VALLEYS Open Call #1

VALLEYS Open Call 1 (project 101287111, HORIZON-WIDERA) offers cascade sub-grants totalling €210,000 to support up to 11 six-month pilot actions that operationalise at least one ERA Code of Practice (intellectual assets, standardisation, industry–academia co-creation or citizen engagement). Three funding strands are available: Strand A (Toolbox integration) up to €10,000 for single knowledge valorisation intermediaries, Strand B (cross-border secondments) up to €30,000 requiring two KVIs, and Strand C (combined activities) up to €40,000 requiring two partners. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, applications must be submitted via the Sploro/VALLEYS online form, and the deadline is 14 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Projects must deliver tangible outputs and a credible continuation or replication plan and be implemented within six months after signature of the sub-grant agreement.

What it funds

Short summary

Apply and find full call details on the official portal and the Sploro cascade hub VALLEYS call page Sploro application hub 1

Footnotes

1. 1Official call and application instructions are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Sploro cascade funding hub: ec.europa.eu and cascadefunding.sploro.eu.

Call summary

What the call funds

Open Call #1 (OC1) under the VALLEYS project funds six-month pilots that operationalise at least one of the four ERA Codes of Practice: intellectual assets, standardisation, industry–academia co-creation or citizen engagement. Pilots must produce tangible outputs and include a continuation or replication plan.

Strands, eligible project types and maximum awards

The open call is structured in three Strands. Applicants must select the Strand that best fits their proposal and submit the corresponding online form. Each Strand has different participant requirements and maximum funding amounts as follows.

Who should apply

The call targets Knowledge Valorisation Intermediaries (KVIs) and organisations that act as intermediaries in knowledge valorisation between research, industry and society. Examples of typical KVI organisations include technology transfer offices, university innovation and commercialisation units, research institute valorisation offices, incubators and accelerators, innovation hubs, regional development agencies, and third-party nonprofit intermediary organisations delivering valorisation services. For Strands B and C, proposals must be cross-border and include two partner organisations (two KVIs).

Eligible applicant types

Eligible applicant types (intended beneficiaries) include knowledge valorisation intermediaries such as university technology transfer offices, research institutes and their valorisation offices, incubators and accelerators, specialised intermediary nonprofit organisations, innovation support organisations, regional development agencies, and comparable organisational entities. Proposals are expected from organisational entities rather than individuals. Strand B and Strand C require two organisational partners operating cross-border.

Funding type and modality

The financial mechanism is cascade funding administered as sub-grants (grant to sub-grantee). The call allocates direct monetary awards to successful applicants: Strand A up to €10,000 per award; Strand B up to €30,000 per award; Strand C up to €40,000 per award. The total budget for the call is €210,000 to fund up to 11 projects.

Consortium and partnership requirements

Geographic eligibility

Open to organisations established in EU Member States and Horizon Associated Countries (EU/Associated Countries). The call explicitly states openness to EU/Associated Countries; proposals must respect cross-border requirements where indicated (Strands B and C require partners from different countries).

Target sectors and thematic scope

Thematic scope is knowledge valorisation broadly. Pilots must operationalise at least one ERA Code of Practice in the following thematic areas: intellectual assets (IP management and valorisation), standardisation (use of standards for innovation and market uptake), industry–academia co-creation (collaborative RDI and co-creation processes), and citizen engagement (public involvement in research and valorisation). Projects involving AI-enabled tools (Toolbox onboarding and testing) are explicitly supported under Strand A.

Project maturity and expected activities

Application and submission process

Applications are accepted only via the official online submission platform (Sploro Cascade Funding Hub for Valleys). Applicants must complete the online form specific to the chosen Strand (the form has 11 sections and varies by Strand). Only applications submitted through the official online platform will be considered. The submission follows a single-stage deadline model (one submission). The process after submission: eligibility check, external evaluation and ranking, legal validation, signature of a Sub-Grant Agreement (SGA) with SPLORO, and execution. For questions, applicants may contact helpdesk@valleysproject.eu 1.

Application timing and deadlines

Funding amounts and number of awards

Co-funding and eligible costs

The call documentation does not explicitly state a mandatory co-funding requirement in the scraped content. Eligible costs are not fully detailed in the scraped text; applicants should consult the full call documentation on the official portal and the Sploro application pages for eligible cost categories, reporting, and financial rules. The call is implemented as a cascade of sub-grants; financial and reporting conditions will be specified in the Sub-Grant Agreement.

