European network for upscaling venture builders’ roles in research performing organisations (CSA)

Expected Outcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Raised awareness of venture builders’ roles as part of the ecosystem of startup support in research performing organisations, including universities, Research and Technology Organisations and research and technology infrastructures;
• Upscaling or establishment of venture builders’ roles in research performing organisations; and
• Enhanced capacity for sharing resources supporting venture building, exchanging best practices and developing skills needed for successful venture building undertakings in research performing organisations, leading to increased commercialisation of research results (from lab to market).

Scope:

A variety of organisations across Europe support start up and spin off creation, including incubators, accelerators, innovation hubs, science parks and others. Within this ecosystem, venture builders emerge as playing a double role: on the one hand in building the start-up, drawing on innovative ideas and new technologies at very early stage and bringing together the founding team to create the start up; and on the other hand in providing the support needed to enable the start up to launch and grow in the market. This action will support research performing organisations, such as universities, Research and Technology Organisations, and research and technology infrastructures, to upscale venture building functions and create venture builders’ roles of different types, depending on the their needs, while fully demonstrating a gender-sensitive approach that takes account of the different barriers faced by women innovators and entrepreneurs across the innovation ecosystem.

Submissions open on 13 October 2026.

Part of call HORIZON-CL4-2027-01

Type of action: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Programme period: 2021 - 2027

Priorities: AI, DigitalAgenda

"> 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 Eligibility 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

described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

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

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 P