EU SME Support hjälper innovativa, små och medelstora företag (SME) med internationella ambitioner att söka EU-finansiering. Kostnadsfri expertrådgivning och snabb respons.

Eurostars – for innovative SMEs

Within Eurostars, SMEs can apply for funding for the development of products, processes or services which are close to market introduction. Eurostars gives access to international knowledge, collaboration and the the possibility to test new markets.

Facts about Eurostars

• The program with the highest success rate, around 30%.
• Project scope: Similar to the EIC Accelerator, but with more focus upon collaboration and the possibility to work on projects at an earlier stage
• Project duration: Up to 3 years.
• Project partners: A minimum of 2 partners from at least 2 different Eureka countries. It has to be a well-balanced consortium. An individual partner or individual country cannot secure more than 75% of the budget. The project has to be managed by an SME and the other partners can be either SMEs, universities , large cooperations or research institutes. The funding is provided by national authorities (Vinnova in Sweden) so local rules and conditions apply.
• You can receive up to 50% of the costs as a SME
• Budget: A maximum of EUR 5M can be awarded for the project. The Swedish SME can apply for up to SEK 5M of the budget.
• Market introduction: The product, service or process should be able to be introduced to the market no later than 2 years after the end of the project. For pharmaceuticals and medical device, clinical trials should be started 2 years after the end of the project.
• Cut-offs per year: 2
• The application is submitted via Eurostar’s digital platform.
• Process: you will receive a decision regarding your application within 3.5 months and the money can be transferred within 7 months.

Local regulations from Vinnova

In addition to following Vinnova’s general terms and conditions for funding, the Swedish project parties must also fulfill the following term:

• Company must be registered as a Swedish limited company
• Companies must have a place of business in Sweden
• Activities in the project must be conducted at the Swedish operating site and the project costs must be borne by the operating site
• Companies must be registered for employer contribution
• Companies must have submitted at least 2 annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office
• The most recently registered annual report must show that net sales or equity correspond to at least half of the sum applied for.
• Records of non-payment and other remarks in financial information. If the company has a record of non-payment, debt balance to the Swedish Enforcement Authority, or other financial or legal remarks, we do not finance the company.

Vinnova only checks the most recently registered annual report when assessing national criteria.

The financial control of the projects begins immediately after closing.

It is not possible to update and supplement afterwards.

Innowide

• Include one local subcontractor in the target country.
• Open to all sectors; civil applications only.

• Grant: Up to €60,000 (covers up to 70% of costs; max budget ~€86,000).
• Duration: Up to 6 months.
• Payment: 70% upfront, 30% after final report.

Project Scope:

• Market feasibility studies including: technical, commercial, legal and socio-economic factors
• Prepare export-ready business case and market-entry strategy.

• Accelerate internationalization.
• Build partnerships in target markets.
• Reduce risk before full-scale entry.

EIC Accelerator Fast track (Euorstars)

• TRL 6–8: Up to €2.5 million lump-sum grant, covering 70% of eligible costs.
• TRL 9: Equity or quasi-equity investment between €0.5–10 million, acquiring up to 25% of voting shares.
• Blended finance (grant + equity) available for TRL 6–9.
• Project duration: max 24 months.

• Skip Step 1 of the standard EIC Accelerator application (Short Application).
• Greater chance to progress directly to Step 2 of EIC Accelerator.
• No-risk evaluation with expert feedback & pitch practice; no limit on rejected applications.

• Two-stage review: Eligibility check + evaluation by independent experts.
• Pitch to a panel of three experts before final decision.

Read more about EIC Accelerator here

EIC Pathfinder

Do you have a vision of a future technology with an amazing market that can make a difference in our lives? EIC Pathfinder is about tangible, new and ambitious science-to-technology breakthroughs with compelling long-term visions that have the potential to positively transform our economy and society. It is also about high risk/high profit, ambitious research methods and methodologies with the possibility of developing radical new technologies that can make a difference in our lives. 

EIC Pathfinder consists of two parts:

• EIC Pathfinder Open where all topics are welcome and
• EIC Pathfinder Challenges where solutions in specific topics can apply for grants.

EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026

Applications in the following areas are current for EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026:

• Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems
• Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
• DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems

Call Conditions

• Early stage (TRL 1-4), high-risk and cross-disciplinary projects to develop radical new technologies.
• Collaborative projects with a cross-disciplinary consortium consisting of minimum 3 partners from different countries for EIT Pathfinder Open & Challenges. Alternatively, a single entity or consortium consisting of minimum 2 partners can apply for EIT Pathfinder Challenges.
• Project Funding: maximum EUR 4 M. Funding covers 100% of the project costs.

Application process

• An application of up to 22pages (Open) or 30 pages (Challenges) shall be submitted. You will receive notification within 5 months after the cut-off.

A grant agreement must then be signed within 8 months after the cut-off.

EIC Pathfinder

EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges – for demand-driven deep tech innovations. 

The programme is a new pilot funding scheme with two stages, designed to support high-risk, demand-driven deep tech innovations with transformative potential, particularly in areas with strong research foundations but limited commercial uptake. The programme provides an initial phase to assess feasibility and prepare innovation pathways, followed by a second phase to further develop, validate, and test breakthrough solutions in real-world settings and with active involvement from stakeholders.

The programme welcomes applications only in the following areas during 2026:

• Accelerating Physical AI: Embodied Intelligence for the Next Frontier of AI-Powered Robotics
• Translating Disruptive New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) into Practice

Call Conditions

• Projects starting at TRL 4 to validate and benchmark potential solutions, with the potential to receive further funding to develop, validate and user test selected solutions and reach TRL 6/7.
• Stage 1 projects up to 9 months long, stage 2 projects up to 2.5 years long.
• Single entities (mono-beneficiaries) can apply to stage 1, single entities or small consortia (2-3 partners) can apply to stage 2.
• Commercial users, end-users and other stakeholders should be involved.
• Project Funding: maximum EUR 0.3M (stage 1) and 2.5 M (stage 2). Funding covers 100% of the project costs.

Application process

• An application of up to 11 pages (stage 1) or 22 pages (stage 2) shall be submitted. For stage 2 you will receive notification within 6 weeks after the call deadline.
• A grant agreement must then be signed within 5 months after the cut-off.

EIC Transition

EIC Transition – for early project results that can lead to ground-breaking innovations and new businesses. 

To apply for funds from EIC Transition, your company must own full rights to use project results from previous EIC Pathfinder, FET, ERC Proof of Concept, European Defence Fund (EDF), Horizon 2020/Societal challenges and Leadership in Industrial Technologies, Horizon Europe/Pillar 2 or Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures. Project results must be able to form the basis of ground-breaking innovations and new businesses. The new technology must also be ready for the next stage towards validation. Your team should be led by entrepreneurs who know how to develop the idea and increase its market readiness.

EIC Transition is an Open call where all fields of research are welcome.

To apply for funds from EIC Transition, your company must own full rights to use project results from previous EIC Pathfinder, FET or ERC Proof of Concept projects. Project results must be able to form the basis of ground-breaking innovations and new businesses. The new technology must also be ready for the next stage towards validation. Your team should be led by entrepreneurs who know how to develop the idea and increase its market readiness.

Call Conditions

• Projects based on project results from approved EU-programmes that start at TRL 4 (exceptionally TRL 3) and go up to TRL 5/6.
• A single SME or a small consortium (2-5 partners) can apply.
• Project Funding: the grant portion is up to approx. EUR 2.5 M. Funding covers 100% of the

Application process

• A digital application of up to 22 pages is submitted via the EIC portal. You will receive notification within 9 weeks after the cut-off date.
• If the application is accepted, you will be called for an interview about 11-13 weeks after the cut-off.
• Notification of the funding decision is sent within 4 weeks after interview. A grant agreement must then be signed within 6 months after the cut-off and the project is expected to start within 2 months after signing.

EIC Accelerator – For deeptech SMEs developing groundbreaking innovations

To apply for funding from the EIC Accelerator programme, your company should have a innovative, game changing product, service or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide, have the ambition and commitment to scale up, are looking for substantial funding, but the risks involved are too high for private investors alone to invest.

To qualify for the grant there should be some development left and completed TRL 5.  The company can apply for grants and/or investment, and the purpose of the grant is to bridge financing needs where the regular capital market considers the risk to be too high, thereby preparing the company to raise additional capital towards scale-up.

