Excellence Hubs supports ambitious regional innovation ecosystems in Widening countries that are ready to build a shared cross-border strategy, mobilise investment and turn research and innovation strengths into sustainable economic and societal value.
Who is it for?
The call is designed for regional research and innovation ecosystems in Widening countries. The coordinator must be a legal entity established in a Widening country, and every proposal must involve at least two R&I ecosystems from two different Widening countries.
Each ecosystem must cover the four parts of the quadruple helix: academic or research organisations, businesses, regional or local public authorities, and societal actors. This can be demonstrated through an umbrella organisation representing all four categories or through individual beneficiaries. Where individual entities represent the ecosystem, at least one business in each ecosystem must be an established company with at least two consecutive years of proven operational turnover.
What does the call support?
Projects should create a long-term, cross-border innovation agenda aligned with regional smart-specialisation strategies and European priorities. The expected package combines a joint R&I strategy, collaborative research and innovation activities, academia–business cooperation, investment planning, skills development, knowledge transfer and engagement with regional authorities and citizens.
The research and innovation component must appear in a distinct work package and support strategy and investment decisions, but it should not dominate the project. Pilots and demonstrators may be prepared conceptually, while their later implementation must be financed from sources beyond the Excellence Hubs grant.
What are the key requirements?
- Action type: Coordination and Support Action (CSA).
- Indicative topic budget: €100 million.
- Expected EU contribution: €1.5–4.5 million per project, without excluding other justified amounts.
- Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs; proposals must explain how the remaining 30% will be secured and shared.
- Expected portfolio: approximately 30 projects.
- Duration: up to five years.
- Application length: 40 pages.
- Third-party support: grants of up to €60,000 may be provided to SMEs and start-ups.
This is not simply a networking proposal. A competitive concept needs credible regional ecosystems, a shared specialisation domain, measurable structural change, a joint investment logic and a convincing route from collaboration to lasting economic and societal value.
Timeline and next steps
The call is scheduled to open on 2 September 2026 and close on 4 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants should use the period before opening to confirm the two core ecosystems, validate representation of all quadruple-helix categories, agree the thematic focus, and begin shaping the joint strategy and co-financing model.
EXELIXIS can support concept positioning, consortium architecture, proposal development, project design, impact pathways, investment planning and the coordination of partner contributions.
Official sources
- EU Funding & Tenders Portal: HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-04-WIDENING-01 ↗
- European Research Executive Agency: Excellence Hubs ↗
- Adopted Horizon Europe WIDERA Work Programme 2026–2027 ↗
This briefing is an original summary prepared from official EU sources. It is provided for orientation and does not replace the binding call text, General Annexes or Funding & Tenders Portal conditions.