Date of issue: 22/01/2026
Final day for submission: 31/03/2026 at 14:00
Issuing Authority: Managing Authority (MA) for the ‘Competitiveness’ Programme
Call Code: 023
Budget: €30,000,000.00
This call is addressed to Bodies approved for funding under the European Commission calls ‘Teaming for Excellence (HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-two-stage)’ and ‘Teaming for Excellence (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-01-two-stage)’ of the European Teaming Action ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ of the ‘Horizon Europe’ Programme” for the submission of project proposals (actions) to be included and financed as part of the ‘Competitiveness’ Programme, the ERDF and Action 1-1.1-09- National co-funding of projects as part of the European Teaming Action ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ (Cope Nano, Heron)
The Call aims to provide additional funding from the ‘Competitiveness’ Programme to the two projects approved as part of the action ‘Teaming for Excellence’ of the ‘Horizon Europe’ Programme, specifically the projects with the acronyms COPE-Nano and HERON approved as part of the European Commission calls ‘Teaming for Excellence (HORIZONWIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-two-stage)’ and ‘Teaming for Excellence (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-01-two-stage)’ respectively.
The Centres of Excellence to be established are expected to function as ‘models’ for the wider reform of R&I systems in widening countries. These are large-scale projects that enable the corresponding bodies to upgrade their infrastructure and attract high-quality human resources through a stable framework of long-term cooperation with prestigious international institutions and organisations that will serve as their partners in the Teaming action. Concurrently, given the 50% co-funding from Horizon Europe, these projects will contribute in a major way to the key goals set by
the country to increase research and innovation spending and strengthen the excellence of the national research and innovation ecosystem.
The projects are also consistent with support for critical and emerging STEP technologies (Regulation (EU) 2024/795) in the field of digital technologies and hi-tech innovations and may be transferred to the new, distinct Priority 7 ‘Supporting productive investments in Strategic Technologies for Europe (STEP)’ of the Competitiveness Programme which is being submitted to the EU for approval.
