Australia Joins Horizon Europe
The EU and Australia have concluded negotiations for Australia to associate with Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which focuses on societal challenges in various sectors. Starting January 2027, Australian entities will shift from third-country status to ‘eligible entities’ from an associated country, granting them equal access to EU funding under Pillar II, including leading project consortia.
LINK to the news: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_26_1309
Our latest activities
Innovation Acta continued supporting collaboration and training activities across several European projects in first half of 2026, contributing to the
- 1st Annual Meeting of AUREUS in Naples [read more]
- 2nd Annual Meeting of InFlaMe in Pavia [read more]
- 1st Annual Meeting of BIO2 in Tromsø, [read more]
- 3rd Annual Meeting of PROTO in Copenhagen
- 3rd Annual Meeting IMMUTOL in Siena [read more]
- GUIDE.MRD 4th General Assembly in Neuchatel [read more]
The company also organised transferable skills and scientific communication joint workshops for the AUREUS and GLYCO-N doctoral networks, strengthening interaction and professional development among early-stage researchers in glycoscience and biomedical research
Meeting @ the Mario Negri Institute Foundation
Innovation Acta presented at the 11th PhD Students Meeting at the MARIO NEGRI INSTITUTE FOUNDATION the funding opportunities and grant‑writing insights to next generation scientists, featuring a curated selection of fully funded postdoctoral positions across Europe. The initiative brings visibility to high-quality research opportunities in fields such as AI, health innovation, engineering and advanced materials, supporting early-career researchers in accessing cutting-edge programmes. An example of Inn-Acta’s commitment to fostering research excellence and connecting talent with strategic funding pathways.
Save The Date for geneTIGA Final Meeting
We are pleased to share an important milestone in the life of the geneTIGA project: the upcoming Final Meeting, which will take place in Rome on November 23–24, 2026.
The geneTIGA project will hold its Final Meeting in Rome on 23–24 November 2026, marking a key milestone in advancing European research in gene and cell therapy. The event will present the project’s final scientific results, with a strong focus on engineered T-cell approaches and next-generation gene editing strategies for immune-mediated diseases. Researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders will discuss how these breakthroughs can be translated into clinical applications and future therapeutic development pathways, while also fostering new collaborations across the European research landscape.
📍 Rome, Italy
📅 November 23–24, 2026
Registration will open soon.
In parallel, two new project videos are now online, offering an inside look at the people and science behind geneTIGA. Through short interviews, project coordinator Petra Reinke, along with Toni Catomen, Catherine Bull and Dimitrios Wagner, share insights into the project’s goals, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of clinical expertise and technological innovation. A second video features Johanna Olweus, who reflects on recent achievements and outlines the next steps toward translating research into tangible clinical impact.
Both the Final Meeting and the new videos highlight geneTIGA’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge gene and cell therapy research, strengthening collaboration, and accelerating the path from discovery to patient benefit.
Nemesis
The NEMESIS Soil Mission Open Call is a €500,000 EU-funded initiative that supports the expansion of Living Labs and experimental sites across the Mediterranean to improve soil health. It focuses on combating desertification and land degradation by funding collaborative, real-world pilot projects that test and scale innovative soil-management solutions.
The programme promotes co-created approaches involving multiple stakeholders to strengthen sustainability and resilience in agricultural and natural landscapes, with a strong emphasis on land restoration and improved productivity.
Open Calls
Nemesis
Deadline: 01 August 2026
Read more: Open Calls | Nemesis
C4B
This is an EU-funded C4B call that supports small-scale pilot projects testing circular bioeconomy business models in real-world conditions. It aims to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions in forestry, agriculture, and related value chains, with a focus on sustainability, rural development, and industrial innovation.
Open Calls
C4B Open Call for Pilot Projects
Deadline: 14 August 2026
Read more: C4B Open Call – Get Ready to Apply – C4B
Collabora & Innova
The Lombardy Region has officially launched the second edition of the Collabora & Innova programme, with a budget of €90 million, potentially increasing to €108 million, under the ERDF Regional Programme (PR FESR 2021–2027).
The initiative supports strategic industrial research and experimental development projects carried out by partnerships involving SMEs, large companies, and research organisations, with the aim of accelerating technology transfer and strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem.
Grants can cover up to 60% of eligible costs for SMEs, with a maximum contribution of €5 million per partnership.
Open Calls
Applications may be submitted between 25 June and 22 September 2026 by partnerships comprising at least three entities, including one SME and one research organisation. Overall, the programme aims to accelerate the transformation of research into market-ready innovation.
EIT Food
EIT Food exists to address the most pressing challenges facing the food sector through innovation
We harness the power of collaboration, entrepreneurship, and cutting-edge science, focusing on areas where innovation can unlock systemic change to create a sustainable, resilient food system, where a healthy diet leads to healthy lives.
Open Calls
The EIT Food Future Farm Lab Scaling Call supports organisations ready to scale digital learning and innovation tools for regenerative agriculture, with a focus on farm-level impact, sustainability, and immersive education. It is particularly relevant for applied research and field-based validation in agri-food systems.
Deadline: 7 July 2026
Read more: Future Farm Lab – EIT Food
The EIT Food Financial Support to Startups Call 2026 provides funding and support for agrifood and deep-tech startups aiming to validate, scale, and commercialise innovative solutions across the food system.
Deadline: 16 November 2026
Read more: Financial Support To Startups Open Call 2026 | EIT
Innovation Acta for PROTO project @ ATiO 2026
As the leader partner for communication activities within the PROTO project, Innovation Acta will represent the project at the upcoming ATiO Conference 2026, one of the leading international events dedicated to osteoarthritis research and innovation, bringing together a highly specialized audience of experts, clinicians, and stakeholders.
PROTO will participate in the conference as an official sponsor, reinforcing its commitment to advancing research and innovation in osteoarthritis. This sponsorship represents a key opportunity to enhance the project’s visibility within the global scientific community.
As part of the conference programme, PROTO will deliver a dedicated pitch presentation to showcase its innovative approach and ongoing work in addressing major challenges in osteoarthritis. This will enable direct engagement with leading experts and support the creation of new opportunities for collaboration and impact.
Through this joint presence, Innovation Acta and PROTO further strengthen their role in disseminating cutting-edge research and contributing to advancing next-generation solutions for osteoarthritis.
Strong Momentum in Horizon Europe Submissions
Spring 2026 marked an exceptionally active period across Horizon Europe health and innovation calls, reflecting both the scale of competition and the continued commitment of the research community.
The HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01 call, which closed on 16 April 2026, attracted an impressive total of 1003 proposals. Submission levels varied significantly across topics, highlighting areas of particularly strong interest. The TOOL-03 topic led with 204 proposals, followed by ENVHLTH-01 with 119 and DISEASE-03 and DISEASE-02 with over 100 submissions each.
In May, the HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDEROPEN call closed on 12 May with an outstanding 2103 proposals submitted, confirming its position as one of the most competitive instruments supporting breakthrough and high-risk innovations in Europe.
Innovation Acta actively contributed to this intense proposal landscape, supporting international clients throughout the submission process while also participating directly in multiple consortia. Over April, we submitted 13 proposals under Health cluster and 1 IHI proposal. In May, our engagement continued with 6 EIC Pathfinder Open proposals.
This sustained level of activity reflects both the growing demand for high-quality project development support and our continued commitment to advancing impactful research and innovation initiatives at European level.