The EIC Backs Defence for the First Time: €100M in Direct Equity, as CEF Transport Reopens with €1.1bn

22 June 2026 · Strategic Funding Partners

Published 22 June 2026 · SFP Pulse · Weekly Research

> The EIC opens to defence and dual-use with a new €100M scale-up call, CEF Transport reopens with €1.1bn, and the AI Act's high-risk classification consultation now runs to 23 July.

This week's EU funding landscape is defined by three openings worth planning around. For the first time, the European Innovation Council will invest direct equity in defence, with a new €100 million EIC STEP Defence Scale Up call opening on 30 June. CEF Transport has reopened with €1.1 billion for rail, ports and military mobility, and a €229 million nature and biodiversity mega-call has surfaced in the amended Horizon Europe draft work programme, signalling where Cluster 6 money might be heading. Alongside these, the AI Act's high-risk classification consultation has been extended to 23 July, giving applicants more time to shape the rules. Below you will find the news that matters this week, our featured calls, the new and open calls, the deadlines worth planning around, and upcoming events.

Top News

🛡️ The EIC opens to defence and dual-use with a new €100M STEP Defence Scale Up call

The European Innovation Council is the EU's flagship scheme for backing high-risk, high-reward innovation, combining grants with direct equity through the EIC Fund. On 17 June 2026 the Commission adopted an amendment to the EIC Work Programme 2026 that opens EIC support to dual-use and defence technologies for the first time.

Two changes matter. The EIC Accelerator and STEP Scale Up are now open to dual-use applicants, and an entirely new €100 million EIC STEP Defence Scale Up call will offer up to €30 million in direct equity per company. Applications run from 30 June to 28 October 2026, and the EIC is holding an online info session on 24 June to walk applicants through eligibility and scope.

This is the first time any EU programme has invested direct equity in defence, and it opens a significant new route for deep tech and dual-use scaleups. It is most relevant to start-ups and scaleups developing technologies with both civil and defence applications, and the investors and ecosystem partners that work with them.

> 🛡️ Programme: Horizon Europe (EIC Work Programme 2026) > > Budget: €100 million (EIC STEP Defence Scale Up) > > Investment: up to €30 million direct equity per company > > Applications: 30 June to 28 October 2026 > > Info session: 24 June 2026 (online)

> Source: European Innovation Council, 17 June 2026

🚆 CEF Transport reopens with €1.1bn for rail, ports and military mobility

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU's main instrument for funding trans-European transport infrastructure. On 19 June 2026 CINEA launched the 2026 CEF Transport calls, putting €1.1 billion behind TEN-T infrastructure including high-speed rail, maritime and inland waterway links, military mobility and alternative-fuel charging. Ukraine and Moldova are eligible alongside EU member states.

The package spans eight works calls, with the largest covering rail, inland waterways, core-corridor rail and the European Maritime Space and inland ports. The deadline is 6 October 2026 at 17:00 CET, and an applicant info session is scheduled for 24 June.

With a single deadline and a large, broad infrastructure budget, this is one of the most significant openings of the season. It is most relevant to infrastructure managers, ports and rail operators, regional and national authorities, and consortia delivering TEN-T projects.

> 🚆 Programme: Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Transport 2026) > > Budget: €1.1 billion across 8 works calls > > Opened: 18 June 2026 > > Deadline: 6 October 2026, 17:00 CET > > Eligible: EU member states, plus Ukraine and Moldova > > Info session: 24 June 2026

> Source: European Commission (Transport), 19 June 2026

🌱 A €229M nature and biodiversity mega-call surfaces in the amended Horizon Europe draft work programme

The Commission's draft 2026 to 2027 Horizon Europe work programme, adopted in December 2025, is being amended ahead of formal adoption. Science|Business has shared a series of amendments that, among other changes, add an entirely new €229 million nature-positive and biodiversity call plus a €193 million Bridging Actions package under Horizontal Activities. The amendments also suspend three quantum topics in Cluster 4, with funding expected to move to EuroHPC JU, and expand China-control restrictions on Innovation Actions from four to ten critical-technology areas.

