Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems (2027.2)

European Startup and Scaleup Hubs pilot <div class="eui-u-mt-l>"><h4>General conditions</h4><div><h4>1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p><strong><em> </em></strong>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex A</a> and <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex E</a> of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.</p><p><strong>Proposal page limits and layout:</strong> described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. </p><p>65 pages as in standard HE ‘Programme co-fund’ actions.</p></div></div><div><h4>2. Eligible countries</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex B</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p><p>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 <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/programme-guide_horizon_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Horizon Europe Programme Guide</a>.</p></div></div><div><h4>3. Other Eligibility Conditions</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>A hub participating as a beneficiary must be represented by a single legal entity (for instance an umbrella organisation representing a science and technology park or an innovation cluster or district, an accelerator or a venture builder embedded in an innovation ecosystem) or several legal entities representing the relevant actors of the innovation ecosystem supporting startups (e.g. research and higher education institutions, corporates, public authorities, capital providers).</p><p>The consortium should consist of a network of at least ten (10) hubs from at least ten (10) different Member States or Associated Countries. For Member States and Associated Countries with an overall population not exceeding 35 million[[ The most recent available data from Eurostat at the time of opening of the call will be used as reference (<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_pjan/default/table?lang=en&amp;category=demo.demo_pop">Population on 1 January by age and sex</a>)]], participation is limited to a single hub in the given consortium. For Member States and Associated Countries with an overall population exceeding 35 million, the participation is limited to two hubs in the given consortium. In addition, at least two (2) participating hub shall be established in a “widening country”.[[“Widening countries” are listed under Article 2 of the Horizon Europe regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/695).]]</p><p>The consortium must provide a single letter of intent at the moment of submission of the proposal indicating the source of the required 50% of complementary funding (e.g. national and/or regional funding, EU funding, or private investments).</p><p>Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.</p></div><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex B</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p></div></div><div><h4>4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex C</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p></div></div><div><h4>5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex D</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p></div></div><div><h4>5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex F</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes and the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/om_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Online Manual</a>.</p></div></div><div><h4>5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex F</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p></div></div><div><h4>6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants</h4><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000.</p></div><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>The funding rate is 50% of the eligible costs as co-fund actions require the remainder of the cost to be secured from other sources.</p></div><div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-15-general-annexes_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Annex G</a> of the Work Programme General Annexes.</p></div></div></div><div class="eui-u-mt-l"><h4>Specific conditions</h4> <div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p>described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]</p></div></div><div class="eui-u-mt-l"><div class="eui-u-mt-s"> </div><h4>Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):</h4> <div class="eui-u-mt-s"><p><strong>Application form templates</strong> <em>— the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System</em></p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/temp-form/af/af_he-cofund_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Standard application form (HE COFUND)</a></p><p><strong>Evaluation form templates</strong> <em>— will be used with the necessary adaptations</em></p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/temp-form/ef/ef_he-cofund_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Standard evaluation form (HE COFUND)</a> </p><p><strong>Guidance</strong></p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/programme-guide_horizon_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HE Programme Guide</a> </p><p><strong>Model Grant Agreements (MGA)</strong></p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/agr-contr/general-mga_horizon-euratom_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HE MGA</a> </p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/agr-contr/unit-mga_he_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HE Unit MGA</a> </p><p><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tende