European Calls for Cascading Funding. August 2026
European calls for proposals for cascade funding of interest to startups in August 2026.
The most interesting calls for proposals selected in August.
FS4Africa Open Call 2
Description: To provide financial support to third parties (innovation hubs) to train use-case partners and beneficiaries of the open call through mentoring and the acceleration of innovative business concepts—including social innovation and scaling up—targeted at entrepreneurs and startups in the African or European food sector. The proposal must present and implement a structured program consisting of at least six (6) training and mentoring activities during the implementation period.
Eligibility Requirements and Consortia: Legal entities. Individual applications.
Maximum amount requested per proposal: up to 40,000 euros per third party
Deadline: August 31, 2026
Website: https://foodsafety4africa.eu/open-call/#oc-kit
TRAILS4SOIL-MRV
Description: Select suppliers of innovative technologies that offer advanced solutions for measuring and monitoring soil health indicators at the experimental sites of the project’s five “Living Labs”:
- LL1 – Southern Mediterranean Europe (Spain and Portugal): a sustainable system of permanent crops under Mediterranean climatic conditions
- LL2 – Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland): Regenerative agriculture approaches focused on organic farming systems
- LL3 – Germany ( National Living Lab): Improving Soil Health in the Face of Climate Change
- LL4 – Continental Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Ukraine): Innovative Solutions for the Conservation of Black Soils
- LL5 – Slovenia ( National Living Lab): Conservation agriculture integrating crops and livestock to improve soil health
Participation Requirements and Consortia:
- Private technology providers that offer innovative solutions for monitoring soil health.
- Technology companies specializing in the measurement of environmental indicators, capable of tailoring their solutions to the specific needs of Living Labs' experimental facilities.
- Partner organizations that submit proposals aligned with the objectives of TRAILS4SOIL and offer viable and effective technologies for soil monitoring.
Maximum amount per proposal: 50,000 €
Deadline: August 31, 2026
Website: https://trails4soil.eu/open-MRV-call/
SMART ERA 2nd Open Call for Followers and Micro-Pilots
Description: SMART ERA aims to revitalize rural areas by offering Smart Innovation Packages (SIPs) to combat depopulation and address socioeconomic and environmental challenges. The call for proposals aims to transfer the project’s results, methodologies, and validation strategies to four new “follower regions,” involving new local communities and demonstrating the replicability and potential impact of the project’s approach. Specifically:
- Identification of the main gaps and needs in the area of rural innovation in the region.
- Joint design of new SIPs based on the SMART ERA suite of innovative solutions. The new Smart Innovation Package (SIP) must include, at a minimum: a technological solution (provided by the technology provider); a non-technological component; a regulatory component; and a business component.
- Implementation of innovative solutions—social, technological, and business—to promote smart development in the region.
Eligibility requirements and consortia:
1. Consortia consisting of two entities:
- A “community facilitator”: any type of entity, such as local government agencies, universities, NGOs, or associations with strong ties to the local community in one of the following regions.
- A “pilot coordinator”: an SME or technical provider responsible for the technical execution and implementation of the SIP. The participation of a technology provider is mandatory.
2. Individual applicants may be accepted, provided they are a single legal entity (for example, an SME, a supplier, or a technology developer) capable of effectively fulfilling both the role of “community facilitator” and that of “pilot coordinator.”
Maximum amount per proposal: up to €90,000 per consortium (up to €60,000 per individual beneficiary)
Deadline: September 15, 2026
Website: https://smartera-project.eu/open-calls/
PowerUp NetZeroOPEN CALL FOR INNOVATION PROJECTS
Description: Helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt or improve net-zero emission technologies and solutions (solar energy, batteries and energy storage, hydrogen technologies, sustainable biogas and biomethane, and carbon capture and storage (CCS)) in their processes, products, or services. The call for innovation projects is aimed at companies that collaborate to implement:
- Proof-of-concept (PoC) tests or trials of new or improved environmentally friendly products;
- Net-zero emissions solutions and services;
- Pilot or demonstration projects.
Eligibility Requirements and Consortia: Consortia must consist of at least 2 SMEs or startups and no more than 3 SMEs.
Maximum amount that can be requested per proposal: between 80,000.00 and 120,000.00 euros.
Deadline: September 15, 2026
Website: https://piemonteinnova.it/second-powerup-netzero-open-call-innovation-projects/
FutureProofTextiles
Description: The program aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the textile sector accelerate their transition toward a more sustainable and competitive future. The call for proposals will focus on supporting companies that undertake green transition initiatives, providing them with financial and strategic assistance so that SMEs can implement innovative sustainability solutions.
Eligibility Requirements and Consortia: SMEs in the Textile Sector
Maximum amount that can be requested per proposal: 50,000.00 EUR
Deadline: September 18, 2026
Interregional Hydrogen Mobility Initiative for Europe (IH-MIE)
Description: The program will support up to 30 innovation projects led by SMEs aimed at strengthening the hydrogen mobility value chain in Europe. The selected SMEs will benefit from a dedicated support program that combines financial assistance, mentoring, training, and technical assistance to validate, integrate, and scale up hydrogen mobility solutions over the course of a 12-month program, advancing the technologies from TRL 6 to TRL 9.
The call for proposals follows a bottom-up and technology-neutral approach, and focuses on six strategic challenges that address the main obstacles to deployment across the entire hydrogen mobility ecosystem: (1) reducing the cost of fuel cells, (2) refueling infrastructure, (3) hydrogen storage and (4) distribution, (5) supply chain and logistics, and (6) integration with other mobility solutions.
Eligibility Requirements and Consortia: A single SME or a team of SMEs, with a maximum of three SMEs per team.
Maximum amount requested per proposal: 50,000 €
Deadline: September 25, 2026
Website: https://ihmie.submit.com/show/1
