A call to boost innovation within higher education institutions

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is launching a new edition of the Higher Education Initiative (HEI). The EIT HEI Call 2025 – which will mobilise €70 million and closes for applications on 4 March 2026 – seeks to strengthen the role of higher education institutions, meaning all organisations providing education beyond secondary level, within innovation ecosystems through projects of up to €2 million. The initiative aims to reinforce institutions’ innovation and entrepreneurship capacity through transnational alliances that bring together businesses, knowledge centres and other actors from the entrepreneurial environment, with the goal of advancing solutions that have real impact on the market and on society.

To this end, the call requires consortia to include at least three higher education institutions from different Horizon Europe eligible countries, together with one company and an additional non-HEI organisation (another business partner, associations, science parks, incubators and accelerators, investors and others). Projects will run for twenty-four months and must start on 1 September 2026.

Focus areas of the call

The EIT Higher Education Initiative is structured around two lines. The first focuses on strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM disciplines by promoting alliances between universities and industry and consolidating structures that accelerate transfer to the market. The second centres on European university alliances, which are expressly invited to deepen their strategic collaboration with the EIT ecosystem and expand their cross-border innovation networks.

These objectives stem from a diagnosis made by the Institute itself, which considers that higher education institutions should take on a more active role in Europe’s innovation systems. In this regard, “the call recognises that higher education institutions can play a decisive role if they are given the right resources and incentives”, explains Leyre Gómez, European programmes consultant at Zabala Innovation. In her view, this approach seeks to strengthen institutional competitiveness, attract talent and facilitate stable alliances that sustain a continuous flow of projects and solutions emerging from the academic environment.

Entities that have taken part in previous editions may do so again, with the expectation that they act as references in innovation and entrepreneurship within their consortia. Each institution must provide its national accreditation and a letter of commitment from its management identifying the faculties or departments involved.

Criteria and financial coverage

The programme funds up to 100 per cent of eligible costs, although co-funding is encouraged to reinforce project sustainability. Eligible cost categories include personnel, subcontracting, travel and subsistence, equipment, goods and services, financial support to third parties and indirect costs. Expenditure will be eligible during the two-year implementation period, from September 2026 to August 2028.

In this edition, as in previous ones, any given organisation may participate as a funded partner in only one proposal, although it may act as an associated partner in others. This requirement seeks to broaden participation and diversify projects. “This limitation aims to prevent concentration and ensure that a greater number of institutions gain access to the initiative,” Gómez notes, emphasising the need for each proposal to articulate a solid collaboration and transfer strategy in line with the knowledge triangle model, which combines education, research and business.

The programme also aims for students to acquire skills aligned with emerging labour market profiles in innovation-related fields. Employability and preparation for entrepreneurship-driven career paths form part of the initiative’s objectives. At the same time, it seeks to foster inclusive communities involving universities, companies, investors and other innovation actors.

Collaboration and effective transfer

This community dimension occupies a central place in the call. In Gómez’s words, “there is particular value in consortia creating a truly open network that is useful to all their members”. For the expert, the key lies in ensuring that collaboration “moves from ideas to concrete results that can reach the market”.

The transition from research to market is, in fact, one of the priority axes. The call encourages the creation of pathways that support the launch of new companies, attract investment and mature technological or social solutions stemming from academic activity. This approach seeks to respond to a recurring challenge in Europe: bridging the gap between excellent science and the commercial or societal application of its findings. For Gómez, this orientation “helps ensure that universities do not remain solely in knowledge generation but become active players within the innovation landscape”.

In the broader context of the European strategy, the Higher Education Initiative forms part of the EIT’s overall mission to strengthen Europe’s capacity to address global challenges through innovative solutions and cross-border knowledge networks. The EIT operates the largest innovation ecosystem in Europe, with more than 2,000 partners from business, education and research. Its programmes have supported the creation of over 3,100 start-ups and scale-ups, which have attracted more than €3 billion in external investment. Its initiatives aim to cultivate entrepreneurial talent and stimulate cross-sector collaboration so that ideas generated in universities, companies and research centres can translate into tangible results.