Horizon Europe newsletter

EIC Accelerator win for Ireland
Galway-based medical device company CrannMed has been approved for a recommended investment of up to €12.5m from the Horizon Europe European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The company has developed a resorbable embolic microsphere called SakuraBead™ which is used for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain. Up to 20% of the world’s population will experience this type of pain through conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendinopathies or enthesopathies.

The first phase of the investment (€2.5m) will allow expansion of the technology to treat chronic inflammatory pain in different areas of the body. The second phase of the investment (€10m) is intended to support commercialisation of the technology within Europe and the US.

For those of you thinking about a proposal in this area, the EIC Accelerator Full Proposal Annotated Template (2026) has just been published, incorporating new changes to both application and evaluation. Scroll down and you’ll also find some top tips from previous awardee Rhona Togher, CEO at Lios, on navigating the EIC Accelerator competition.

New Report on Horizon Europe's Legal, Financial & Administrative Rules
A new European analysis based on 1,360 responses from Horizon Europe beneficiaries across Europe has just been published. Prepared by the Legal & Financial National Contact Points (NCPs) within the Horizon Academy project, the report provides a data-driven look at how Horizon Europe rules work in practice. The findings are intended contribute to ongoing discussions on programme simplification and provide relevant empirical input for the design of the next EU Framework Programme from 2028–2034. You can read the full report here.

Action plan for women in research, innovation and startup

National Support Network team updates

We are very pleased to introduce you to Colm O'Hehir who is the new NCP for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Colm is based in Research Ireland with National Delegate Yvonne Halpin. He previously held roles across Irish universities including Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, Maynooth University and University of Limerick where he has worked to support researchers embedding the public voice in their research and to enhance research impact.

In this month's newsletter, NCP for Space, Barry Jennings, outlines topics in upcoming Space calls while EIC National Delegate Daniela Angione takes a look at the Scaleup Europe Fund (SEF) which is a major novelty of the 2026 work programme. NCP for Energy Brendan Cahill focuses on the publication of the State of Energy Innovation Report and what global trends mean for Ireland and Horizon Europe. You can read these articles further below.

National Contact Point meetings and how to get in touch

National Contact Points were in Limerick this week for a number of Horizon Europe meetings with participants and stakeholders, including an interesting tour of the facilities at Digital Manufacturing Ireland (DMI) which supports businesses in the adoption of digital technologies.

If you would like to meet or talk to a member of the Horizon Europe National Support Network team, you'll find contact details in our directory. You can also email us with your questions and for more information.

We had a full house at our recent National Support Network meeting with Research Offices which took place at the Ashling Hotel in Dublin - thank you for taking the time to attend! Pictured, from left to right:

Top left: Patricia Clarke, Health Research Board; Kevin Burke, Enterprise Ireland; Emma McGrath, Research Ireland
Top centre: Michelle Cooney, TUS; Jamie Curtis and Angeline McGarrigle, DFHERIS; Gráinne Walshe, Research Ireland
Top right: Mariia Perelyglna, TU Dublin and David Flood, Enterprise Ireland
Bottom left: Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ) visting delegation - Marina Dzhelali, John Martindale and Alex Semprini
Bottom centre: Hillary Cronin, MTU; Deirdre Clayton and Kim Reilly, Maynooth University; Stephen O'Reilly, Enterprise Ireland
Bottom right: Philip Cheasty, Enterprise Ireland and Susan Bell, Invest NI

Daniela Angione, National Delegate & National Contact Point (NCP) for EIC (European Innovation Council), Enterprise Ireland

In this article, Daniela highlights the EU’s renewed push to support high‑growth innovators through the European Innovation Council. She introduces the new Scaleup Europe Fund, a flagship initiative aimed at providing large‑scale, late‑stage financing to ensure Europe’s top technology scaleups can compete worldwide.

Read the full article here.