European calls for cascade funding. June 2026

The most interesting calls for proposals selected in June.

AID4SME OC2

Description: This call for proposals aims to support SMEs and startups that are developing combined artificial intelligence and data solutions to address large-scale resource optimization challenges linked to the objectives of the Green Deal. The program focuses on four areas:

· AI and data solutions for data collection.

· AI and data solutions for knowledge generation.

· AI and data solutions to support decision-making.

· AI and data solutions for automation.

The call for proposals addresses 10 industrial challenges, including digital twins, automated warehouse management, electric vehicle battery disassembly, smart energy management, cobot-based assembly solutions, and augmented sensing. Selected projects will receive guidance, access to test environments at both low and high levels of technological readiness (TRL), testing facilities, and business support throughout a 14-month program.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: Startups, micro-enterprises, and SMEs. Applicants must be working on relevant AI/data technologies.

Applications may be submitted by a single eligible entity or by a consortium of up to two eligible applicants. The consortium must be led by an SME and/or a startup. Additional partners may participate without funding, including: industry organizations; system integrators/engineering services; research institutions; nonprofit organizations; and public research centers.

Maximum grant amount per proposal: Maximum funding per proposal: €200,000. Funding percentage: 70% of the project’s eligible costs. Total indicative budget for the call: €2.35 million.

Up to 12 projects will be funded. Only small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups are eligible for financial support!

Deadline: July 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CEST (Brussels time)

Website: https://aid4sme.eu/open-call-2-draft/

Innovation Grant for SMEs 2026–2029

Description: This call for proposals promotes collaboration and partnerships between SMEs and providers of research or production facilities. The goal is to accelerate the market introduction of innovations in the agri-food sector by providing access to research or production facilities in Gelderland and Utrecht. The grant supports the development (TRL 4–6) and demonstration (TRL 7–8) of innovative products. Alignment with at least one of the following innovation themes: Circular Agri-Food, Food and Health, or Protein Transition.

Eligibility Requirements and Consortia: SMEs

Maximum amount per proposal: Maximum of €50,000 per grant (maximum of €100,000 per applicant across multiple grants). Covers up to 50% of eligible costs, with mandatory 50% co-financing by the applicant.

Deadline: June 29. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Website: Innovation Voucher for SMEs - Foodvalley

RESIST II Open Call for Proposals on Process Innovation

Description: To support SMEs operating in the mobility, transportation, and automotive sectors in adopting or implementing significantly improved production or business processes that deliver greater digital and environmental performance. The call for proposals focuses on strengthening resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness through the adoption of advanced technologies, resource efficiency measures, and low-carbon processes. Projects must contribute to the transition toward greener and more digital industrial value chains.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: individual SMEs or consortia of 2 to 3 SMEs from different NUTS 2 regions.

Maximum amount per proposal: up to €20,000 for individual projects and up to €30,000 per SME in consortium projects, with funding covering up to 90% of the project’s eligible costs.

Deadline: July 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CET (Brussels time).

Website: Link

RESIST II OPEN CALL FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION

Description: To support European SMEs operating in the mobility, transportation, and automotive ecosystem in developing new or significantly improved products or services in terms of digital and environmental performance, thereby enabling them to achieve a higher level of resilience. Projects must contribute to areas of innovation related to net-zero emission technologies, critical raw materials, digitalization, and resilient mobility value chains. Projects are expected to improve environmental performance, reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency, and/or reduce dependence on critical raw materials.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: a single SME or consortia of 2–3 SMEs from different NUTS 2 regions.

Maximum grant amount per proposal: up to €20,000 for individual projects and up to €30,000 per SME in consortium projects, with a funding rate of up to 90% of the project’s eligible costs.

Deadline: July 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CET (Brussels time).

Website: Link

CIRCAT Call for Proposals No. 1 – Development of Penetration Testing Scenarios

Description: Selected grantees must develop test scenarios for networks, applications, virtualization, cloud computing, industrial control systems (ICS), and IoT within CIRCAT’s priority vertical sectors.

· Support for vulnerability testing: development and documentation of realistic penetration testing scenarios

· Support for threat and risk assessment: conducting customized risk scenario analyses

Priority is given to the following sectors: energy, healthcare, public administration, digital infrastructure, ICT service management (B2B), and financial market infrastructure.

Program duration: 6 months

Eligibility requirements and consortia: The call for proposals is open to national cybersecurity authorities (NCAs), national coordination centers, large industrial facilities, operators of essential services (OES), government entities, SMEs, mid-cap companies, large enterprises, research centers (including universities), and public bodies. Individual applicants.

Maximum amount per proposal: Up to €40,000 as a lump sum per selected proposal. Applicants must co-finance at least 50% of the total project costs.

Deadline: July 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Brussels time.

Website: https://circat.eu/open-calls/open-call-1/

COSMIC 2 Open Call – AI and Data Solutions to Drive the Green Transition

Description: COSMIC supports AI- and data-driven solutions that address energy resource optimization and the objectives of the Green Deal. The call for proposals focuses on areas such as carbon footprint integration, community engagement and reporting, the optimization of household appliances and smart meters, and assistance with waste sorting. Selected projects will develop, test, and validate innovative solutions through large-scale pilot projects across Europe.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: The call for proposals is open to individual SMEs, including startups. Consortia are not permitted, as only individual SMEs may submit applications.

