An overview of deadlines not to be missed in the new year.
The “save the dates” of 2026: for a deadline-proof agenda
The programming of European calls for proposals is in many cases cyclical, with deadlines often repeated from year to year. For community programs, work programs (Work Programmes) are published annually (or in some cases every two years), which include an indicative list of planned publication dates and deadlines for the year in question.
Work programs give indicative deadlines: it is always important to keep up to date with the final release and deadline dates of the call of interest, using tools such as our Call for Tenders Portal and Funding & Tenders portal. In the Guide you can also find insights and tips on how to search for calls and keep up-to-date.
Let’s look together at the deadlines for some of the major EU programs available to date, such as CERV, Erasmus+, Creative Europe, LIFE, and Digital Europe. In some cases, for example for the EU4Health program, the work programs for 2026 are still being finalized. Depending on the document, precise dates or broader indications (such as the four-month publication period) are available. Please remember to consult the official documents of the various calls for more detailed information with respect to not only the date, but the deadline for submitting the project through the platform.
For each program, we also highlight Infodays and events to mark in your agenda. In the news section of the Guide we give visibility to many of these initiatives, and in the Audio and Video section you can find recordings of some of the most important Infodays.
CERV Program Deadlines and Infodays.
Indicative timetable of 2026 maturities:
Pillar: Promoting equality and rights
- Call for National Contact Points for Roma: April 9, 2026
- Call for Gender Equality: April 14, 2026
- Notice of Data Protection: May 28, 2026
Pillar: Promoting citizen engagement and participation
- Call for Town Twinning – First deadline: April 7, 2026; Second deadline: September 23, 2026
- Call for City Networks: April 16, 2026
- Call for Citizens’ Commitment: April 29, 2026
- Call for European Remembrance: September 30, 2026
Pillar: Daphne (violence against gender and vulnerable groups)
- Daphne announcement: September 10, 2026
Pillar: Protect and promote the values of the Union
- Call for Union Values: March 9, 2027
- Operating grants to framework partners: May 7, 2026
- Operating grants: July 2, 2026
- Call for Charter of Fundamental Rights: September 15, 2026
Infoday and upcoming events:
National Contact Point webinar on the 2026-2028 Work Program: on February 6, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm.
We suggest monitoring the National Contact Point website to stay updated on upcoming Infodays.
Erasmus+ Program Deadlines and Infodays.
Thecall for proposals for 2026 contains the timetable for calls, in line with the official Program Guide. For indirectly managed calls with two deadlines, each National Agency has the option to set an additional round of proposal submission, but a second deadline is not available in all European countries.
Individual mobility for learning purposes (KA1):
- Individual youth mobility: February 12, 2026 (first deadline); October 1, 2026 (second deadline)
- Staff mobility in the field of sports: February 12, 2026
- DiscoverEU action for inclusion: 12 February 2026
- Individual mobility in the higher education, VET, school and adult education sectors: Feb. 19, 2026
- International mobility involving third countries not associated with the program: 19 February 2026
- Erasmus+ virtual exchanges: 26 March 2026
- Erasmus accreditations in the school, VET, adult education, youth sectors: Sept. 29, 2026
Cooperation between organizations and institutions (KA2)
- European large-scale events: 22 January 2026
- Capacity development (capacity building) in higher education: Feb. 10, 2026
- Erasmus Mundus Action: Feb. 12, 2026
- Capacity building (capacity building) in the youth field : February 26, 2026
- Cooperation partnerships in the fields of education, training and youth, sports: March 5, 2026
- Small-scale partnerships in the fields of school education, vocational education and training, adult and youth education, and sports: March 5, 2026
- Capacity development (capacity building) in the field of sports: March 5, 2026
- European local sports events: March 5, 2026
- Alliances for Innovation: March 10, 2026Capacity building in vocational education and training: March 26, 2026
- European partnerships for school development: April 9, 2026
- Centers of professional excellence: September 3, 2026
Support for policy development and cooperation (KA3)
- Young Europeans United: February 26, 2026
Jean Monnet Actions
- Jean Monnet Actions and Networks: February 3, 2026
Infoday and upcoming events:
We report the initiative “Design Gyms” organized by theItalian Youth Agency in collaboration with Eurodesk Italy: a set of online appointments, information and guidance activities on European programs for young people from January 26 to February 26, 2026, which you can sign up for online.To stay updated on other opportunities, we also invite you to monitor the Italian Erasmus+ website, and the websites of the other two national agencies, INAPP (for VET sector) and INDIRE (for adult education sector).
To stay updated on other opportunities, please also monitor the Italian Erasmus+ website, and the websites of the other two national agencies, INAPP (for VET sector) and INDIRE (for adult education sector).
European Solidarity Corps Deadlines and Infoday
Timetable from the2026 call for proposals:
- Volunteer Projects: Feb. 18, 2026 and Oct. 1, 2026 (optional round)
- Solidarity projects: Feb. 18, 2026, May 7, 2026 (optional round), Oct. 1, 2026
- Volunteer groups in high-priority areas: March 3, 2026
- Volunteering under the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps: April 23, 2026
- Quality seal for volunteerism in humanitarian aid: 22 September 2026
Infoday and upcoming events:
No Infoday is planned anytime soon, but a meeting dedicated to this program is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2026 from h15.00 to 17.00 as part of the Design Gyms.
Creative Europe Program Deadlines and Infodays.
