📋 Tender Overview
Grant agreement ID: 101291917
DOI
10.3030/101291917
EC signature date
19 June 2026
Start date
1 October 2026
End date
30 September 2029
Objective
VALORAI answers the call HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01 by creating a European network of knowledge valorisation intermediaries (KVIs). Technology transfer offices, incubators, clusters, innovation agencies and NGOs are vital connectors between research and society, yet their capacities remain fragmented and uneven across Europe. VALORAI unites them in a durable, inclusive community of practice that strengthens cooperation, mutual learning and trust among academia, industry, policymakers and citizens while turning knowledge into social and economic value. VALORAI gathers leading universities-network of HEIs (UAB, UAVEIRO, TUHH, TUL, UniTrento, ECIU), a research organisation (ARIC), innovation agencies (HIT, PRUAB), SMEs (ATRINEO, STICKYDOT), a network of HEIs and industry (UIIN) and a national body (NARD), ensuring diversity of profiles and territorial balance, including widening countries, all with proven expertise in valorisation strategies. The blend of academic excellence, policy knowledge and operational know-how guarantees the credibility and sustainability of the network. VALORAI will engage 150+ intermediaries with inclusive governance and sustainability mechanisms. It will deliver a modular, multilingual training path with 14+ e-learning courses, practical toolkits, a structured mobility scheme to upskill 500+ professionals, focusing on widening actors. At its digital core lies an open-source AI-powered platform with semantic search, matchmaking, actionable recommendations, collaborative workflows for daily valorisation. Cascade funding will support secondments and exchanges, ensuring active engagement and sharing of best practices. By prioritising people and collaboration over infrastructures, VALORAI equips intermediaries with stronger skills, recognition and visibility. The network will endure as a living ecosystem connecting intellectual assets, entrepreneurial initiatives, societal needs, reinforcing competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy.
