Open DIRECT EU calls — March–July 2026 deadlines (Startups/SMEs + NGOs/Foundations)
We’re tracking a strong set of open EU calls with upcoming deadlines (Brussels time) that are highly relevant for startups, SMEs, NGOs and foundations — including innovation funding, skills, civic participation, creative industries, and cybersecurity.
March 2026 deadlines
- EIC Accelerator (Horizon Europe) — Startups/SMEs (blended finance) — Cut-off: 4 March 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01 - Erasmus+ KA2 — Cooperation Partnerships — Deadline: 5 March 2026, 12:00.
Call link: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/cooperation-partnerships - Erasmus+ KA2 — Small-scale Partnerships — Deadline: 5 March 2026, 12:00.
Call link: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/small-scale-partnerships - Erasmus+ — Alliances for Innovation — Deadline: 10 March 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PI-ALL-INNO - Erasmus+ — Virtual Exchanges (Western Balkans strand) — Deadline: 26 March 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/calls/virtual-exchanges - Erasmus+ — Capacity Building in VET (Western Balkans strand) — Deadline: 26 March 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/calls/capacity-building-vocational-education-and-training
Extra worth flagging (also March): Digital Europe — Advanced Digital Skills (DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09) — Deadline: 3 March 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09
April 2026 deadlines
- Erasmus+ — Policy Experimentations (centralised) — Deadline: 7 April 2026.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=ERASMUS-EDU-2026-POL-EXP - Erasmus+ — European Partnerships for School Development — Deadline: 9 April 2026, 12:00.
Call link: https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/funding/european-partnerships-school-development - CERV — Networks of Towns — Deadline: 16 April 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CERV-2026-CITIZENS-TOWN-NT - Creative Europe MEDIA — European Film Distribution (CREA-MEDIA-2026-FILMDIST) — Deadline: 23 April 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CREA-MEDIA-2026-FILMDIST - CERV — Gender Equality (CERV-2026-GE) — Deadline: 28 April 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CERV-2026-GE - CERV — Citizens’ engagement & participation (CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV) — Closure date shown: 29 April 2026 (work programme/indicative planning).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV
May 2026 deadlines
- RFCS — Research Fund for Coal and Steel (Big Tickets) — Portal topic pages show 5 May 2026 (some RFCS info pages mention 6 May 2026 — so double-check the exact topic page you apply to).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=RFCS-2026-BT-Steel - EIC Accelerator — next cut-off — Cut-off: 6 May 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01 - EIC Pathfinder Open — Deadline: 12 May 2026 (portal listings have had technical corrections for this call, so rely on the live portal topic page at submission time).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDEROPEN-01 - Digital Europe / Chips ecosystem — RESCHIP4EU “Recruitment cycle Cohort 2026” — The portal shows this as a cascade/competitive call; the deadline shown on portal listings is later (end of June), so please use the portal page as source of truth.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/12644/
June 2026 deadlines
- Creative Europe MEDIA — European Film Sales (CREA-MEDIA-2026-FILMSALES) — Deadline: 17 June 2026.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CREA-MEDIA-2026-FILMSALES - Horizon Europe — Cluster 5 Prize (HORIZON-CL5-2026-2-PRIZE) — Deadline: 24 June 2026.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-CL5-2026-2-PRIZE - Digital Europe — National Cyber Hubs (DIGITAL-ECCC-2026-DEPLOY-CYBER-10-NCH) — Deadline: 29 June 2026.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=DIGITAL-ECCC-2026-DEPLOY-CYBER-10-NCH - Digital skills (competitive call example with long deadline) — Portal shows a deadline of 30 June 2026 for this competitive call entry.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/8123 - Cascade funding — iNNO SED Open Call — (deadline shown on the portal call page).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/11703
July 2026 deadlines
- EIC Accelerator — next cut-off — Cut-off: 8 July 2026, 17:00.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01 - Creative Europe MEDIA — Cinema Networks (CREA-MEDIA-2026-CINNET) — Portal listing shows 8 July 2026.
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=CREA-MEDIA-2026-CINNET - Cascade funding example (food sustainability) — 2nd-stage cut-off commonly shown as 27 July 2026 (check the portal page for your stage/cut-off).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/12463
CoVE note for your May/June preparation toward a September deadline
Erasmus+ Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) — ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE — Portal shows 2 September 2026, while some guidance references 3 September 2026, 17:00 (so: follow the live portal deadline).
Call link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/calls-for-proposals?callIdentifier=ERASMUS-EDU-2026-PEX-COVE
