18 Feb 2025
EC announces results of recent WIDERA-Widening Calls
The European Commission announced the results of three recent calls under the WIDERA (Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area) Widening programme part, with a total budget of €29 million. These initiatives will support early-career researchers, enhance public engagement with science, and promote the uptake of research results in the society and economy.
Under the "Science comes to town 2026" call, with a total budget of € 6 million, three European cities - Brest (France), Kiel (Germany), and Split (Croatia) - have been selected to host a year-long programme of science engagement in 2026. The initiative will transform urban spaces into interactive science hubs, enabling citizens to connect with researchers and explore how science impacts daily life. Amongst other activities, this also includes the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) and the EU TalentOn initiative.
The "Talent ecosystem for early research careers" call, with a total budget of €20 million, aims to ensure provide early-career researchers with better working conditions in line with the European Charter for Researchers, as well as better career prospects, strengthening cooperation among academia, industry and other sectors. Activities include creating career opportunities by developing talent ecosystems, addressing highly skilled talent for key challenges such as green energy or digital technologies and deep-tech, and enhancing mobility and skills development. Ten projects were selected for funding under this call.
The call on "Experimentation and exchange of good practices for value creation, with a budget of € 3 million, supports projects that accelerate the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice. Under "From lab to market", selected projects will explore innovative ways to make research results accessible and useful to businesses, policymakers, and communities. Under "Collaboration for innovation", research institutions, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and industry will share best practices and test new models for improving the uptake of research findings. Three projects were selected for funding under this call.
All projects selected for funding have been invited to complete the necessary procedure to sign grant agreements.
For more information:
Reforming and enhancing the EU research and innovation system