Professional, scientific and technical activities

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Pioneer Innovator Grant Programme 2026 supports early‑stage academic research projects in health and sustainability with clear commercial and societal impact potential, offering up to DKK 1.2 million over one year per project.​

Opportunity overview

The Call for Research on “Skills formation for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future of Worker(ers) in Eastern and Southern Africa” offers grants of up to ZAR 400,000 for institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa to conduct original, policy‑relevant research on skills formation, labour markets and just transitions.​

Opportunity overview

The Mitigation Action Facility’s Call for Projects 2026 provides grant-based climate finance (up to EUR 25 million per project from an overall EUR 100 million envelope) for ambitious mitigation projects that decarbonise the energy, transport and industry sectors in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Opportunity overview

EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges – Pilot introduce a two‑stage, ARPA‑inspired support model to speed up high‑risk, demand‑driven deep tech innovation from solution concept to real‑world validation with users.​

Opportunity overview

EIC Transition is a Research and Innovation Action that funds the maturation of promising EU‑funded research results from lab‑scale proof of concept (completed TRL 3–4) towards TRL 5–6 and market‑ready business models.​

Opportunity overview

EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026 support portfolios of ambitious research and innovation projects that aim to realise cutting‑edge technological solutions grounded in high‑risk/high‑gain research, each aligned to a specific challenge area. Unlike the open Pathfinder call, Challenges are thematic, with each challenge overseen by a dedicated Programme Manager who steers a portfolio of projects towards shared objectives through common roadmaps, joint activities and continuous interactions among projects.​

EIC Pathfinder Open is a Horizon Europe call under the European Innovation Council (EIC) that funds early‑stage, science‑towards‑technology research aimed at radically new future technologies capable of creating new markets, addressing major societal needs and tackling global challenges. The call is designed for interdisciplinary consortia with ambitious long‑term technology visions, where achieving a proof of principle requires tackling fundamental scientific unknowns and accepting high levels of technical and scientific risk.​

The Xiamen BRICS Cross‑Border Innovation Accelerator Program 2026 is a flagship international acceleration initiative hosted in Xiamen, China, designed to help high‑potential overseas and China‑based innovation companies enter, validate and scale in the Chinese market.

The National Cleantech Innovation Challenge (NCIC) 2026 is a national programme led by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) in partnership with NGIN, regional hubs and Start‑Up Culture to accelerate South Africa’s transition to a low‑carbon, climate‑resilient and inclusive economy.

The INCiTiS‑FOOD project (Integrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable City‑Region Food Systems in Africa) has launched Open Call 2 for Independent Innovators (IIs) to support start‑ups and SMEs working on sustainable urban and peri‑urban food production.