The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has announced the EIT HEI Initiative Call for Proposals 2025, aimed at strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of higher education institutions, particularly in STEM fields, as well as fostering long-term cooperation between university alliances and EU innovation ecosystems.

Application deadline: 4 March 2026, 17:00 (CET).

The call includes two thematic topics:

Topic 1 — Development of innovation and entrepreneurial capacity in STEM education, including the integration of entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and research commercialisation into curricula;

Topic 2 — Building strategic synergies between European university alliances and EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

Eligible applicants are consortia led by higher education institutions, which must include business partners, as well as other organisations (research or public sector).

Projects are expected to combine education, research, and business in line with the EIT “knowledge triangle” approach, support startup development, train professionals with entrepreneurial skills, and contribute to the transformation of universities into regional innovation hubs.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine considers the participation of Ukrainian higher education institutions in such European initiatives to be an important tool for integrating Ukrainian science and education into the European Research and Innovation Areas, developing university innovation ecosystems, and strengthening the link between research and the economy. The EIT HEI Initiative aligns with the Ministry’s approaches to developing university innovation infrastructure, commercialising research results, and supporting technology entrepreneurship.

The total budget of the call is approximately EUR 70 million, with 35–40 projects expected to be funded.
The maximum funding per project is up to EUR 2 million.
The project duration is 24 months (from September 2026 to 2028).

Detailed information on participation conditions, consortium requirements, and application procedures is available via the providedlink.