Horizon Europe Widening countries: what it means for the Baltics

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all have a specific status in Horizon Europe: they are Widening countries.

This matters because Horizon Europe includes dedicated instruments designed to strengthen research and innovation capacity in countries with lower participation in European R&D programmes.

For organisations in the Baltics, this can create additional opportunities to join international projects, build stronger research and business partnerships, and take part in larger European innovation ecosystems.

One current example is the Excellence Hubs call, which opened on 2 September 2026 with an indicative budget of €100 million.

What are Horizon Europe Widening countries?

Widening countries are countries that Horizon Europe supports through dedicated measures aimed at improving research and innovation performance and increasing participation in European projects.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all included.

This does not mean Baltic organisations receive an advantage in every Horizon Europe call. However, some programmes under WIDERA – Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area are specifically designed around organisations from Widening countries.

In these calls, organisations from countries such as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia can have an important role in the project structure.

Excellence Hubs: a €100M opportunity

The latest Excellence Hubs call opened on 2 September 2026 and has a deadline of 4 March 2027.

Key figures:

• €100M indicative call budget
• €1.5M-€4.5M expected EU contribution per project
• around 30 projects expected to be funded
• projects can run for up to five years

Excellence Hubs are designed to connect regional research and innovation ecosystems.

Projects bring together different types of organisations, including:

• companies;
• universities and research organisations;
• regional or local authorities;
• societal and other ecosystem partners.

The aim is to develop stronger regional innovation ecosystems, improve cooperation between research and business, and create new opportunities for innovation and commercialisation.

Why is Widening status relevant for Baltic companies?

For companies, Horizon Europe participation does not always mean leading a large European consortium.

A Baltic company may also participate because it brings something that a larger project needs.

For example, a company could contribute:

• technology or specialist expertise;
• an industrial use case;
• testing or demonstration infrastructure;
• market knowledge;
• access to customers or a specific industry.

This is especially relevant in programmes such as Excellence Hubs, where cooperation between businesses, research organisations and other regional partners is an important part of the project.

A Latvian technology company, for example, could join an ecosystem project together with a university, public authority and other companies, while cooperating with another ecosystem in Estonia, Lithuania or another Widening country.

What are the consortium requirements?

For the Excellence Hubs call, projects must connect at least two research and innovation ecosystems from two different Widening countries.

The project coordinator must also be established in a Widening country.

This creates a clear opportunity for Baltic organisations to take an active role in developing and coordinating European innovation projects.

Organisations from non-Widening countries can also participate where their involvement adds relevant expertise or value to the project.

What should Baltic organisations look at now?

The first step is not necessarily writing an application.

Companies and institutions should first understand where they fit within a wider research and innovation ecosystem.

Useful questions include:

• What technology or expertise can we bring to a European project?
• Which universities, research organisations or clusters work in the same area?
• Could our company provide testing, infrastructure, data or an industry use case?
• Are there organisations in other Widening countries working on similar priorities?

These questions can help identify opportunities that may not appear when searching only for direct company grants.

Horizon Europe opportunities for the Baltics

Being a Widening country gives Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania access to a specific part of Horizon Europe that Baltic organisations should understand and monitor.

The €100M Excellence Hubs call is one current example, but it is part of a wider group of WIDERA opportunities designed to strengthen European research and innovation cooperation.

For Baltic companies, the opportunity may be to lead a project, join a consortium, provide technology or become an industry partner within a larger European ecosystem.

At Proposal Peak, we track Horizon Europe and other European funding opportunities and help companies understand where they can realistically participate.

If your company is exploring EU funding or looking for projects where your technology or expertise could fit, book a demo with Edgars Poga at Proposal Peak.

Author: Proposal Peak project manager, Edgars Poga