Widening Participation & Spreading Excellence

About this programme

In order to close the research and innovation gap between the European Member States, the Commission has designed the Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation strategy. Measures supported under this strategy will help low R&I performing EU countries to increase their participation in Horizon Europe.

There is a wide range of actions that can be used to achieve this objective from enhancing research and innovation capacity, spurring national reforms, facilitating brain circulation, launching measures for promoting excellence to creating new collaborative networks across the EU and supporting the opening of established networks to applicants from widening countries.

The 2023-2024 Work Programme will include four traditional widening instruments in addition to a number of novel elements included in the advancing Europe package agreed by the legislators in March 2019 to create impact on the above mentioned actions:

  • creating new or upgrading existing centres of excellence (Teaming);
  • significantly improving the research and innovation capacity of universities and research organisations (Twinning);
  • attracting and maintaining high quality human resources in research organisations (ERA Chair);
  • ensuring scientific networking, capacity building and career development support to researchers (COST actions);
  • strengthen regional innovation excellence in placed based innovation ecosystems (Excellence hubs);
  • transforming the higher education sector and their surrounding ecosystems (European Excellence Initiative);
  • setting up interfaces between different funding systems (Pathways to synergies);
  • improving the effectiveness of the dissemination and exploitation strategy of widening actions (Dissemination and Exploitation Support Facility);
  • involving partners from low R&I performing countries in already selected projects in Pillar 2 (Hop On Facility).
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Your NCP contact for this programme

Image of Man Hei To

Man Hei To

manhei.to@fwo.be

+32 2 550 15 55

Your PC contact for this programme

Find the contact info on the site of WEWIS

The National Contact Points (NCPs) provide support, guidance, and practical information to potential applicants, helping them navigate funding opportunities and application processes.

The Programme Committee (PC) members represent their country in decision-making about the work programmes, evaluate implementation, and provide strategic input on priorities and calls.

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Work Programme & Calls

We offer a handy Excel file, weekly updated, containing an up-to-date overview of the Horizon Europe calls. call topics overview

Infosheets

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Testimonial

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STARGATE - Sustainable Aviation

The Stargate project obtained funding under the special Green Deal call of Horizon 2020, more in particular under the topic of “green ports and airports”.  It received the maximum score of the evaluators and was selected out of more than 40 projects. Stargate’s purpose is to prove that sustainable aviation is possible and happening. It focuses on the further decarbonization of the aviation industry, the improvement of local environmental quality and the stimulation of the modal split. Together with a consortium of 21 European partners with a diverse and rich expertise (airports, community partners, knowledge institutions, consultants, local governments, …), Brussels Airports takes the lead as lighthouse airport to develop and implement innovative solutions. Results that prove successful can be deployed at the fellow airports (Toulouse, Budapest, Athens). Over the course of the coming five years, the consortium will exchange knowledge to investigate and realize more than 30 concrete projects.