The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has selected 35 projects to receive €70 million in funding to help higher education institutions (HEI) across Europe turn research into innovation, strengthen entrepreneurship education and deepen collaboration with businesses.
Awarded through the 2025 EIT Higher Education Initiative call for proposals, the funding will support 552 organisations from 49 countries, including universities, businesses, research centres and public authorities. This investment will equip Europe’s future innovators with the skills needed to launch startups, bring new technologies to market and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.
Out of the 35 successful projects, eight include UK partners. The full list of projects with UK participants (including those funded under past calls for proposals) can be accessed here.
The new projects will start in September 2026 and run for two years with each receiving up to €2 million in funding.
Background
The annual EIT HEI calls for proposals aim to help higher education institutions across Europe turn research into innovation, strengthen entrepreneurship education and deepen collaboration with businesses.
The 2025 call supported projects that enabled universities and their partners to develop critical entrepreneurial skills and mindsets, launch new innovation structures and programmes, and strengthen strategic collaboration with industry and society.
Projects were able to apply under the following topics:
- Topic 1: Boosting the innovation and entrepreneurship capacity of Europe’s STEM talent pipeline
- Topic 2: Strengthening synergies across the European higher education and innovation area, specifically between the EIT ecosystem and the European Universities alliances.