Because these changes still require formal adoption, the biodiversity call is identified in the draft rather than open. It is worth queuing now so that biodiversity and nature-focused consortia can prepare early. In case you missed last week's SFP Pulse blog, we have the full breakdown of these draft work programme updates here.

> 🌱 Programme: Horizon Europe (draft 2026 to 2027 work programme, amended) > > New call: €229 million nature-positive and biodiversity > > Also added: €193 million Bridging Actions package > > Other changes: three Cluster 4 quantum topics suspended; China-control areas expanded to ten > > Status: draft, not yet adopted or open

> Source: Science|Business (Horizon Papers)

🏛️ MFF and FP10 advance at the June European Council, with the file passing to the Irish Presidency

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is the EU's seven-year budget, and FP10, now linked to the European Competitiveness Fund, is the research and innovation programme that will succeed Horizon Europe. At the European Council on 18 and 19 June 2026, leaders held an exchange of views on the post-2027 MFF, following work by the Cyprus Presidency and the presentation of a Negotiating Box that includes figures.

The Council conclusions explicitly task the incoming Irish Presidency (1 July to 31 December 2026) with taking the Negotiating Box forward by the October European Council, with a view to reaching agreement in time. The conclusions also note that an agreement before the end of 2026 would enable the 2027 legislative package, which is necessary to avoid any interruption to EU funding reaching beneficiaries from January 2028.

This is still process rather than a budget decision, but it tightens the timetable for the MFF negotiations that will determine the envelope for FP10 and related competitiveness instruments. It matters most to organisations planning 2027 to 2028 pipelines, and anyone tracking the scale and focus of EU research and innovation funding after Horizon Europe.

> 🏛️ European Council: 18 to 19 June 2026 (exchange of views on the post-2027 MFF) > > Next: Irish Presidency (1 July to 31 December 2026) advances the Negotiating Box > > Milestone: October European Council > > Status: developing, no figures decided

> Source: Council of the EU, 19 June 2026

🤖 AI Act high-risk classification consultation extended to 23 July, and the content-labelling Code of Practice is published

Two AI Act developments give applicants building or deploying AI a near-term reason to engage. The Commission's targeted consultation on draft guidelines for classifying high-risk AI systems, which opened on 19 May 2026, has been extended by four weeks following stakeholder requests and now closes on 23 July 2026. Final guidelines are expected by the end of 2026.

Separately, the European AI Office published its final Code of Practice on marking and labelling AI-generated content on 10 June 2026. The code is voluntary but is the practical reference for meeting the Article 50 transparency obligations, which apply from 2 August 2026. For the high-risk obligations themselves, the AI Omnibus moved the main application dates to 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028.

Because the consultation now closes about a month after this edition, there is a real window to influence how the high-risk rules are applied. This matters most to any organisation developing or deploying AI within EU-funded projects, especially Digital and Industry clients and research teams using AI tools.

> 🤖 Consultation: high-risk AI classification draft guidelines > > Closes: 23 July 2026 (extended from 23 June) > > Code of Practice: AI-generated content labelling, published 10 June 2026 > > Article 50 transparency: applies from 2 August 2026 > > High-risk obligations: 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028 (AI Omnibus)

> Source: European Commission (Digital Strategy)

📈 EIC Accelerator backs 38 start-ups and SMEs with €90M in its latest round

On 15 June 2026 the EIC published the results of its latest EIC Accelerator round, selecting 38 start-ups and SMEs from 87 that reached the interview stage. The cohort leans heavily toward blended finance: 32 of the 38 are eligible for a combination of grant funding and EIC Fund equity, with €90 million in grants awarded and a further €202 million provisioned for equity. The round also issued 95 Seals of Excellence.

The results are a useful read on what the EIC is backing and on the strong role of blended finance and equity. They matter most to deep tech start-ups and SMEs weighing an EIC Accelerator application, and to the advisers and investors around them.

