The Health Programme co-finances Horizon Europe Teaming centres, guide in consultation

The Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE), through the Managing Authority for the Health Programme, published the Applicant's Guide for the call "Support for projects targeting synergies with Horizon Europe actions in the field of health. TEAMING projects for excellence" for public consultation on 29 September 2026. Comments must be sent by 21 October 2026 to consultare.sinergii@mfe.gov.ro. The call itself has not been launched, and the budget and final conditions will only be known once the consultation has ended.

In brief

• Programme: Health Programme 2021-2027, call "Synergies with Horizon Europe actions in the field of health – TEAMING projects for excellence"
• Authority: MIPE – Managing Authority for the Health Programme
• Beneficiaries: to be set by the guide currently in consultation; the Horizon Europe Teaming rules require the coordinator to be an entity established in a Widening country, such as Romania: a university, a research organisation, a for-profit organisation whose main object is research, a national or regional authority, or a research funding agency
• Coverage: national
• Consultation period: 29 September – 21 October 2026
• Status: guide in public consultation; the call is not open and no launch date has been announced

What is Teaming for Excellence and why does it need national funding?

Teaming for Excellence is the Horizon Europe action (under the "Widening participation" component) that creates new centres of excellence, or upgrades existing ones, in countries with weaker research performance, in partnership with a leading institution from another Member State or associated country. According to the European Commission's work programme, the EU contribution per project is between 8 and 15 million euro, for a duration of up to six years, and the 2025 call had an indicative budget of 270 million euro.

The essential condition is complementary funding: from national, regional, European (including cohesion policy programmes) or private sources, the project must secure an amount at least equal to the contribution requested from Horizon Europe. This money covers what the Horizon Europe grant does not pay for: investment in infrastructure, equipment, buildings and preliminary planning. At the second stage of the evaluation, applicants must submit letters of firm commitment for this complementary funding, and these form part of the evaluation.

This is exactly the role of the Health Programme call: it provides, from cohesion funds, the investment component for medical-profile Teaming centres coordinated by Romanian entities.

Where does the 2025 Teaming call stand at the Commission?

According to the European Commission's Funding & Tenders portal, call HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-ACCESS-01-01 had its first-stage deadline on 10 April 2025, with 340 proposals submitted, of which 67 were invited to the second stage, and its second-stage deadline on 20 January 2026, with 64 proposals submitted. The second-stage evaluation ended on 23 April 2026, with 19 proposals selected for funding and 5 on the reserve list. The Commission's timetable provides for grant agreements to be signed in September 2026 and projects to start from December 2026.

The Commission does not publish a country-by-country list of recommended projects on the call page. Which Romanian health entities are among them, and therefore who might be able to access the Health Programme call, cannot be determined from the official sources consulted.

What do we know, and not know, about the Health Programme guide?

The guide page on mfe.gov.ro confirms the title of the call, its national coverage, the consultation period and the contact address. The full document, called "GS Sinergii", is published as a downloadable archive on the same page.

The following were not communicated on the announcement page: the total budget of the call, the maximum value per project, the exact list of eligible applicants, the cost categories and the submission period. These are found in the guide under consultation and may change before the final version. Until the approved guide is published, any figure in circulation should be treated as provisional.

There is a precedent: in 2014-2020, the Managing Authority for the Competitiveness Operational Programme, from the same ministry, applied the same mechanism through the guide "Creating synergies with the RDI actions of the HORIZON 2020 framework programme" (approved in 2016 and updated in 2019), with structural funds stepping in at the second phase of Teaming projects to finance research infrastructure investment. The new call takes up this mechanism for 2021-2027, this time through the Health Programme.

How do you take part in the consultation, and what comes next?

1. Download the guide archive from the official page and read the eligibility conditions, the eligible costs and the evaluation grid.
2. Send your comments and proposals, referring to the relevant paragraph, to consultare.sinergii@mfe.gov.ro by 21 October 2026.
3. Watch the guide page for the publication of the final version and the opening date of the call; this has not been announced.

What this means for your organisation

The call is aimed at a narrow group: medical universities, research institutes and healthcare units that coordinate, or have under evaluation, a medical-profile Teaming for Excellence project. Our recommendation for them is to use the remaining days of the consultation to check whether the guide covers the types of investment in the business plan submitted to the Commission (buildings, equipment, preliminary studies) and whether the maximum value per project matches the complementary funding commitment made at the second stage.

Common pitfalls, from our experience of synergy projects: misalignment between the national timetable and the Commission's (the Horizon Europe grant may start in December 2026, while the national call still has no date), differences between the complementary budget promised in the commitment letter and the costs eligible under the national programme, and state aid requirements for the part of the infrastructure used economically. These points are worth raising now, during the consultation, not after the launch.

For private companies, the call is not a direct source of funding. It remains relevant, however, for medical technology SMEs that are partners in Teaming consortia or that will supply equipment and services to the funded centres. If you are unsure which call you fit into, use the eligibility check on the site.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Health Programme call for Teaming open?

No. On 29 September 2026 only the Applicant's Guide was published, for public consultation until 21 October 2026. The launch date of the call and the submission period have not been announced.

How much complementary funding does Horizon Europe require for a Teaming project?

According to the European Commission's Widening work programme, complementary funding must be at least equal to the contribution requested from Horizon Europe, that is, between 8 and 15 million euro per project. It covers infrastructure, equipment, buildings and preliminary planning and must be evidenced by letters of firm commitment at the second stage.

Who can coordinate a Teaming project?

The coordinator must be established in a Widening country, a category that includes Romania, and may be a university, a research organisation, a for-profit organisation whose main object is research or technological development, a national or regional authority, or a research funding agency. The consortium must include at least one leading university or research organisation from another Member State or associated country.

What is the budget of the Health Programme call?

The budget was not communicated on the consultation announcement page. It is set out in the guide under consultation and may change before the final version. We will update this article when the authority publishes the approved guide.

Where do I send comments on the guide?

At consultare.sinergii@mfe.gov.ro, by 21 October 2026, according to the MIPE announcement.

Official sources

• MIPE – guide page "Support for projects targeting synergies with Horizon Europe actions in the field of health – TEAMING projects for excellence" (consultation 29.09–21.10.2026)
• MIPE – announcement of the publication of the Applicant's Guide for public consultation (29 September 2026)
• oportunitati-ue.gov.ro – Health Programme publishes the Applicant's Guide for consultation (30 September 2026)
• European Commission (REA) – Teaming for Excellence: description, timetable and 2024-2025 budget
• Funding & Tenders portal – topic HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-ACCESS-01-01 Teaming for Excellence
• Horizon Europe – Work Programme 2023-2024, Part 11 Widening participation (Teaming for Excellence conditions)

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.