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Funding Opportunities

Selected active opportunities for researchers, universities, organisations and early-stage innovators

Finding an open call is only the beginning. Before investing time in an application, applicants need to understand whether the opportunity fits their profile, project maturity, institutional capacity and expected results.

PAP reviews selected funding opportunities using official programme sources and presents them in a concise, evaluator-oriented format:

  • who the opportunity may suit;
  • the submission deadline;
  • the type and scale of support;
  • what evaluators or selection panels are likely to examine;
  • which internal connections should be checked before submission.

This is a curated selection, not a comprehensive funding database.

Last verified: 12 October 2026

Five-stage path from an active funding opportunity through eligibility, strategic fit and evaluator logic to proposal pre-evaluation.

Active Opportunities

Open

ERC Starting Grant 2027

Programme: European Research Council Call: ERC-2027-STG Status: Open Deadline: 14 October 2026 Funding: Up to €1.5 million for a period of up to five years. Additional funding may be available for duly justified eligible costs.

Who may apply

Researchers of any nationality with up to ten years of experience since the successful defence of their PhD may apply, subject to the detailed eligibility rules and permitted extensions.

The proposed research must be conducted through an eligible host institution located in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe.

What the evaluators will examine

ERC proposals are evaluated on excellence as the sole criterion, applied to both:

  • the proposed research project;
  • the Principal Investigator.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate:

  • an ambitious and potentially transformative research idea;
  • a clearly defined scientific question;
  • a convincing relationship between objectives and methodology;
  • the capacity to conduct independent research;
  • an appropriate host environment and research resources;
  • a credible balance between scientific ambition, risk and feasibility.

PAP perspective

Before submission, verify that:

  • the central research question remains consistent throughout the proposal;
  • objectives, methodology, work plan and requested resources describe the same project;
  • claims of novelty and potential impact are supported rather than assumed;
  • scientific risks are acknowledged and addressed;
  • the Principal Investigator’s track record supports the proposed level of ambition;
  • the proposal gives evaluators sufficient evidence without requiring them to reconstruct the underlying logic.
View official call
Open

AI Entrepreneurs Lab 2026

Programme: EIT Community AI & Robotics Status: Open Application deadline: 21 October 2026, 17:00 CET Bootcamp: 9–13 November 2026 Format: Five-day in-person founder bootcamp in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam

Who may apply

The opportunity is intended for:

  • Master’s and PhD students;
  • graduates;
  • early-stage founders;
  • individuals or teams of up to two people;
  • applicants with an early concept or a recently incorporated pre-launch startup.

AI or robotics must be central to the proposed venture rather than added as a secondary feature. Applicants must meet the programme’s country eligibility requirements.

What selected participants may receive

Up to 15 participants will join the bootcamp.

The programme provides:

  • founder-readiness support;
  • customer-discovery and commercial-model testing;
  • pitch development;
  • feedback from founders, companies, mentors and investors;
  • possible travel and accommodation support, subject to programme rules and available budget;
  • an opportunity to compete for one of up to five prizes of €10,000.

What the selection panel will examine

The application should demonstrate:

  • a real and clearly defined problem;
  • a credible technical direction;
  • meaningful use of AI or robotics;
  • an identifiable user or customer;
  • a plausible path to market;
  • readiness to test assumptions and gather evidence;
  • the potential to turn the idea into a viable venture.

PAP perspective

Before applying, check whether:

  • the identified problem, target user and proposed solution are directly connected;
  • AI or robotics performs an essential function in the solution;
  • technical claims correspond to the current maturity of the idea;
  • the proposed value can be tested with real users or customers;
  • the route from concept to market is plausible;
  • the presentation, CV and application form communicate one consistent venture narrative.
View official opportunity
Open

Perform Europe 2026–2028

Status: Open Deadline: 22 October 2026 Funding: Grant amounts of €15,000, €25,000 or €55,000, with a possible top-up of up to €5,000.

Who can apply

Partnerships involving at least three partners from at least three Creative Europe countries.

Why it may be relevant

The programme supports cross-border performing arts partnerships and touring. A share of the available budget is specifically reserved for proposals involving Ukrainian partners or supporting the Ukrainian performing arts sector.

European Commission / Creative Europe — Perform Europe 2026–2028
Open

Ukraine: State Commission for Scientific and Technical Developments 2027

Status: Open Deadline: 26 October 2026, 13:00 Kyiv time Funding: Up to UAH 10 million total project value.

Who can apply

Eligible legal entities implementing scientific and technical developments in the announced priority areas.

Why it may be relevant

The call covers 13 priority thematic areas and evaluates practical applicability, technology readiness level, project stages, team capability, feasibility and justification of funding.

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
Open

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026

Status: Open Deadline: 24 November 2026 Programme: Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Budget: Approximately €593 million total call budget.

Who can apply

International consortia involving universities, research organisations, businesses and other eligible organisations.

Why it may be relevant

The action supports structured doctoral training through international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral research networks.

European Research Executive Agency / European Commission

Before You Apply

Always consult the complete official call documents before making a submission decision.

Check:

  1. applicant and country eligibility;
  2. the exact deadline and applicable time zone;
  3. required documents and submission platform;
  4. evaluation and selection criteria;
  5. funding conditions and eligible costs;
  6. participation, mobility or host-institution requirements;
  7. whether your evidence supports the claims made in the application.

A relevant call is not automatically a suitable call. The opportunity must match the applicant, the proposed work, the available evidence and the capacity to deliver the promised results.

Preparing an Application?

PAP does not write grant proposals and cannot guarantee a funding decision.

PAP independently reviews a developed draft from the evaluator’s perspective. The audit identifies:

  • missing or insufficient evidence;
  • breaks in the proposal’s intervention or research logic;
  • contradictions between sections;
  • objectives that are not supported by the work plan;
  • indicators that cannot demonstrate the expected results;
  • risks, resources or budget assumptions that remain unexplained;
  • statements that require the evaluator to make unsupported assumptions.

The result is a prioritised repair sequence showing what should be corrected first, what depends on that correction, and what can wait until the proposal’s core logic is stable.

Request an audit View a sample audit

Important Notice

The information on this page is provided for orientation and may change after publication.

Deadlines, eligibility conditions, funding amounts and submission requirements must always be verified through the official programme website and call documents. In the event of any discrepancy, the official source takes precedence.

PAP — Proposal Audit & Pre-evaluation is an independent service. PAP is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Research Council, the European Commission, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, or the organisations operating the opportunities listed on this page.