Application structure and templates

Applications must be submitted via an online form on the Sploro Cascade Funding Hub. The online application comprises 11 sections and the exact questions differ by Strand (A, B or C). The Sploro pages for 'Apply to Valleys OC#1 for Applicants - Strand A', Strand B and Strand C indicate that applicants must register/login to complete the form and accept platform terms. The form will request project description, expected outputs, budget breakdown, partner details (where applicable), continuation/replication plan, and implementation timeline. Applicants should review the online form and guidance on the official portal and Sploro pages before applying.

Evaluation and selection

Application stages and process count

From the scraped information the application process comprises a single-stage written submission followed by evaluation and legal validation steps. If counting decision points, applicants will pass through: submission (stage 1), eligibility check and external evaluation (stage 2), legal validation and SGA signature (stage 3). Execution of the project (stage 4) follows award. Therefore applicants should expect 3 to 4 main process stages from submission to implementation.

Success rates

The call does not publish historical success rates in the scraped content. The call budget indicates up to 11 projects will be funded from the available pool of applicants, but the precise number of applications expected or likely success rate is not available in the provided text. Applicants should treat success rates as dependent on competition and evaluation scoring.

Nature of support

Beneficiaries receive monetary support in the form of sub-grants (direct funding). The call also implicitly provides non-monetary support in the form of access to the VALLEYS network, the AI-enabled Toolbox (for Strand A), and community/partnership links through project participation, but the primary tangible deliverable is monetary sub-grant funding for pilot implementation.

Mentioned countries and geographic notes

The scraped content explicitly references EU Member States and Associated Countries (EU/Associated Countries). No individual countries are listed by name in the provided content. Cross-border requirements for Strands B and C mean partners must be from different countries within this geographic eligibility.

Contact and resources

Key risks and applicant recommendations

Short checklist before submitting

This summary consolidates the information scraped from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the Sploro cascade application pages for VALLEYS Open Call #1. Applicants must consult the official call text and application system for mandatory legal and financial conditions and use the official helpdesk contact for clarifications 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Official VALLEYS OC1 call page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: VALLEYS Open Call #1. For application submission use the Sploro Cascade Funding Hub application pages linked from the portal.

Opportunity overview

VALLEYS Open Call 1 is a cascade funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe project Valorisation Alliance Linking Laboratories, Enterprises and societY Stakeholders. It supports six month pilot actions that operationalise at least one of four European Research Area Codes of Practice: intellectual assets, standardisation, industry and academia co creation, or citizen engagement. 1

The objective is to strengthen knowledge valorisation in Europe by developing a Network of Knowledge Valorisation Intermediaries and by testing practical approaches that can be continued or replicated after the funded pilot.

Key facts

The call is a single stage competitive call. Applications open on 14 October 2026 and must be submitted by 14 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Projects must be implemented within six months after signature of the sub grantee agreement. The total available budget is €210,000, with funding expected for up to 11 projects. 1

Funding information

The available budget is sufficient for the stated maximum of up to 11 projects, although the final number of awards and the mix of selected strands will depend on the ranked applications and the amounts requested. The published information does not state a separate co financing percentage or a standard reimbursement rate. Applicants should therefore treat the stated strand ceilings as the maximum available sub grant amounts and verify the financial provisions in the full applicants guide and sub grantee agreement before budgeting.

Who can apply

The opportunity is open to eligible legal entities established in European Union Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The published call information specifically targets knowledge valorisation intermediaries, referred to in the call context as KVIs. Applicants should demonstrate that they perform a relevant intermediary role connecting research, industry, public stakeholders or citizens and have the capacity to deliver the proposed pilot. 1

Strand B and Strand C require participation by two partners and are intended for cross border cooperation between two KVIs. The available information does not provide a complete legal definition of a KVI, a mandatory organisation type, or a definitive list of eligible legal entity categories. These points should be checked in the strand specific application form and applicants guide before submission.

Natural persons, informal groups and organisations that cannot enter into a sub grantee agreement should be treated as ineligible unless the official call documents expressly provide otherwise. Applicants should also check whether VALLEYS consortium beneficiaries, affiliated entities, entities involved in call management, or entities subject to conflicts of interest are excluded, as these standard cascade funding restrictions are not detailed in the supplied call extract.

Supported activities

Eligible proposals must be practical pilots rather than general studies. They should apply one or more of the four Codes of Practice to a defined operational situation and produce verifiable results within the six month implementation period.