Maximum amount per proposal: Up to €150,000 in lump-sum funding per project, covering up to 70% of the total project budget (up to 100% for eligible nonprofit organizations).

Deadline: July 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Brussels time.

Website: https://opportunities.getonepass.eu/open-opportunities/686f87567bcf24f83713fe64/cosmic-open-call-2

MANTRA –

Description: MANTRA is a Horizon Europe-funded project that supports manufacturing SMEs in their ecological and digital transition through financial assistance, mentoring, training, and access to a European innovation ecosystem. The open call is aimed at manufacturing SMEs operating in the following sectors:

Food and Beverages

• C10 - Food manufacturing

• C11 - Beverage manufacturing

Metals

• C24 - Manufacture of base metals

• C25 - Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment

Plastics

• C22 - Manufacture of rubber and plastic products

Ceramics

• C23 - Manufacture of other nonmetallic mineral products

Textiles, apparel, and leather

• C13 - Textile manufacturing

• C14 - Manufacture of clothing

• C15 - Manufacture of leather and related products

Eligibility requirements and consortia: The call for proposals is open to individual manufacturing SMEs, including startups. Consortia are not eligible, as only individual SMEs may submit applications.

Maximum amount per proposal: Up to €50,000 as a lump sum.

Deadline: From June 15 to September 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Brussels time.

Website: https://mantra-project.eu/community-platform-open-calls/traditional-smes-guidelines-for-applicants/

GUARDIANS' "Test Before Invest" Open Call

Description: To involve up to 9 farmers in the testing and validation of digital solutions developed through the GUARDIANS project and Open Call No. 1 – CO-CREATION. The initiative will create a structured environment to evaluate the performance, usability, and relevance of these technologies in real-world agricultural settings

Eligibility requirements and consortia: Small and medium-sized farms.

Maximum amount per proposal: €10,000

Deadline: July 1, 2026

Website: https://guardians-project.eu/call/open-call-2-test-before-invest/

MAT4EU - Open Call for Proposals: "Innovation in Advanced Materials"

Description: The open call is divided into two distinct categories:

• Line 1: Product innovations that support European self-reliance - Development and innovation, focused on supporting SMEs in the development, testing, and validation of innovative solutions in advanced materials.

• Line 2: Leading the green and digital transformation—Industrial Adoption, aimed at facilitating the adoption, scaling up, and integration of advanced materials solutions in industrial settings and value chains.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: SMEs

Maximum amount per proposal:

• Line 1: Minimum budget of €80,000 with a fixed grant of €60,000 per project, corresponding to a maximum funding of 75% of eligible costs.

• Line 2: minimum budget of €45,000 with a fixed grant of €33,750 per project, corresponding to a maximum funding of 75% of eligible costs.

Deadline: July 6, 2026

Website: https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/content/advanced-materials-innovation-open-call

TRAILS4SOIL

Description: Aimed at farms to participate as experimental sites within one of the Living Labs.

• LL1 – Southern Mediterranean Europe (Spain and Portugal) Sustainable permanent cropping system under Mediterranean climatic conditions

• LL2 – Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland) Approaches to regenerative agriculture in 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

Eligibility requirements and consortia: agricultural holdings located in one of the TRAILS4SOIL countries (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Moldova, Romania, or Ukraine).

Maximum amount per proposal: €5,000

Deadline: July 6, 2026

Website: https://trails4soil.eu/open-call/

Green Grid

Description: Innovative solutions that address one of the predefined challenges identified by industry partners in the areas of energy systems, grid flexibility, renewable energy integration, and digitalization. The goal is to foster collaboration between technology providers and challenge owners, enabling the validation and scaling of high-impact solutions in real-world industrial settings.

The selected SMEs will work directly with the organizations responsible for the challenges (such as TSOs, DSOs, industrial companies, or public entities) to demonstrate the viability, performance, and scalability of their solutions. The goal is to advance these technologies beyond the pilot phase toward actual market adoption and industrial deployment.

Eligibility requirements and consortia: SMEs

Maximum amount per proposal: €50,000

Deadline: July 7, 2026

Website: https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/content/scaling-green-innovation-industry-growth-box-call

LDT4SSC OC3

Description: Supports cities, regions, and public authorities across Europe in developing, connecting, and advancing local digital twins, enabling AI-driven decision-making for a greener and more inclusive future. Open Call 3 covers three lines of work: interconnecting existing local digital twins, creating new ones, and enhancing AI-based capabilities in the EU’s LDT toolkit.

Eligibility requirements and consortia:

• At least two local or regional authorities

• These authorities must be from at least two different eligible countries

• At least one additional partner (company, university, NGO, technology provider, etc.)

Maximum amount per proposal: €1,000,000 (50% funded)

Deadline: July 13, 2026

Website: https://ldt4ssc.eu/call-three/