FP10 Champions Club — Athens Retreat 2026

Invitation-only · 10 seats · 15–16 October 2026

FP10 Champions Club

Athens Retreat 2026

Two days. Ten leaders. One strategy that wins in the next Framework Programme.

Hosted at Dr. Nikolaos Floratos’s private residence on the Athens Riviera, with full view of the Acropolis and Athens skyline.

Dates

15–16 October 2026

Location

Paleo Faliro, Athens

Seats

Strictly limited to 10 participants

Format

Peer forum — not training

The closing window before FP10

Horizon Europe ends in 2027. FP10 runs from 2028 to 2035.

The strategic positioning your institution fixes in 2026–2027 will shape where you sit in the next seven years of European R&I funding. Move early, and you help write the playbook. Move late, and you follow the institutions that already did.

This retreat convenes the first ten senior leaders building their FP10 positioning before the framework officially opens.

Strictly limited eligibility

Who is allowed in

This is a closed-door, peer-only retreat.

Participation is limited to:

• Research Managers responsible for FP10 institutional strategy.

• Vice-Rectors with portfolio responsibility for Research & Innovation strategy.

Not open to:

• Consultants

• Junior staff

• Observers

• Vendors

• Commercial sponsors

All applications are personally reviewed and confirmed by Dr. Nikolaos Floratos.

What it is — and what it is not

This is not a training course.

It is not:

• A webinar

• A slide deck

• A certification programme

• A vendor presentation

• A networking cocktail event

• A consultancy sales funnel

No PowerPoint. No junior consultants. No generic content.

It is:

A facilitated peer-strategy forum in the format of an EO Forum (Entrepreneurs’ Organization).

Each participant brings at least one real FP10 institutional/personal challenge. The group works it through together under facilitated discussion and experience sharing.

You leave Athens with:

• Your own written FP10 strategic next steps.

• A trusted peer circle of nine senior counterparts across Europe.

• Direct relationships designed to last through the FP10 cycle.

Your host

Dr. Nikolaos Floratos

Dr. Floratos opens his private residence on the Athens Riviera to ten senior peers for two days of structured strategy work and discussion.

Experience includes:

• 25+ years in EU Research & Innovation funding (FP4 through Horizon Europe).

• 20+ years as European Commission evaluator and expert.

• 50,000+ researchers and innovation actors trained across 45+ countries.

• Five university degrees (B.Eng, B.A, M.Sc, MBA, PhD).

• Ranked #1 on Google as “Funding Expert.”

You are not being trained. You are being hosted and faciliated.

The programme

Day 1 — Thursday, 15 October 2026

09:30 – 13:00
Opening forum session.
Each participant presents one real FP10 strategic challenge. The group works it via experience sharing and proposal suggestions.

13:00 – 14:15
Lunch at the host’s residence with Acropolis and Athens skyline view.

14:15 – 17:00
Strategy-design session.
Participants draft personal FP10 next steps with peer input and facilitated discussion.

After 17:00
Flexible evening at the host’s home:

• Pool

• Jacuzzi

• Athens Riviera beach walk

• Informal strategy discussions

Coffee breaks
Called organically as needed by the group.

Day 2 — Friday, 16 October 2026

09:30 – 12:30
Final strategy session.
Peer commitments, positioning review, and FP10 next-step confirmation.

13:00 – 15:30
Guided Ancient Athens tour followed by shared lunch with Acropolis view.

15:30 – 22:30
Rest and free time.

22:30 onwards
Athens nightlife together.
Relationship-building beyond the institutional layer.

Booking fee

OpenCosmos member

EUR 90

Non-member

EUR 180

Same access. Same seat. Different pricing tier.

What is included

• Two full days of facilitated peer forum sessions.

• Access to the host’s private residence in Paleo Faliro.

• Lunch on Day 1 at the host’s home.

• All coffee breaks during both days.

• Pool and jacuzzi access after Day 1 sessions.

• Guided Ancient Athens tour.

• Coordinated group evening on Day 2.

• Lifetime membership in the founding FP10 Champions Club cohort.

What is NOT included

• Travel to and from Athens.

• Accommodation in Athens.

• Lunch on Day 2 (paid individually at the restaurant).

Why only ten seats

Ten institutions will shape how FP10 conversations form in the years ahead.

This is the founding cohort of the FP10 Champions Club. Future editions may follow. Only one group becomes the first ten.

Between the formal sessions, the real conversations happen:

• On the Athens Riviera at sunset.

• Around the pool after the forum closes.

• During late-night discussions overlooking the Acropolis.

This is where strategy stops being a document and becomes relationships, positioning, and long-term collaboration.

Ten people.

Seven years of FP10 ahead.

One private home opening its doors for two days.

Important Note:

A “seat-guarantee” contribution of just 90 EUR if OpenCosmos (OC) member or 180 EUR for Non-OC members that secures your place, since places are strictly limited. Non-refundable.