> 📈 Programme: Horizon Europe (EIC Accelerator) > > Announced: 15 June 2026 > > Selected: 38 start-ups and SMEs (from 87 interviewed) > > Funding: €90 million in grants; €202 million provisioned for equity > > Also: 95 Seals of Excellence

> Source: European Innovation Council, 15 June 2026

If you want a focused, strategically aligned shortlist of the most relevant calls for your organisation, SFP Analysis maps the EU funding landscape against your business strategy.

Featured Calls

Featured calls for the week of 23 June 2026

These are the most popular calls on Discovery this week. Get in touch if you'd like to find out whether you could be a fit.

> 🧬 HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-07: Improve the Quality of Life of older cancer patients > > Budget: €25 million (around €5M to €6M per project) | Deadline: 15 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe (Mission Cancer) | Status: Open > > Thematic Areas: Health, cancer survivorship, quality of life > > Fit signal: oncology research groups, hospitals, patient organisations and health-tech teams improving quality of life for older cancer patients.

> 🎭 HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-01: Tackling gender-based violence against politically active women and LGBTIQ people > > Budget: €12 million (around €3.5M to €4M per project) | Deadline: 23 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe (Cluster 2) | Status: Open > > Thematic Areas: Creative industries, media and culture; digital and telecommunications; govtech and public sector innovation > > Fit signal: universities, civil-society organisations, gender-equality bodies and public authorities.

> 🛡️ HORIZON-CL3-2026-02-CS-ECCC-02: Enhancing the Security, Privacy and Robustness of AI Models and Systems (SecureAI) > > Budget: €21.2 million (around €3M to €4M per project) | Deadline: 15 September 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe (Cluster 3) | Status: Open > > Thematic Areas: Cybersecurity, AI security and robustness > > Fit signal: cybersecurity researchers, AI developers and ECCC-linked organisations securing AI systems.

> 🔬 ERC-2026-ADG: ERC Advanced Grants > > Budget: €746.7 million (around €2.54M per grant, around 294 grants) | Deadline: 27 August 2026 > > Programme: Horizon Europe (ERC) | Status: Open > > Thematic Areas: Frontier research, investigator-led, all disciplines > > Fit signal: established research leaders (typically 10+ years post-PhD) with an ambitious frontier-research project at an EU-based host institution.

Interested in pursuing any of these calls? Request a free concept note to find out how your organisation fits and what a winning proposal could look like.

New & Open Calls This Week

21 calls were added since the last SFP Pulse edition, across five programmes. This week, new and open are effectively the same list: all of the calls below are open now, with one exception flagged under SMP Food Waste. Highlights below.

CEF Transport 2026 (highlights, all closing 6 October):

CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-RAIL-WORKS ⇢ Rail studies, works or mixed Budget: €350 million | Deadline: 6 October 2026

CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-IWWP-WORKS ⇢ Inland waterways works Budget: €350 million | Deadline: 6 October 2026

CEF-T-2026-CORECOEN-RAIL-WORKS ⇢ Rail on the core network corridors Budget: €260 million | Deadline: 6 October 2026

CEF-T-2026-SUSTMOBGEN-EMS-WORKS ⇢ European Maritime Space and inland ports (AFIF) works Budget: €200 million | Deadline: 6 October 2026

> Four more CEF Transport calls are open, covering military mobility, alternative-fuel infrastructure, external borders and digital road transport - view them all on the Funding Navigator.

RFCS 2026 (Research Fund for Coal and Steel, highlights, all closing 16 September):

RFCS-2026-BT-STEEL-SMAP-DUAL-USE ⇢ Big Tickets under the steel and metals action plan (dual-use) Budget: €25 million | Deadline: 16 September 2026

RFCS-2026-02-RPJ ⇢ Steel research projects Budget: €20.5 million | Deadline: 16 September 2026

> Five more RFCS topics are open, covering coal and steel pilot and demonstration projects, coal research and accompanying measures - view them all on the Funding Navigator.

