On 11 December from 14:00-15:00 CET, EISMEA and DG RTD are organising an online informative webinar to learn more about the upcoming "European Startup and Scaleup Hubs Pilot" call under the European Innovation Ecosystems sub-programme of Horizon Europe (HORIZON-EIE-2026-02-CONNECT-01).

The new action aims to pilot a network of around 10-18 ESSHs — highly capable startup and scaleup hubs deeply integrated with leading research, technology and higher education institutions and strong track records in venture building, scaling, and investment attraction, as well as providing entrepreneurial education. The call for proposals is expected to be open from 9 June 2026 to 22 September 2026.

The most recent draft of the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) Horizon Europe 2026-2027 work programme, outlining the "European Startup and Scaleup Hubs Pilot" call, can be found here.

Find more information about the info session and register by 10 December, 15:30 CET, here.