Scope

• Budget allocated annually for projects in all technology areas (Open) and in designated technology areas, known as ‘Challenges’.
• Funding can cover a wide range of activities, including development, testing, certification, pilot projects, preparation of commercialization, etc
• Project focus: Minimum TRL 6 at project start. Remaining technology development and market preparation activities. Prior to application, a ‘Freedom To Operate’ must be completed
• The company must have a capital plan and be able to meet the requirements for co-financing of the grant portion.
• 70% grant of max. 2.5 million euros (total project max. 3.6 million euros) and/or 1–10 million euros equity.
• The grant covers costs for activities in TRL 6-8 (paid as a lump sum, i.e. a fixed price per completed work package).
• Equity capital for activities/upscaling in TRL 9. EIC will meet 50% of equity required up to a 25% ownership share.

Application process

The application process is divided into three steps. A company can submit a maximum of three applications (across all application stages) until 2027.

Step 1: Short application

• Register using the form on the Funding & Tender portal.
• Applications can be submitted continuously throughout the year, i.e. there is no cut-off/fixed deadline. Applications received are evaluated on a monthly basis.
• Four international evaluators read the application, and at least three must say yes in order to proceed to step 2.
• Response to the application within 4–6 weeks

The application contains

• A short 12-page form  where you must summarise your proposal and respond to a set of questions on your innovation, your potential market and your team;
• A video of no more than 3 minutes in which the team pitches themselves, their company and their innovation. Check YouTube for inspiration.
• A pitch deck in PDF format, max. 10 slides.

Step 2: Full application

• After the Short Application (or plug-in application) has been approved, you will be granted to submit a Full application in the portal
• Fixed deadlines/cut-offs, every other month starting January
• The Full application is reviewed by an external technical expert who may contact the company to request a digital interview. Max three representatives.
• International evaluators receive the report form the external technical expert. All evaluators will read the application, and all must say yes in order to proceed to Step 3.
• Response to the application within 8-9 weeks

The application contains;

• full proposal consists of a 20 page form expanding on the short proposal template, pitch deck in PDF, implementation plan, financial information, Letters of Intent, FTO analysis & a 3 minutes video pitch.
• A pitch deck in PDF format with any number of slides. Important This pitch deck will be used when the company is invited to pitch and interview in Brussels, so it should be possible to present it in a maximum of 10 minutes.
• A video of no more than 3 minutes in which the team pitches themselves, their company and innovation, as well as the application, i.e. the need for funding from the EIC. This can be the same as in the Short Application. Check YouTube for inspiration.

Step 3: Pitch for jury and interview

• Once the Full Application has been approved, the company will receive an invitation to Brussels by email with a predetermined date for the interview.
• A pitch of no more than 10 minutes in front of an international jury of five people and a 35-minute interview, using the ‘Dragon’s Den’ model, will take place in Brussels.
• The decision will be announced 2-5 weeks after the interview.
• An advance payment of 30–50% of the grant will be paid within 4–8 weeks after the decision to approve the project

EIC Accelerator Challenges 2026

• Advanced materials for renewable energy and storage.
• Fusion technologies and key components for commercial fusion power plants. (notera att för denna Challenge accepteras ansökningar med lägre TRL, 4-6)
• Biotechnology for soil health regeneration.
• Strengthening the critical raw materials value chain.
• Deep tech for climate adaptation.

EIC Accelerator Fast Track (Eurostars)

Fast Track EIC Accelerator is open to Eurostars 3 alumni companies that have completed, or are within the last 6 months of, a Eurostars 3 project.
Companies must be legal entities in EU countries or Horizon Europe associated countries, including Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Read more here

More information

For complete information including designated ”Challenges” and dates for Full application and interview periods, visit the EIC homepage.

EIC STEP Equtiy

A new financing programme aimed at companies developing innovations in the EU’s designated strategic technology areas (STEP) with significant capital requirements and difficulty meeting these via the regular market.

• Maximum 499 employees
• Seeking equity capital of €10-30 million. WHEN APPLYING, THE COMPANY MUST HAVE A SINGLE QUALIFIED INVESTOR READY WITH 20%
• Developing innovations in designated areas – Advanced digitalisation and semiconductors, Energy technology, Biotechnology. For details see the Guidance Note on STEP
• Please note a company is not allowed to have concurrent applications to EIC Accelerator and EIC STEP Scale-up.

The application process consists of two steps

1. Registration of the application, which includes

• • