The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced on October 20 a new funding call under its Higher Education Initiative, a €40 million-backed grant pool aiming to help higher education institutions to commercialise research in deep tech and advanced manufacturing.
Selected projects will receive up to €1.25 million over an 18-month period.
Successful institutions are positioned to enhance their innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities, optimize technology transfer, and build stronger links with businesses.
Beyond direct funding, the program offers a pathway to investors and industry partners through the EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). The initiative is designed to support students and staff across STEM fields, specifically targeting manufacturing and deep tech.
“Turning a research breakthrough into a successful business takes skills, confidence and targeted support. This call will help students, researchers, and university staff to take that step,” Martin Kern, EIT’s Director, said of the initiative.
“By bringing new technologies from the lab to the market with a focus on manufacturing and deep tech, we support higher education institutions to play a stronger role in Europe’s innovation future and competitiveness.”
To access the funding pool, universities cannot apply alone. Each application must come from a consortium of at least five funded partners, with each team having to include at least three higher education institutions from three Horizon Europe-eligible countries, with at least one based in an EU member state.
Horizon Europe is the EU’s flagship funding programme for research and innovation, running through 2027 with a budget of €93.5 billion. All EU member states are fully eligible, but so are 23 associated countries that pay into the programme in exchange for near-equal access, including Norway, the UK, Ukraine and Israel.
More recent additions such as Canada, Japan and South Korea take part only in its collaborative research strand, while Australia is set to join that strand next year.
The group must also include at least two business or industry partners, such as startups, SMEs or industry associations. EIT strongly encourages applications from groups featuring manufacturing or deep-tech companies.
Funded beneficiaries of the 2025 EIT Higher Education Initiative call are not eligible to apply. Applications close on January 13, 2027, with selected projects announced later in the year.
Although EIT’s latest call is limited to higher-education-led consortia, it is only one of several funding efforts announced by the organisation in 2026. Coming at different times of the year, these calls target a wide range of ecosystem players beyond university partnerships.
Among these opportunities is the Enhance NEB initiative, which focuses on scaling past projects from the Connect NEB and Co-create NEB tracks, offering up to €92,500 per selected alumni project.
For early-stage founders, the New Ventures in Creative Tech call provides up to €30,000 per team alongside a nine-month venture-creation programme focused on fashion, architecture and advanced materials.
The EIT also aims to support commercial scaling through its SME Market Expansion open call, backed by a €600,000 funding pool to be shared among 10 teams.
By providing funding to commercialise research and speed up market growth, the EIT is actively advancing its mission to help Europe compete globally, as well as deliver on its commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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