Skills for innovative SMEs

Forthcoming EU call topic HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-05-01 · HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. Part of call HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-05: Bridging actions 2027. Opens 2026-12-01; next deadline 2027-03-03. Topic page: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-05-01

Expected Outcome: - Establishment of an SME support scheme through the Enterprise Europe Network, which delivers transnational skills-matching, recruitment support, and innovation management services to innovative SMEs across Europe. - This support scheme has the following expected outcomes: Innovative SMEs have reduced labour and skill shortages through a transnational mobility scheme, which allows them to recruit and train highly skilled researchers from abroad; - SMEs have improved innovation capacity to support research and innovation (R&I) projects and increased participation of highly skilled staff employed in R&I through recruitment and training; - Researchers gain new knowledge and skills in industrial innovation and business management, through employment and training in innovative companies.

Scope: To facilitate the innovation to investment journey and boost competitiveness, the EU needs to promote skills and quality jobs and help SMEs strengthen their innovation potential, by addressing labour and skills shortages, as highlighted in the Competitiveness Compass for the EU. Europe faces a growing challenge in meeting the demand for skilled talent in strategic sectors like clean and circular technologies, energy, health, biotech, agriculture, bioeconomy, digital technologies, aerospace and civil security. The progressive loss of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers, also known as the ‘leaky pipeline’, is further increasing these skills shortages. Nearly four in five SMEs say they cannot find the talent they need. The lack of access to skills, including the latest scientific knowledge…