indicate that the submission session is available for HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-01, HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-02, and HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-03 as of December 10, 2025.
The general conditions for admissibility include:
Proposal page limit and layout: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: 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, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other Eligible Conditions: If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds: described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application and evaluation forms and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available. The application form templates specific to this call are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE CSA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, and the Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE MGA.
Additional documents include:
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 12. Missions
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. 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 year 2025 includes:
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-01 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of 1,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening on December 9, 2025, deadline on March 31, 2026, and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening on December 9, 2025, deadline on March 31, 2026, and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-03 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 8,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening on December 9, 2025, deadline on March 31, 2026, and an indicative number of 2 grants.
There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.
To start the submission process, applicants need to access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirming their choice of action type and model grant agreement.
Available support includes:
Online Manual: A guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For questions about European research in general and EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe, including NCPs in non-EU and non-associated countries.
Enterprise Europe Network: Advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on tackling standardisation in project proposals.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment: General principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers, employers, and funders.
Partner Search: To find partner organisations for proposals.
In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to bolster the capacity of local authorities to effectively engage with EU Missions by addressing skills gaps and fostering innovation. It seeks to enhance research-driven capacity building and institutional readiness, with a focus on identifying and addressing skills gaps, promoting experimentation, and encouraging collaboration. The call encompasses Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), and Innovation Actions (IA), each with specific budget allocations and expected outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to consult the provided guidelines, annexes, and support services to prepare comprehensive and impactful proposals. The overall goal is to empower local actors to fully leverage the potential of EU Missions, driving the deployment of innovative solutions across Europe.
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Breakdown
Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. There are also HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions [HORIZON-CSA].
Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, the partner search announcements and the nature of capacity-building projects suggest that consortia are likely encouraged, if not required, to bring together diverse expertise and reach a wider range of local authorities.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The text mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Therefore, the geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with potential for participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions.
Target Sector: The program targets several sectors, including: Research and Innovation, Local Authorities, Skills Development, Capacity Building, and EU Missions implementation. It is a cross-cutting call, so it touches upon multiple sectors relevant to the EU Missions.
Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call is open to EU member states and associated countries. Non-EU/non-associated countries may also be eligible under specific conditions.
Project Stage: The project stage is focused on strengthening existing capacity and building institutional readiness. This suggests a focus on development, validation, and demonstration of methods and tools for skills gap analysis and capacity building, rather than basic research or pure idea generation.
Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-CSA: around €1,000,000
HORIZON-RIA: around €2,000,000
HORIZON-IA: around €4,000,000
The overall budget for each topic is:
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-01: €1,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-02: €2,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2026-07-CROSS-03: €8,000,000
Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.
Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to fund their projects. The support is financial, aimed at enabling capacity-building activities and the development of innovative solutions.
Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.
Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.
This Horizon Europe call aims to bolster the capacity of local authorities to effectively participate in and implement the EU Missions. The call seeks proposals that address skills gaps, enhance institutional readiness, and foster innovation at the local level. The goal is to empower local actors to leverage the potential of the EU Missions by identifying skill shortages, building capacity through targeted activities like training and mentoring, and promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange. The call encompasses three specific topics: Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with a budget of €1,000,000, Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) with a budget of €2,000,000 and Innovation Actions (IA) with a budget of €8,000,000. The call is open to EU member states and associated countries, with potential for participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions. The application process is a single-stage open call, and successful applicants will receive grant funding to support their projects. Applicants are directed to the Funding & Tenders Portal for application forms, guidance documents, and further information. The call emphasizes the use of Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS for projects involving satellite-based earth observation and related services.
Short Summary
Impact Strengthening skills and capacity for the deployment of EU Missions, enhancing local authorities' understanding of required skill sets, increasing innovation uptake, and fostering collaboration across regions. | Impact | Strengthening skills and capacity for the deployment of EU Missions, enhancing local authorities' understanding of required skill sets, increasing innovation uptake, and fostering collaboration across regions. |
Applicant Organizations with expertise in capacity-building methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and established relationships with local authorities. | Applicant | Organizations with expertise in capacity-building methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and established relationships with local authorities. |
Developments Capacity-building initiatives that address skills gaps and enhance institutional readiness for the deployment of innovative solutions in support of the five EU Missions. | Developments | Capacity-building initiatives that address skills gaps and enhance institutional readiness for the deployment of innovative solutions in support of the five EU Missions. |
Applicant Type Research organizations, higher education institutions, public authorities, SMEs, NGOs, and public-private partnerships. | Applicant Type | Research organizations, higher education institutions, public authorities, SMEs, NGOs, and public-private partnerships. |
Consortium A consortium of multiple applicants is expected to ensure diverse expertise and regional collaboration. | Consortium | A consortium of multiple applicants is expected to ensure diverse expertise and regional collaboration. |
Funding Amount €1,000,000 per project. | Funding Amount | €1,000,000 per project. |
Countries EU member states and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions. | Countries | EU member states and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions. |
Industry Horizon Europe, specifically targeting capacity-building and skills development within the framework of EU Missions. | Industry | Horizon Europe, specifically targeting capacity-building and skills development within the framework of EU Missions. |
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