European startup grants, Horizon Europe calls, EIT programmes, Eurostars-style funding, and EU-wide opportunities for founders.
6 current opportunities
Funding guide
Use this page for Europe-wide funding and support programmes where eligibility commonly depends on EU Member State, Horizon Europe Associated Country, consortium, SME, or cross-border criteria. Each card links to the official programme page and keeps the practical founder fit visible.
Current opportunities
6 opportunities shown.
Innovative SMEs established for at least two years in an eligible European country that have a TRL 4-8 solution and want to validate its technical, commercial, legal, or socioeconomic feasibility in a market in Africa, the Americas, Asia, or Oceania.
A fixed €60,000 grant for a six-month market feasibility project with a local counterpart in the target country. The call funds up to 70% of eligible costs, with €42,000 pre-financing and €18,000 after an accepted final report.
Apply in English from 1 Oct until 1 Dec 2026 at 14:00 CET. The applicant must be a legally established SME in an EU Member State, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye, or the UK, established by 1 Dec 2024, and must not have received funding under an earlier Innowwide call. The project must be civil, last six months, include an independent local subcontractor in the non-European target country, and have at least €86,000 in eligible costs.
Startups and SMEs in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries with a game-changing, high-risk innovation that has completed TRL 5 and is ready for TRL 6-8 activities, strong scale-up ambition, and funding needs that private investors alone will not yet cover.
A grant component below €2.5 million for innovation activities, plus €1-€10 million in direct equity or quasi-equity for blended-finance applicants. Selected companies also receive coaching, mentoring, investor and partner access, and other EIC Business Acceleration Services.
Submit a short proposal at any time; these are batched on the first Tuesday of each month at 17:00 Brussels time. A GO is required before submitting a full proposal, with the final 2026 full-proposal batch on 4 Nov. Eligible applicants include single startups and SMEs, people or entities establishing one before the full proposal, and small mid-caps applying for investment only; third-country applicants must relocate to an eligible country before Step 2.
Pilot-ready agrifood startups with a prospective corporate client and a clear proof-of-concept or small-scale pilot that can show a pathway toward commercial activity.
EIT Food can co-finance startup-corporate proof-of-concept work such as sample creation, field trials, functionality and property tests, or efficiency assessments, helping de-risk pilots that could lead to larger commercial collaboration.
Apply by the final cut-off on 30 Nov 2026. Projects must be proposed with a prospective corporate client, stay below €60,000 in project costs, and include a letter of intent, budget, and pilot scope tied to commercial success.
Early-stage digital and deep tech startups in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries with a working prototype or proof of concept at TRL 4-5 or above, strong IP ownership, and a real industry challenge to validate with a corporate partner.
Selected ventures can receive up to €250,000 of 28DIGITAL financial support, co-create directly with industry partners, access fundraising assistance, join 28DIGITAL training and mentoring support, and gain visibility across its European innovation ecosystem.
Apply by the next cut-off on 8 Sep 2026 at 17:00 CEST. Applicants must be micro or small enterprises incorporated within the last five years, have at least two FTEs, own or control the relevant IP, request a maximum of €250,000, and offer 3.5-7% equity to 28DIGITAL. Open Challenge Track applicants need their own challenge partner and proof of commitment.
European SMEs, startups, and research organisations building defence or dual-use technologies, especially teams with AI, cyber, quantum, energy, surveillance, digital, hardware, advanced materials, or other deep tech that can be adapted to defence applications.
The EDF 2026 work programme allocates about €1B to collaborative defence R&D, including dedicated EUDIS non-thematic SME calls. SME-led research actions can fund projects up to €4M and SME development actions up to €6M, with business coaching support to help move R&D results toward defence products and market entry.
Applications close 29 Sep 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. EDF projects generally require cross-border consortia from EU Member States or Norway; the SME research call requires an SME coordinator, at least TRL 4, disruptive defence impact, and limits research organisations to 40% of the requested grant budget.
Women-founded or women-co-founded early-stage deep tech startups in EU Member States or eligible Horizon Europe Pillar III Associated Countries, especially teams preparing to move from validated technology toward market readiness.
€75,000 equity-free grant funding plus personalised business development support, mentoring, training, expert guidance, matchmaking, networking, and help bridging toward other EIC funding and support schemes.
At least one woman founder or co-founder must hold a top management role such as CEO or CTO, and women founders must collectively hold at least 25% of company shares at submission. The company must be a commercial SME registered for at least six months and no more than five years, be before high-fidelity MVP stage (TRL4-TRL6), have raised less than €1M in equity, and must not have already benefitted from Women TechEU or EIC Accelerator. The eligibility strand has weekly Tuesday cut-offs at 17:00 Brussels time until 14 Jun 2027; the next near-term cut-off is 8 Sep 2026. Eligible applicants are then invited to a full proposal, with the next submission deadline on 16 Sep 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
Founder guidance
No. This guide includes official EU programmes and Europe-wide opportunities relevant to EU or Horizon Europe eligible startups. Each card points to its source so founders can verify the final eligibility rules.
Many European grant schemes are designed for cross-border collaboration, pilots, or R&D consortia. The requirements field flags this when it is visible from the source.
That depends on programme complexity. For lighter open calls, direct applications can work. For major grants, founders may benefit from specialist support, especially around impact, budget, and consortium structure.