Mandatory results and impact expectations

Every supported action must deliver tangible outputs and include a continuation or replication plan. A credible proposal should therefore define the starting situation, activities, measurable outputs, responsible participants, target users, adoption evidence and the steps that will continue the work after the sub grant ends.

For Strand A, applicants should explain which Toolbox functions will be configured, who will be trained, what real case will be tested and how the test results will be assessed. For Strand B, the proposal should identify both participating organisations, the secondment roles and duration, the skills to be upgraded, the organisational change expected and the cross border value. Strand C should provide an integrated work plan covering both components without exceeding the six month implementation period.

Geographical and partnership conditions

The call is open to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries. The cross border requirement is expressly relevant to Strands B and C, where the two participating KVIs should be established in different countries or otherwise satisfy the call definition of cross border cooperation. The exact country list and any restrictions applying to specific Associated Countries should be verified in the official call documentation.

A partnership is not indicated as mandatory for Strand A in the supplied information. Strand B and Strand C are described as involving two partners. Applicants should not assume that a single organisation can apply for those strands unless the official strand form expressly permits it.

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted online through the official VALLEYS or SPLORO application platform using the strand specific application form. Applications submitted by email or through another channel will not be considered. The online form contains 11 sections, with content varying according to Strand A, B or C. 2

Evaluation and award process

The stated process consists of submission, an eligibility check, external evaluation and ranking, legal validation, signature of a sub grantee agreement with SPLORO, and project execution. Funding is not awarded merely because an application is submitted or passes the eligibility check. Selection will depend on the external evaluation and ranking within the available budget. 2

Although the supplied extract does not publish detailed scoring weights, applicants should expect the assessment to focus on relevance to the Codes of Practice, feasibility within six months, quality of the pilot methodology, capability of the applicant or partners, tangible and measurable outputs, cross border value where required, and the credibility of the continuation or replication plan.

Duration, contracting and implementation

The expected participation period is implementation within six months after signature of the sub grantee agreement. Applicants should allow additional time for eligibility checks, external evaluation, legal validation and contracting before the implementation period begins. The published information does not specify a separate payment schedule, advance payment percentage, reporting format, eligible cost categories, audit arrangements or intellectual property provisions.

Applicants should ensure that the proposed activities, personnel availability, partner commitments, procurement arrangements and evidence collection can all be completed within the six month period. Any assumptions concerning payment timing or cost eligibility should be confirmed in the sub grantee agreement before financial planning is finalised.

Applicant preparation priorities

Risks and points requiring confirmation

The supplied portal extract provides the core scope, funding ceilings, timing and process, but it does not provide the complete applicants guide. Before submission, applicants should verify the precise definition of eligible KVIs, whether applicants must hold a validated Participant Identification Code, whether consortium members must be independent legal entities, the detailed evaluation criteria and weighting, eligible and ineligible costs, payment arrangements, tax treatment, reporting obligations, ownership and use of results, data protection requirements, and any exclusions affecting VALLEYS project partners or affiliated organisations.

The metadata contains different portal paths for the opportunity record and the underlying call record. Applicants should use the active official application link associated with the selected strand and rely on the latest published form and guidance displayed by the VALLEYS or SPLORO platform at the time of submission.

Official sources and contact

The opportunity is associated with Horizon Europe topic HORIZON-WIDERA, Rolling out the ERA Policy Agenda results, and project grant agreement number 101287111. The project contact supplied for application process questions is helpdesk@valleysproject.eu. 1

The official Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity record is EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity. The strand application pages supplied in the call context are Strand A application, Strand B application and Strand C application. 2

Overall assessment

This is a targeted, small scale cascade funding opportunity for organisations that already have a concrete knowledge valorisation use case and can demonstrate operational delivery. It is most suitable for a KVI seeking to test the VALLEYS Toolbox, for two cross border KVIs seeking structured staff mobility and institutional learning, or for a pair of organisations able to combine both approaches. The strongest applications are likely to be specific, implementation ready, measurable and focused on continuation beyond the funded pilot.

Footnotes

1. 1Source: Official European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity information and the supplied VALLEYS call description for VALLEYS Open Call 1, project 101287111.
2. 2Source: Supplied VALLEYS and SPLORO application information, including the strand specific application pages and stated submission, eligibility, evaluation, ranking, legal validation and sub grantee agreement process.