Today, a call for proposals was launched under the Twinning program, which is one of the most important tools in the WIDERA cross-cutting priority for the period 2026–2027. The aim of the call is to strengthen institutional networking between research institutions in countries participating in the Widening program, which will enable the transfer of knowledge and skills, raise the research profile of institutions and their staff, and place particular emphasis on strengthening research management and administrative skills. Up to 30% of the total budget can be spent on research and innovation, of which at least 50% must go to the coordinator.
This is a coordinated and supportive action (CSA) with a 100% funding rate in a lump sum model. Although the project duration can be up to 3 years, applicants do not need to divide activities into a larger number of work packages (as is usually the case in a lump sum model), as there is only one reporting period, at the end of the project.
The HE Widening Plan for 2026 will mainly consist of the Twinning initiative, which aims to promote cooperation between research institutions in lagging EU Member States and their leading partners. This initiative will receive the majority of the budget for that year, specifically €223 million. nbsp;The total budget for the HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-02 (Twinning) call, amounting to €264.5 million, will enable the financing of up to 210 projects with a project budget ranging from €0.8 to €1.5 million.
European Information Day and Czechia-Slovakia Webinar on the Twinning Call
The European Commission is organizing an information day (January 22, 2026) on submitting proposals under the WIDERA work program (Twinning, ERA Fellowships, ERA Chairs, Excellent Hubs, Hop-on Facility, Teaming synergies, Research Management Facility) for the period 2026–2027. Experts from the European Commission will present the main news and specifics of each call topic. Together with speakers from the executive agencies, they will answer participants' questions about the individual calls. Just join online, no registration required!
Link: HERE.
Czechia-Slovakia webinar on the Twinning 2026 call will take place on February 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
Event details and registration are available HERE.
Detailed information about the Twinning 2026 call is available at Funding & Tenders portal.
Applicants showed great interest in the previous call for proposals in the Twinning program (Horizon Europe 2023). A total of 848 projects were submitted in 2023, of which 100 received funding. Seven were submitted by UP. The Czech Republic is currently one of the most successful widening countries and has significantly improved its share of total funding in the past period. One of the latest successful projects submitted by Palacký University within the Twinning calls was, for example, the Remote XUAR project by Danish anthropologist Rune Steenberg. He followed up on this twinning project by winning the prestigious ERC Consolidator grant (NEWXUAR project).
Those interested in assistance with submitting a grant application can also contact the staff of the Project Service at Palacký University in Olomouc.
Source: rea.ec.europa.eu , horizontevropa.cz