PEDAL Consulting together with RURALITIES project partners will introduce Rural Thrive 2050 campaign. Its main goal is to connect rural communities, projects and organisations across Europe and Africa. Running from September 2026 to April 2027, it will use storytelling, workshops, webinars and joint events to build cooperation around agri-tech, renewable energy, the circular economy, sustainable tourism, social innovation and digital connectivity. The campaign opens with a free public launch webinar on 1 September 2026, where the first Rural Thrive Supporters will be recognised. Registration is open now.

Receiving EU funding is one thing. Demonstrating that every euro was spent correctly is another. It is a responsibility that lasts well beyond the project’s end date. Since its establishment in 2013, PEDAL Consulting has successfully passed numerous financial capacity checks, checks and reviews, certificates on financial statements and ex-posts audits. Building up on its direct experience, the company is now formally introducing administrative support for eventual EU audits.

The recent Horizon Europe data (as of 30 June 2026) confirms that PEDAL Consulting has the highest number of participations in approved projects among all private organisations in Slovakia. With 29 participations, including 3 in the role of coordinator, we maintain this position in a landscape long dominated by universities, research institutions and public bodies.
According to the statistics, PEDAL Consulting ranks second among all Slovak organisations by number of participations in Horizon Europe projects. The overall ranking is led by the National Contact Point for Horizon Europe, the Centre for Scientific and Technical Information of the Slovak Republic (CVTI SR), with 33 participations – a public institution operating under a nationwide mandate. Among private organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises, we remain in first place, and we are once again grateful for that.
Horizon Europe in brief
Horizon Europe is the EU’s largest research and innovation funding programme, with a budget exceeding €95 billion. The average success rate for proposals stands at around 16%, making it one of the most competitive grant environments in the world.
“As AI-powered proposal writing tools become more widespread, competition is intensifying further. Our goal is therefore not only to maintain our current position, but to develop increasingly high-quality proposals that can stand their ground in this new context,” says Robert Miškuf, CEO of PEDAL Consulting.
How Slovakia is performing in Horizon Europe
The latest statistics also offer a broader picture of Slovakia’s engagement in the programme as a whole. As of 30 June 2026, Slovak organisations contributed to the preparation of 2,328 eligible project proposals submitted under 398 calls. The total requested contribution for Slovak applicants across these proposals reached €1.18 billion. A total of 430 project proposals with Slovak participation were approved, with a success rate of 19.20%, above the EU average of 16.01%.
In terms of thematic focus, Slovak organisations achieved the highest success rates in the following areas: European Institute of Innovation and Technology (100%), Research Infrastructures (66%), and Reforming and Enhancing the European Research and Innovation System (29%).
Analysts at the National Horizon Office also highlight a number of persistent challenges: a low volume of submitted proposals, a limited number of research teams involved, a low share of coordinators, and the fact that Slovak organisations frequently take on smaller roles with lower budgets within consortia.
Thank you for your trust
Having our position confirmed in these statistics is both an acknowledgement and a commitment to continued work. We are grateful to our partners in European consortia who place their trust in us time and again.
If you are preparing a Horizon Europe proposal and are looking for an experienced partner, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Source (in Slovak): ERA Portal – Information Portal on the European Research Area, https://eraportal.sk/aktualita/ucast-slovenska-v-programe-horizont-europa-v-cislach/

Posledné údaje programu Horizont Európa (stav k 30. júnu 2026) potvrdzujú, že spomedzi všetkých súkromných organizácií na Slovensku má PEDAL Consulting najvyšší počet účastí v schválených projektoch. S 29 účasťami (z toho 3 účasťami v úlohe koordinátora) si naša spoločnosť udržiava túto pozíciu v prostredí, ktorému dlhodobo dominujú univerzity, výskumné inštitúcie a verejné organizácie.

Minulý ročník najväčšieho poľnohospodárskeho podujatia na Slovensku prilákal viac ako 92000 návštevníkov. Opäť potvrdil svoje významné postavenie v tomto sektore. Ani tento rok nebudeme v Nitre chýbať s portfóliom viacerých európskych projektov a novinkami.

The transition to a climate-neutral economy will not succeed without people who have the right skills. The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) recognises the importance of this challenge and thus invited the GreenVOCnet consortium to share how vocational education helps prepare the next generation of professionals for careers in green hydrogen, heat pumps and other clean technologies. The interview highlights how GreenVOCnet is helping turn this vision into reality.

Recyclable composites, automated manufacturing, digital twins and artificial intelligence are changing the way future aircraft will be designed, produced and certified. On 17 September 2026, the first joint ATLAS Cluster workshop “Wings of Change: Navigating the Future of Sustainable Aerostructures” will offer a full day of expert talks, practical insights and discussion at the Aragon Institute of Technology in Zaragoza. Attendance is free, making it an ideal opportunity to explore emerging aviation technologies and connect with the people developing them.

Research management keeps European science running. Yet the people doing it have long worked without a shared framework, a clear career path, or a pan-European community to call their own. ERMA initiative is here to change that. PEDAL Consulting joined the project’s Kick-off Meeting in Athens on 1-2 July 2026 as the leader of activities focusing on raising awareness, outreach and community building across Europe.

June 2026 marks the official start of CIRCONOMY – a €3.99 million Horizon Europe project. Its main goal is to tackle one of the circular economy’s most overlooked challenges: the absence of practical, harmonised tools to measure circularity at the level where it actually happens. PEDAL Consulting is on board as a key partner, leading capacity building and data management across the full three years of the project.

For years, proposal development has been central to everything we do. We have written, coordinated, reviewed and submitted dozens of competitive EU and international funding proposals. We have supported consortia through some of the most demanding Horizon Europe calls, shaped work packages, built impact narratives, and guided coordinators. Throughout that time, we have regularly been asked by organisations outside our consortium to help with their proposal preparation. Until now, the honest answer was: not formally. That has recently changed now.

From drone-powered digital twins to AI-driven ecosystem platforms, the DigiMedFor project closing event showed forest digital innovation in action and sparked an honest discussion about what still needs to change. Together with project partners, we presented outcomes of our 3-year long journey finding the answers to how we can manage Mediterranean forests smarter, with better data and tools.

What does it take to make Artificial Intelligence work for democracy and not against it? A new open-access book, co-authored by researchers from the ITHACA project and three sister initiatives, offers concrete answers. And the best part? It’s free to read.