About VALLEYS
VALLEYS – Valorisation Alliance Linking Laboratories, Enterprises and societY Stakeholders is a Horizon Europe project aimed at strengthening the European knowledge valorisation ecosystem. Its objective is to connect more than 150 organisations from over 25 countries and support them in adopting and scaling the European Research Area (ERA) Guiding Principles and Codes of Practice.
To achieve this, VALLEYS is developing a comprehensive support programme for Knowledge Valorisation Intermediaries, including:
- An AI-enabled Knowledge Valorisation Toolbox to support organisations in their daily activities and workflows.
- Training and mentoring programmes to strengthen the skills and expertise of intermediary organisations.
- Mobility and staff exchange opportunities to facilitate cross-border knowledge transfer and the exchange of good practices.
- Thematic Working Groups addressing the implementation of the four EU Codes of Practice: Intellectual Asset Management, Standardisation, Industry–Academia Co-creation and Citizen Engagement.
The project also includes a cascade funding programme, making €500,000 available through two Open Calls. These calls provide external organisations with the opportunity to test and implement practical approaches to knowledge valorisation, contributing to a more connected, inclusive and effective European ecosystem.
Why apply to VALLEYS Open Call #1?
Turning research and innovation results into solutions that benefit the economy and society requires more than scientific excellence. It also depends on organisations capable of connecting research with businesses, policymakers and citizens, helping knowledge reach the people and sectors that can put it into practice.
This is where Knowledge Valorisation Intermediaries (KVIs) play a key role. Technology Transfer Offices, incubators, science parks, clusters and other intermediary organisations facilitate collaboration, support the management of intellectual assets and help translate research outcomes into societal and economic value.
However, these organisations often operate in fragmented ecosystems and have different levels of capacity, expertise and resources.
The first VALLEYS Open Call is designed to support organisations in strengthening their knowledge valorisation capabilities through practical pilot activities.
With a total budget of €210,000, the call will fund up to 11 projects, offering three complementary funding strands. Applicants can choose the strand that best matches their organisation’s needs and proposed activities.
Who can apply?
The call targets legally established organisations based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country that fulfil a Knowledge Valorisation Intermediary role.
Applicants must be legally established entities falling within one of the following categories:
- SMEs and start-ups.
- NGOs, foundations and associations.
- Universities and research organisations.
- Public bodies.
- Other registered organisations, including specialised intermediary organisations.
Natural persons are not eligible.
In addition to meeting the organisational requirements above, applicants must demonstrate that they fulfil a Knowledge Valorisation Intermediary role.
For the purposes of VALLEYS, KVIs are organisations, departments or groups within larger organisations that act as connectors between research and innovation actors, industry, policymakers and society, helping transform knowledge into social and economic value.
Examples include:
- Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs).
- Incubators and accelerators.
- Innovation hubs and clusters.
- Science and technology parks.
- Intellectual property advisory firms and innovation consultancies.
- Technology transfer specialists.
- Citizen engagement organisations and standardisation liaisons.
These examples are not exhaustive. Other organisations may also qualify if they perform a similar intermediary role and facilitate the uptake of research and innovation results.
Three funding strands:
Strand A – Toolbox integration pilots
This strand supports individual organisations in adopting and integrating the VALLEYS Knowledge Valorisation Toolbox into their existing activities and workflows.
Funded activities may include installing and customising the Toolbox, integrating it into organisational processes, training staff, testing its functionalities through real-life cases and documenting the results.
Organisations can receive up to €10,000 to explore how the Toolbox can improve their knowledge valorisation practices.
Strand B – Cross-border mobility and secondments
Strand B promotes knowledge exchange and capacity building through cross-border staff mobility and secondments.
Applications must involve two independent organisations from two different eligible countries, with one acting as the host and the other as the guest organisation. The exchange should enable staff to acquire new skills and knowledge while transferring good practices between organisations.
A minimum of one month of physical presence at the host organisation is required, although longer exchanges are encouraged.
Funding of up to €30,000 is available per project.
Strand C – Combined approaches
For organisations looking to combine international collaboration with digital transformation, Strand C brings together the objectives of the previous two strands.
Projects must involve two independent organisations from different eligible countries and include both a mobility component and the adoption of the VALLEYS Knowledge Valorisation Toolbox.
This strand offers up to €40,000 per project.
What activities should projects address?
Regardless of the selected strand, proposed activities must contribute to the implementation of at least one of the four European Codes of Practice for Knowledge Valorisation:
- Intellectual Assets: improving how intellectual assets are identified, managed and valorised.
- Standardisation: strengthening the connection between research results and standardisation activities.
- Industry–Academia Co-creation: promoting collaboration between research organisations and businesses.
- Citizen Engagement: involving citizens and society in knowledge valorisation processes.
Available funding
The first VALLEYS Open Call has a total budget of €210,000, distributed across the three strands as follows:
Selected projects are expected to start in April 2027 and will have up to six months to implement their proposed activities.
Evaluation and selection process
Applications must be submitted in English through the official VALLEYS application platform. Applicants should select the relevant strand and consult the corresponding Guidelines for Applicants before preparing their submission.
All applications submitted to VALLEYS Open Call #1 will go through a structured evaluation and selection process designed to ensure transparency, fairness and quality.
The process consists of six main stages:
- Submission: Applicants submit their proposals through the official VALLEYS application platform before the deadline.
- Eligibility Check: Applications are checked against the eligibility criteria set out in the Guidelines for Applicants. Proposals that do not meet these requirements are rejected.
- External Evaluation and Ranking: Eligible proposals are assessed by two independent external experts with relevant expertise in knowledge valorisation, intellectual property transfer, innovation management or related fields. Applications are evaluated against three common criteria.
- Legal Validation: Pre-selected applicants are required to provide the necessary legal and financial documentation to confirm their eligibility before contracting.
- Sub-Grant Agreement Signature: Selected organisations sign a Sub-Grant Agreement with Sploro, on behalf of the VALLEYS consortium.
- Project Implementation: Funded projects are implemented over a maximum period of six months, with support from VALLEYS consortium buddy coach.
What are the evaluation criteria?
All proposals, regardless of the selected Strand, are assessed against the same three criteria, each receiving a score from 0 to 5:
- Excellence and Relevance: The extent to which the proposal aligns with VALLEYS’ objectives and the EU Codes of Practice, including the clarity of its objectives, methodology and proposed approach.
- Implementation and Quality: The feasibility and quality of the work plan, including the team’s expertise, resources, timeline, milestones, key performance indicators and risk management.
- Impact, Uptake and Replication: The expected results and their potential to generate lasting organisational impact, be integrated into existing practices and be replicated beyond the funded project.
To be considered for funding, proposals must achieve at least 3 points in each criterion and a minimum total score of 10 out of 15.
Funding will be awarded to the highest-ranked proposals within each Strand, subject to the available budget and the call’s selection rules.
All applicants will receive formal notification of the outcome and an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) containing their scores and evaluation feedback.
Important dates
- Open call launch: 14 October 2026
- Submission deadline: 14 December 2026, 17:00 CET
- Communication of the results: End of January
- Expected start of funded projects: April 2027
- Project implementation period: Up to 6 months
More information
For further information, applicants can visit the VALLEYS Open Call #1 webpage. If they have any questions, they contact the Helpdesk at helpdesk@valleysproject.eu.
Don’t miss the opportunity that could be the turning point of your success
Follow us on social media so you won’t miss any upcoming Info Days or Cascade Funding Opportunities
LLM-BRIDGE Venture Incubation Programme, 2nd Open Call for Incubators
