The General Introductory Training on Horizon Europe Twinning Calls was successfully held on 19 January 2026 in Istanbul in a hybrid format, bringing together over 300 participants, including more than 30 on-site and over 250 online attendees. The event was completed with strong interest and active participation from stakeholders across the Türkiye Research Area.
Organised under the coordination of TÜBİTAK within the scope of the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project, the one-day training programme provided participants with a comprehensive framework for knowledge and capacity building on the WIDERA Programme, with a specific focus on Twinning calls, and for strengthening institutional capacities to prepare competitive project proposals.
The opening remarks of the event were delivered on behalf of TÜBİTAK by Ms. Merve Aydemir Aydın, National Contact Point for Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence. In her address, the role of Twinning actions in reducing the innovation divide and their contribution to strengthening sustainable inter-institutional cooperation within the Horizon Europe Programme were highlighted.
During the morning sessions, the Horizon Europe funding landscape, EU funding opportunities, and programme synergies were discussed. Participants received in-depth information on the identification of suitable calls, the structure of the WIDERA Programme, consortium development, skills matching, and networking channels. Sessions focusing on the correct reading and interpretation of call texts examined Scope, Expected Outcomes, and Impact through a hands-on Twinning call exercise.
In the afternoon sessions, the structure of a competitive project proposal was addressed in detail. In addition to excellence, objectives, ambition, methodology, transversal aspects, and the implementation framework, topics such as the work plan, deliverables, milestones, and risk management were examined through a holistic approach. Sessions focusing on the impact dimension explored how project outputs can be translated into expected results and broader impacts, covering Scale and Significance, Key Impact Pathways, PESTEL analysis, dissemination and communication strategies, target groups, intellectual property management, and synergies through practical examples.
The training programme was delivered by Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project experts Mr. Samy Strola and Ms. Mine Sanem Özkan. Throughout the sessions, participants were provided with an overview of the evaluation process, the evaluators’ perspective, and key good practices for preparing successful proposals. The programme concluded with an interactive Q&A and wrap-up session.
With its strong participation and interactive structure, the General Introductory Training on Horizon Europe Twinning Calls created an important foundation for strengthening stakeholders’ capacities to develop high-quality and competitive project proposals under the WIDERA Programme.
The presentations used during the training are available here.
The training recording can be accessed via the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNRBOgV3Lrc
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