10 programmes. Open calls live on the Portal — this page tells you which door to try.
EIC Accelerator
SME doorEIC Accelerator
Blended finance (grant plus optional equity) to take a product from lab to market. The European Innovation Council runs the calls.
Who: A single SME or small mid-cap with a deep-tech or high-risk innovation, usually after a grant or accelerator stage.
Typical ticket: Grant up to €2.5 million; equity on top is a separate, later conversation with the EIC Fund.
How: Short proposal on the Funding & Tenders Portal, then a full application and a jury if you pass. You need an EU Login and a PIC.
Horizon Europe
SME doorHorizon Europe
The Union’s research and innovation programme: collaborative projects, missions, and partnerships. Work programmes open in yearly waves.
Who: Consortia of companies, universities and labs. SMEs join as partners; they rarely lead a cluster call alone.
Typical ticket: Project budgets in the low-to-mid millions, shared across partners. Funding rate is usually 70% for for-profit entities, 100% for non-profits — check the topic.
How: Find an open topic on the Portal, build a consortium, submit before the deadline. National Contact Points help you read the topic text.
Digital Europe
SME doorDigital Europe Programme
Pays for uptake: testing facilities, European Digital Innovation Hubs, skills, and capacity. Closer to the market than Horizon.
Who: Companies deploying AI, cybersecurity, chips, data spaces or digital skills — not basic research.
Typical ticket: From a few hundred thousand (hubs, skills) to multi-million capacity projects. Co-funding is the rule.
How: Calls on the Portal. EDIHs in your region are often the on-ramp for SMEs that do not want to lead a Union file.
LIFE
SME doorLIFE Programme
Nature, circular economy, climate mitigation and adaptation, and the clean-energy transition. CINEA manages the calls.
Who: Companies, cities and NGOs with a concrete environment, climate or clean-energy project — demonstration, not a slide deck.
Typical ticket: Often €1–10 million with co-funding. Standard Action Projects are the SME-accessible lane.
How: Annual calls on the Portal. A concept note then a full proposal for some strands. Talk to your LIFE NCP before you write 80 pages.
InvestEU
SME doorInvestEU
EU budget guarantee behind EIB, EIF and national promotional banks. Sustainable infrastructure, innovation, SMEs, social.
Who: SMEs and mid-caps that need a loan or guarantee, not a grant. You talk to a bank or implementing partner, not Brussels.
Typical ticket: Debt or equity via your bank. There is no ‘InvestEU application form’ for a shop in Lyon.
How: Ask your bank or national promotional institution whether an InvestEU window is open. The Portal lists implementing partners.
SMP / COSME
SME doorSingle Market Programme
Successor to COSME: SME support, standardisation, food safety, consumer protection. Often via intermediaries, not a direct cheque.
Who: SMEs, clusters, and organisations that help SMEs export, digitalise, or meet standards.
Typical ticket: Enterprise Europe Network and cascade calls are the usual door. Direct Union grants exist but are not the first stop.
How: Search SMP and COSME-related topics on the Portal, or walk into an Enterprise Europe Network office.
EDF
SME doorEuropean Defence Fund
Collaborative defence R&D. Eligibility and security rules are tighter than Horizon.
Who: Defence and dual-use consortia. Dedicated SME and disruptive-tech windows exist.
Typical ticket: Consortium projects. Read the security annex before you open a work package.
How: Annual EDF calls on the Portal. National defence ministries are part of the conversation.
EU4Health
SME doorEU4Health
The health programme after COVID. Direct grants and procurements. HADEA runs most calls.
Who: Health companies, hospitals, NGOs and Member State bodies — digital health, crisis, cancer, medicines.
Typical ticket: From targeted action grants to large joint actions with ministries.
How: Calls on the Portal. Health NCPs are worth one email before you write.
Creative Europe
SME doorCreative Europe
MEDIA, CULTURE and CROSS-SECTOR strands. Co-production, distribution, media literacy, news partnerships.
Who: Audiovisual, culture and news-media companies, including small producers.
Typical ticket: Project grants, often with a co-financing rate. Creative Europe Desks in each country.
How: Calls on the Portal. Your national Creative Europe Desk is the human on-ramp.
Cascade / FSTP
SME doorCascade funding (FSTP)
Financial Support to Third Parties: a funded project re-grants €50k–€250k in open calls. Fastest SME door in digital and green files.
Who: SMEs that cannot or should not lead a Horizon consortium. You apply to a running project, not to the Commission.
Typical ticket: €50,000–€150,000, lighter paperwork, 3–6 month sprints. You become a third party, not a beneficiary of the Union grant.
How: Watch Horizon and Digital Europe projects’ own websites, and the Portal’s cascade tags. Deadlines are project-set, not the work programme.
Live from the agencies
Calls and notices
CINEA, REA and EISMEA newsrooms. Filtered for calls and grants when the title says so. Confirm the deadline on the Portal.
REA · 14 Oct 2026, 13:58
Putting gender equality at the centre of EU researchREA · 14 Oct 2026, 13:57
Dos and don’ts when applying for Horizon Europe fundingREA · 14 Oct 2026, 13:55
Got a research question? Contact the RESREA · 14 Oct 2026, 13:39
Extra Horizon Europe funding to boost innovation and competitivenessEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:34
Intermediate-Level Webinar: Artificial Intelligence ActEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:29
Intermediate-Level Webinar: IP & Open ScienceEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:24
Webinar Cooperation with EPO: Protect Your IP in Medical Technology - Focus on Water Treatment TechnologiesEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:17
Webinar Cooperation with EIC: Managing Intellectual Assets Along the EIC Innovation JourneyEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:11
Annual IP Helpdesk Stakeholder Conference 2026: Empwering EU SMEs - IP & Innovation Instruments for Business in the EU and Global MarketsEISMEA · 27 Oct 2026, 14:09
EPO & EIC Cooperation: Licensing-Based Business ModelsREA · 13 Oct 2026, 10:33
Connect with us!CINEA · 2 Nov 2026, 15:47
Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership’s Fourth Joint Transnational Call | Deadline pre-proposal 16 November 2026
Grant
The Union pays a share of eligible costs. You apply on the Portal with a PIC. Most company files are co-funded, not 100%.
Cascade
A running project re-grants €50–150k to SMEs. Faster than leading Horizon. Search “FSTP” and the project’s own site.
Loan / guarantee
InvestEU sits behind a bank. There is no Brussels form for a working-capital line. Ask a promotional bank.
National Contact Points: find yours. Dates and budgets move; the Official Journal and the Portal win. This is a map, not an application.