What this call funds
Expected Outcome
- Enhanced valorisation of intellectual assets, including dormant patents, from universities and public research organisations to support the adoption of green and digital technologies by industry, SMEs and start-ups/spinoffs.
- Development of entrepreneurial skills and increased involvement of students, researchers, and innovators in the valorisation of research results.
- Uptake of effective models and tools to facilitate valorisation of unused IP and intellectual assets and access by startups, SMEs, and innovative companies to this untapped knowledge in public research organisations.
Scope
Aligned with the European Union's policy priorities, this action will contribute to overcoming the innovation paradox by maximising the impact of public spending in R&I through improved knowledge valorisation practices, and facilitating the uptake of green and digital technologies by start-ups, spinoffs, and innovative SMEs. By unlocking the untapped potential of intellectual assets within universities and public research organisations, and leveraging the creativity of students, researchers, and innovators, the action seeks to improve value creation opportunities deriving from these assets and bolster the competitiveness of European industry.
The action should explore strategies and implement pilots for actively involving students and researchers (including those in social sciences and humanities) in valorising academic IP and intellectual assets. These should include hackathons, workshops and larger-scale “summer camp” programmes, and foresee the involvement of interested industry partners than can be potential adopters.
The action should also identify and test models and tools for easier IP access and utilisation by startups and SMEs. These should cover innovative licensing and other valorisation approaches, especially tackling the issue of unused academic patents, as well as the use of AI to manage and valorise research results and IP.
Proposals submitted under this topic should consider how to exploit synergies with other EU-funded projects covering intellectual assets management, entrepreneurship, and AI for knowledge valorisation. They should also pay particular attention to reducing the gender gap and promoting diversity in knowledge valorisation, and include dedicated measures to foster gender balance and inclusiveness in this field.
Eligibility & conditions+
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE CSA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations 
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) 
Guidance
HE Programme Guide 
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Lump Sum MGA 
Operating Grants MGA 
Framework Partnership Agreement FPA 
Call-specific instructions 
Detailed budget table (HE LS) 
Information on financial support to third parties (HE) 
Information on clinical studies (HE) 
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 14. Horizontal Activities
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual 
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-10-13