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 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
Meet Innovation Acta at Europa Project Week!
Innovation Acta will participate in Europa Project Week, the European Projects Expo & Forum which will be held in Florence on 22-24 October! We look forward to meeting you there and sharing more about our work. You can find us in the Tech, Start Up and Innovation Area, where we will be happy to connect with anyone interested in getting to know us better, and in the European Excellence Projects Area, where we will present our EU-funded projects BactEradiX and IMMUTOL. Come and meet our team to learn more about the scientific aspects of these projects directly from our researchers.
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.
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.
Horizon Europe Overview and Proposal Writing course at Policlinico di Milano
On 16 March, Innovation Acta delivered a hands-on training course at Policlinico di Milano titled “Horizon Europe Overview and Proposal Writing”. The course was designed for researchers and professionals interested in transforming their project ideas into competitive proposals under the Horizon Europe framework.
Navigating the complex world of funding opportunities can be challenging, and a good idea alone is often not enough. Writing an effective proposal requires the ability to identify the most suitable funding instrument, define a solid strategy and present the project with clarity and coherence.
During the course, participants explored the key features of Horizon Europe, the structure and logic of calls, and the main sections of a successful proposal. Through practical examples and interactive discussions, they worked on how to align their ideas with the expectations of evaluators and how to clearly demonstrate excellence, impact and quality of implementation.
Innovation Acta remains committed to supporting institutions and research teams in accessing European funding, providing tailored training and consultancy services to strengthen their capacity in proposal development and project management.
LIFE
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will present a series of virtual information sessions on the LIFE 2026 Calls for proposals during the EU LIFE 2026 info days from 28 to 30 April. The programme and all useful information can be found here. The Info Days also aim to explain how to prepare an application and what makes an excellent proposal.
These live sessions will guide potential applicants through the new Calls for proposals and the priority topics for 2026 under the four LIFE sub-programmes:
- Nature and biodiversity;
- Circular economy and quality of life;
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation;
- Clean energy transition.
More detailed information on the LIFE Programme is available on the CINEA Website
Open Calls
The LIFE 2026 Calls for Proposals LINK have officially launched, offering €601.5 million to support innovative projects driving Europe’s green transition and climate neutrality. The programme funds initiatives across nature restoration, circular economy, climate action, and clean energy transition under the EU’s environmental agenda. These calls aim to scale up practical, high-impact solutions that strengthen Europe’s competitiveness while accelerating decarbonisation and environmental resilience.
Most LIFE calls cluster around 22nd of September 2026 deadline, with strategic project follow-up deadlines extending into March 2027
Full details on topics, funding lines, and deadlines can be found here:
LIFE Calls for proposals 2026 – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
BE READY
BE READY: European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness (BE READY) has officially launched its first Joint Transnational Call titled: “advancing knowledge on host–pathogen dynamics to better tackle emerging infectious diseases.” – 120 million from HE to strengthen research on emerging pathogens and accelerate the development of vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics, aiming to build an integrated European research and innovation ecosystem within the Union’s health security framework to anticipate and respond to future pandemic threats.
The BE READY Joint Transnational Call offers €16.4 million for transnational, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research on emerging and re-emerging pathogens with pandemic potential, focusing on priority viral families (Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae) or the “Pathogen X” approach. Projects, lasting up to 36 months, must involve consortia of at least three partners from three eligible countries and integrate sex, gender, and diversity
LINK Joint Transnational Calls – BE READY PLUS
Open Calls
BE READY Joint Transnational Call 2026: Advancing knowledge of host and pathogens dynamics to better combat emerging diseases.
LINK: https://beready4pandemics.eu/joint-transnational-calls/
Deadline for pre-proposal submission – 13 April 2026
Deadline full proposals – 20 August 2026