Programme Category
Programme Name
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This is a call for organising partners or consortia to be part of the 2026 cohort of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus (NEB)’s Ignite NEB programme, a series of NEB celebration and ideation events, followed by an 8-month incubator programme to create new entities working to implement NEB values across Europe.
The end goal of Ignite NEB activity is to create 8 new entities implementing NEB solutions. These solutions are responding to local challenges that result from a harmonized series of 4 ideation events celebrating NEB futures.
Detailed Call Description
Ignite NEB consists of two stages:
1) the Ignite NEB Celebration and Ideation events; these are in-person events held on at least two consecutive days, preceded by either online or in person sessions. Ignite NEB events are important meeting points for business, culture, creativity, and citizens who want to transform their local community.
More in detail, a local, inspiring, 2+ day hackathon-style experience includes:
- NEB Celebration (art, culture, performances)
- Ideation workshops (challenge → solution → pitch)
- Participants:
- citizens & change makers
- challenge owners (e.g. city, NGOs, industry)
- coaches & mentors
- Pre-event sessions (training, team formation, challenge definition)
- Jury selects two winning teams/ideas
- Should be delivered in September/October 2026
2) the Ignite NEB Incubation Programme; this is intrinsically intertwined with the Ignite NEB events. The Ignite incubator supports the transition from idea to implementation by helping teams refine, prototype, and test sustainable solutions aligned with the New European Bauhaus values. The programme focuses on strengthening both the social and business dimensions of each project, preparing them for real-world impact.
Ignite NEB Incubator is an eight-month programme that supports winning teams from the Ignite NEB event to:
- Develop their ideas.
- Build and test prototypes.
- Validate or co-design solutions with real users.
- Develop business or implementation models.
- Engage stakeholders and communities.
- Create new SMEs, start-ups, initiatives.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The total maximum estimated EIT funding allocated to this call is €208.000 with 4 Ignite NEB partners or consortia with €52.000 of EIT Community NEB funding allocation each. The maximum funding available per application is €52.000 (lump sum).
Proposals must:
- Have a total EIT funding at or below €52.000, with a division of the budget approximately €24.000 for the Ignite events, €20.000 for the incubator programme, and €8.000 for support prizes.
- Clearly address and identify the mandatory EIT Core KPIs, including the reference to the target values.
- Clearly select one NEB Thematic Axes.
The project runs from 1st July 2026 to 31 December 2027.
Thematic Categories
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Information Technology
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- Educational Institutions
- Large Enterprises
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
This Call is open to Public or private entity incorporated with legal effects in the Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU) including their outermost regions, the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States and Third countries associated to Horizon Europe.
Both EIT KIC partners and non-partners are welcome to apply. Should there be any interest in signing a partnership agreement with one or multiple KICs, the KIC/s will share the relevant information about membership with the applicant requesting it. Entities registered in RIS countries (incl. Cyprus, Greece, Czechia) are encouraged to apply to this call and will be positively evaluated according to the portfolio approach in the selection process.
The range of potential organising partners encompasses both public and private entities, and includes but is not limited to foundations, associations, collectives, organizations, consultancies, business accelerators, universities, research centres, local and regional authorities, as well as bodies affiliated to them.
The call is looking for organising partners or consortia that:
- Can mobilise local communities.
- Have an entrepreneurial network.
- Can support teams through idea → prototype → real-world testing.
- Have experience in NEB-related fields (sustainability, design, culture, social innovation).
- Can provide or connect to:
- mentors
- prototyping spaces
- local ecosystems (public, private, civil society)
- Have capacity for project, financial, and administrative management.
Consortium Composition
Submitted by a Sole Applicant or by a designated Consortium Coordinator in the case of a consortium. For consortia:
- Partners must be independent organisations with no affiliated link.
- Must not include more than 3 organisations.