The indicative calendar includes dates of publication of calls by quarter (Q). We indicate below the dates already available and the open calls on the Funding & Tenders Portal. We will keep you updated on the publication dates and deadlines of the calls in our Calls Portal.
Culture Subprogramme
- Support for the implementation of the European Heritage Label (EHL): Feb. 11, 2026
- European cooperation projects: expected publication in February 2026
- European Spaces of Culture: publication planned for last quarter 2025 but not yet published
- European Capital of Culture (ECOC) 2032: likely publication in early 2026 (originally planned for December 2025)
- Cultural and creative sectors rural policy project: publication Q1-Q2 2026
Already published in January are the calls Circulation of European Literary Works and Perform Europe
Media subprogramme
- Video Games and Immersive content development: 11 February 2026
- European co-development: February 25, 2026
- Films on the Move: March 19, 2026
- European VOD networks and operators: April 8, 2026
- Networks of European Festivals : April 14, 2026
- Skills and Talent development: april 16, 2026
- European Film Distribution : April 23, 2026
- TV and online content: May 7, 2026
- European Film Sales: June 18, 2026
- Networks of European Cinemas : July 9, 2026
- European mini-slate development: September 17, 2026
Not yet published notices (expected publication date):
- European slate development Q3 2025
- Markets and Networking Q3 2025
- Innovative tools and business model Q3 2025
- Subtitling of cultural content Q4 2025
Transect Section
- Journalism partnership: February 4, 2026
- Media literacy: march 11, 2026
- Creative innovation workshop: april 23, 2026
Not yet published notices (expected publication date):
- Rapid respond mechanism Q4 2025
- Media Pluralism Monitor Q4 2025
Infoday and upcoming events:
On the website of EACEA (Executive Agency for Education and Culture, which manages the European Commission’s funding programs in the fields of knowledge and creativity), recordings of informational webinars for many of the open calls are available. You can also view events scheduled for the coming months, with links to participate.
To monitor events and Infodays organized in Italy, we recommend following the website of the Creative Europe desk for Italy, particularly the news section.
LIFE Program Deadlines and Infodays.
The 2025-2027 work program (downloadable here) calls for proposals once a year between April and May with a September/October deadline depending on the type of project. This applies to:
- Standard Action Projects (SAPs)
- Strategic Projects (SPs)
- Technical Assistance (TA) Projects
- Other Actions (OA)
For two-stage calls (Strategic Integrated Projects), the “full proposal” deadline for those who passed Stage 1 in 2025 is March 5, 2026.
Infoday and upcoming events:
In the Guide, we talked about the 2025 Infodays, which in part may also give insights into the 2026 calls. We will keep you updated on upcoming Infoday dates, which will be organized following the publication of the calls.
Digital Europe Program Deadlines and Infodays.
The 2026 work program (downloadable here) saw an initial package of calls published in the last quarter of 2025. Below are the topics that the 2026 calls will focus on. For individual call deadlines, please refer to our Call Portal and Funding & Tenders.
Topic of calls with indicative deadline in the first quarter of 2026:
- Data Space for Manufacturing
- Health: Data ingestion capacities and data services for the European genomic data
- Secretariat of the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance.
- Collaboration platform for the European connected and autonomous vehicle of the future
- Apply AI: GenAI for public administration – CSADeployment of cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging
- Virtual worlds test beds
- Completion of the initial Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)
- Consolidation of the Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs with reinforced AI focus)
- ELEVATE: European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies
- European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions
- European Digital Identity and Trust Ecosystem
- GovTech
- MCP on Innovative and Connected Public Administrations.
- IT system supporting the removal of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- European Digital Media Observatory hubs
- Support the Network of National Contact Points
Topic of calls with indicative deadline in the third quarter of 2026:
- Digital solutions for regulatory compliance through data
- Apply AI: Piloting AI-based image screening in medical centers
- Excellence in higher education and training programs in key digital areas and applied technologies
- Digital Skills and Jobs Platform CSA
- EdTech Accelerator
- Building capacity to deploy the EEHRxF and digital health services and systems to support the rights of citizens and reuse of health data under EHDS
- Support to Dissemination and Exploitation
Topic of calls with indicative deadline in the second quarter of 2027:
- Reference deployments of European cloud-edge services
- Data Space for Tourism
- Data Space for Skills
- Testing genAI4EU application at scale and under real-world condition
- Virtual Human Twins and Artificial Intelligence in health: platform validation and uptake incubator
- Sectoral digital skills academies
- Excellence in higher education and training programs in key digital areas and applied technologies
- Supporting the coordination of the CybersecuritySkills Academy
- Support to the implementation of Multi-Country Projects
Other programs
- European Territorial Cooperation Programs: how deadlines are set varies for each program. Please follow the Guide’s Calls Portal and the single dedicated portal with available calls.
- Structural Funds: scheduling of deadlines is done at the regional level. It is therefore necessary to consult the official websites of each Region in order to see any published timetables for each fund (such as ESF+ and ERDF). In the Guide’s Calls Portal, we simplify the search by updating the list of opportunities by Region on a monthly basis.
- Horizon Europe Program: work programs with indicative timetables for the set of calls under the three pillars of the program and its cross-cutting component are available. We also highlight the dedicated page on the APRE-Agency for the Promotion of European Research website.
We hope we have given you useful elements so that you can play ahead and arrive prepared for the upcoming calls for proposals. We will continue to share in the news section events and deadline updates.