SMP Food Waste 2026 (Single Market Programme):

SMP-FOOD-2026-FW-STAKEHOLDERS-PJ ⇢ EU support for stakeholders to measure and prevent food waste (2026 to 2027) Status: Open | Deadline: 15 October 2026

SMP-FOOD-2026-FW-FEBA-PJ-IBA ⇢ Capacity building for the European Food Bank Federation (2026 to 2027) Status: Forthcoming | Deadline: 30 September 2026

> ✅ The FEBA capacity-building call is still listed as Forthcoming on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal as of 22 June 2026, despite a 16 June opening date, so we show it as Forthcoming to stay in line with the portal. The Stakeholders call is already open.

ERDF Technical Assistance:

ERDFTA-2026-YOUTH4OR2 ⇢ Empowering youth in the EU Outermost Regions (#YOUTH4ORS) Budget: €1 million | Deadline: 30 July 2026

Horizon WIDERA Gender Equality Champions 2026 (closing 29 September):

Gender Equality Champions prizes (PRIZE-01, 02 and 03) ⇢ Three recognition prizes: Sustainable, Newcomer and Inclusive Gender Equality Champions Budget: €400,000 per prize | Deadline: 29 September 2026

Looking ahead, the next major opening is the EIC STEP Defence Scale Up call on Tuesday 30 June 2026 (deadline 28 October 2026); see Top News above.

See anything you’d like to start working on? Request a free concept note and we’ll help you sense-check fit, shape a strong project angle, and plan the quickest path to a competitive submission.

Closing Soon

ERC-2026-PLUS ⇢ Frontier research funding for ambitious, breakthrough projects across any discipline. Budget: €210 million | Deadline: Wednesday 2 September 2026

LIFE-2026-STRAT-NAT-SNAP-TWO-STAGE ⇢ Large, multi-actor nature projects that implement national or regional biodiversity plans at scale (two-stage). Budget: €75 million | Deadline: Thursday 3 September 2026

HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-03 ⇢ Pragmatic, real-world clinical trials to optimise immunotherapy for patients with refractory cancers, generating evidence for health-system uptake. Budget: €22.186 million | Deadline: Tuesday 15 September 2026

HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02 ⇢ R&I and demonstrations to accelerate clean technologies for industrial decarbonisation under the Clean Industrial Deal. Budget: €150 million | Deadline: Tuesday 15 September 2026

HORIZON-EIC-2026-TRANSITIONOPEN ⇢ Bridge lab results to market by maturing technologies beyond proof of principle, with validation and commercial readiness work (typically up to TRL 5 to 6). Budget: €100 million | Deadline: Wednesday 16 September 2026

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06 ⇢ Projects to boost agrobiodiversity and resilient farming systems, including decision tools and financing models to support uptake. Budget: €12 million | Deadline: Thursday 17 September 2026

These deadlines are approaching, but there’s still enough runway to prepare a competitive proposal. Request a free concept note to sense-check fit and get an initial plan for a strong submission.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events relevant to EU funding and innovation.

CEF Transport 2026 call info session ⇢ CINEA applicant info session on the new €1.1bn CEF Transport 2026 calls, ahead of the 6 October deadline

Date: Wednesday 24 June 2026 | Location: Online

EIC Dual-Use and Defence info session ⇢ Online session on the new EIC dual-use eligibility and the €100M STEP Defence Scale Up call, ahead of the 30 June opening (registration closes 23 June, 15:30 CEST)

Date: Wednesday 24 June 2026 | Location: Online

Mission Soil Investment Forum 2026 ⇢ Brussels forum connecting investors, projects and policymakers around soil health and the EU Mission Soil agenda

Date: Tuesday 30 June 2026 | Location: Brussels

Innovation Fund IF26 Heat Auction consultation and workshop ⇢ Stakeholder workshop and public consultation on the design and draft terms of the Innovation Fund IF26 Heat Auction

Date: Tuesday 7 July 2026 | Location: Online

Stay Ahead

🔍 SFP Discovery – Browse open calls and track deadlines in one place:

🎯 SFP Analysis – Get a tailored shortlist of the most relevant calls for your strategy:

✏️ Proposal Builder – Senior support to co-author competitive proposals through to submission: