The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is launching a new call under the EIT Higher Education Initiative to boost STEM education and shape Europe’s future workforce. For the first time, the call will also strengthen cooperation between its Knowledge and Innovation Communities and the European Universities alliances.
The 2025 EIT Higher Education Initiative’s call for proposals will strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship capacity of Europe’s STEM talent pipeline, contributing to the EU Union of Skills, in particular to the STEM Education Strategic Plan. It will train 200 000 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students, academics, and non-academic staff in innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property management by 2028. With a total budget of up to €70 million and up to €2 million per selected project over 24 months (2026-2028), it is the largest call under this initiative so far. It will strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM fields, while also inviting the European Universities Alliances to deepen their collaboration with Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem. The EIT Higher Education Initiative strengthens Europe’s innovation capacity by helping universities work with industry, develop talent, and support startups — already empowering over 500 HEIs, 118,000 learners, and 2,000 ventures.
€70 million to strengthen capacity of Europe’s STEM talent pipeline
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, said ‘Europe’s future depends on people – on the skills, creativity, and resilience of our students, academic staff, and researchers. With this new call, we are investing directly in them, empowering universities to equip the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs with the future-ready skills Europe needs. By advancing our Union of Skills and the EU’s STEM Education Strategic Plan, we are turning Europe’s talent into our greatest strategic advantage.’
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said ‘Europe’s universities have the potential to be powerful engines of innovation, helping students and researchers turn ideas into ventures that shape our future. Focused on the early stages of the innovation journey, this programme supports them in translating knowledge into real impact. With its strong emphasis on STEM, it contributes to the Startup and Scaleup Strategy and strengthens Europe’s ability to scale breakthrough ideas.’
Martin Kern, EIT Director, said ‘Europe’s future competitiveness depends on our ability to turn knowledge into impact. We want to strengthen the bridge between universities, business, and research empowering STEM talent and institutions to translate ideas into new solutions, which lead to new companies and jobs. By investing in skills and partnerships, the EIT is ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship.’
Consortia of higher education institutions, businesses, research institutes, public bodies and other non-academic organisations are encouraged to prepare their applications by consulting the full call text and connecting with potential partners through a matchmaking platform. A new interactive guide will help applicants check their eligibility and readiness to apply. Info sessions in December 2025 and January 2026 will provide practical guidance on the process, project focus areas, and collaboration opportunities (information will be available here).
Consortia can submit their applications until 4 March 2026, 17:00 CET, with the selected projects to be announced later in 2026.
ABOUT THE EIT HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVE
The EIT Higher Education Initiative is the only funding programme dedicated entirely to driving innovation in higher education. It connects higher education institutions (HEIs) with industry, fostering success from the earliest stages of the innovation lifecycle. Since its launch in 2021, the initiative has supported over 500 HEIs across Europe and beyond, trained more than 118 000 students and staff in innovation and entrepreneurship, and helped over 2000 startups and scaleups grow. The EIT HEI is part of the EIT Campus – a coordinated education portfolio designed to train 2.3 million learners by 2028 and reinforce Europe’s leadership in innovation.
With this new call, the EIT continues to empower higher education institutions to collaborate across borders, foster talent, and strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY (EIT)
The EIT strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs and universities. Currently nine EIT Knowledge & Innovation Communities are supported: Climate KIC (formerly EIT Climate-KIC), 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital), Innoenergy (formerly EIT InnoEnergy), EIT Health, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Culture & Creativity and EIT Water. Together with their leading partners, the EIT Community offers a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship activities across Europe: entrepreneurial education courses, business creation and acceleration services and innovation driven research projects.
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