APRE Courses 2026: "How to write an ERC Starting Grant proposal" webinar
2026-06-11 10:00 - 13:00 (Europe/Rome)
APRE is organizing the webinar “How to write an ERC Starting Grant proposal”, taking place online on 11 June 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00.
The event is organized in collaboration with the University of Siena, Scuola Normale Superiore, University of Pisa, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and the University of Florence.
This course aims to present participants with the opportunities offered by the Horizon Europe ERC Starting Grant call. The European Research Council (ERC) funding schemes operate on a bottom-up basis under Pillar I of Horizon Europe, which is entirely dedicated to Excellent Science. The ERC Starting Grant call is designed for emerging researchers of any nationality, with up to 10 years of post-doctoral experience, who demonstrate an excellent potential to become independent research leaders and wish to establish their own research team and programme in Europe.
The workshop intends to provide practical, step-by-step guidance on drafting a highly competitive project proposal. The training session will deeply analyze how to structure a proposal that complies with the official template requirements, what evaluation criteria are adopted by the peer-review experts, and how the entire selection process is managed. At the end of the presentation, the speakers will share valuable tips and tricks for proposal writing and showcase real-life examples of successful, winning projects.
This event is open to researchers, post-docs, and research managers from the University of Siena and other Tuscan Universities who are planning to apply or support applications for the upcoming ERC Starting Grant deadlines.
To view the full agenda for this session and discover all the other training opportunities scheduled for this year, please visit the dedicated section on our portal: APRE Courses 2026.

Presentation of the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe: "Bioeconomy for Growth and Resilience"
2026-06-16 14:00 | Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Roma
On Tuesday 16 June, the event “La bioeconomia per la crescita e la resistenza” (Bioeconomy for Growth and Resilience) will be held at the Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri a Roma. During the event, the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe, drafted by the Intesa Sanpaolo Research Department in collaboration with Cluster SPRING, will be presented.
Now in its twelfth edition, the Report has confirmed itself as a benchmark for operators and policymakers, providing a quantification of the complex set of sectors that use renewable biological raw materials, as well as food for thought on the developments of one of the pillars of the inevitable transition towards more sustainable production and consumption models.
To participate, registration is required by sending an email to: segreteria.studi@intesasanpaolo.com
For further information please visit the page: Presentation of the 12th Report on Bioeconomy in Europe

"Towards an ERC Starting Grant: from promising idea to competitive proposal" - online workshop
2026-06-26 10:00 - 12:30
APRE, as coordinator of mERCury — the National Contact Points (NCP) network project for the European Research Council (ERC) — is organizing an online event dedicated to researchers interested in the ERC Starting Grant. The webinar will take place online on 26 June 2026, from 10:00 to 12:30.
The meeting will guide participants from defining a truly “groundbreaking” idea to understanding the European Research Council’s evaluation process.
The agenda includes in-depth insights into the frontier research approach, a dedicated session on the evaluation process, and testimonials from Starting Grant holders across the SH (Social Sciences and Humanities), PE (Physical Sciences and Engineering), and LS (Life Sciences) domains, featuring the participation of ERCEA Scientific Officers and evaluators.
Participation is free of charge, but online registration is required by 25 June.
For further details and to secure your spot, please visit the event page: https://mercuryncp.eu/event/towards-an-erc-starting-grant-from-promising-idea-to-competitive-proposal/

INFO DAY Horizon Europe – EU Partnerships. 2026 Calls Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), Cluster 1 | New Call 13
2026-07-06 11:00 - 16:00 | Sala Recordati of Farmindustria, Via del Nazzareno, 12, Roma
APRE, in agreement with the MUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) and in collaboration with Farmindustria, is organizing a hybrid event on 6 July 2026, from 11:00 to 16:00, dedicated to the new Call 13 of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), the European Partnership supporting research and innovation in the health sector.
The meeting will provide an overview of the opportunities featured in the new IHI calls, focusing on the Call 13 topics currently available as drafts, testimonials from funded projects, and a networking and pitch session between research and industry. The event aims to continue informing and raising awareness among companies, SMEs, hospitals, research centers, and patient associations regarding the valuable opportunities offered by the IHI calls.
The event will take place in person in Rome, at the Sala Recordati of Farmindustria, and online.
In-person seats are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Early registration is therefore highly recommended to secure a spot. Once the maximum capacity is reached, it will only be possible to follow the event remotely.
Participation is free of charge.
For further information and registration, visit the page: https://apre.it/evento/info-day-horizon-europe-eu-partnerships-bandi-2026-innovative-health-initiative-ihi-cluster-1-nuova-call-13/
