VALLEYS – OC1 Strand C: Combined Approaches

TYPE OF PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED: Six-month pilot projects combining structured cross-border staff secondments with the deployment, testing and integration of the AI-enabled VALLEYS Knowledge Valorisation Toolbox. Eligible activities include physical staff exchanges, structured learning programmes, practical knowledge transfer, Toolbox onboarding and configuration, baseline assessments, testing on real operational cases, staff training, institutional adoption of transferred practices and participation in technical feedback and co-design sessions. Projects must produce a mobility and secondment report, a Toolbox integration case study documenting at least one real-case application, evidence of an organisational outcome at the guest organisation, and lessons learned suitable for replication.

SECTORS / DOMAIN: Knowledge valorisation, technology transfer, research and innovation management, intellectual asset management, standardisation, industry–academia co-creation and citizen engagement. The call combines cross-border organisational learning with the adoption of AI-enabled digital tools to improve knowledge valorisation services.

INDIVIDUAL OR CONSORTIUM: Consortium applications only. Each proposal must involve exactly two independent legal entities from two different eligible countries, with one organisation acting as the host and the other as the guest. Entities belonging to the same corporate group or otherwise lacking legal independence cannot form an eligible partnership. Individual applications are not eligible.

SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Both partners must be legally established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country by the submission deadline and qualify as knowledge valorisation intermediaries. Eligible legal entity types include SMEs and start-ups, NGOs, foundations, associations, universities, research organisations and public bodies. Natural persons, VALLEYS consortium members and their affiliated entities are not eligible. The project must include a minimum of one month of physical secondment at the host organisation, completed within the six-month implementation period; remote-only exchanges are not eligible. The proposal must demonstrate a justified host–guest match, structured learning objectives, supervision arrangements, appropriate intellectual property and confidentiality provisions, and a credible plan for transferring and embedding acquired practices. The VALLEYS Toolbox must be deployed at the host organisation; deployment at the guest organisation is encouraged where relevant. Deployment at the host alone is insufficient: the project must also demonstrate at least one organisational outcome at the guest organisation. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted in English. Funded organisations must join the VALLEYS Network, participate in the relevant thematic Working Group and ensure designated staff complete at least three VALLEYS online training modules.

SPECIFIC TOPICS OR CHALLENGES: Projects must address at least one of the four EU Codes of Practice for Knowledge Valorisation: intellectual asset management, standardisation, industry–academia co-creation or citizen engagement. The Toolbox component must involve the deployment and testing of at least one AI-enabled VALLEYS module: IMPACT IP, Matchmaking Engine, Cascade Funding Cross-Referencer or Proposal Compliance Assistant. Activities must combine practical knowledge transfer through staff secondments with Toolbox adoption, demonstrating how the acquired expertise and digital tools contribute to measurable organisational improvements and sustainable knowledge valorisation practices.

PROJECTS DURATION: Six months, including a minimum of one month of physical secondment. Project start and onboarding are indicatively scheduled for the beginning of April 2027.

BUDGET, FUNDING RATES AND PAYMENT CONDITIONS:
Funding rate: 100%.
Budget conditions / limitations: Up to €40,000 per project, allocated as €15,000 for the host organisation and €25,000 for the guest organisation. The total Strand C budget is €80,000, supporting up to two projects. The maximum cumulative funding awarded to a single organisation across all VALLEYS open calls is €60,000.
Payments: Lump-sum, milestone-based funding. An initial payment of 10% is released following approval of agreed KPIs and milestones. An interim payment of up to 45% is made following the mid-term review, depending on KPI achievement. The remaining amount is paid following the final review, subject to completion of agreed KPIs and mandatory training requirements. Payments may be reduced or withheld if milestones are not sufficiently achieved. The Sub-Grant Agreement is signed by one coordinating organisation, typically the host, which is responsible for transferring the corresponding funding share to the other partner. The milestone payment structure applies to each organisation's allocated share.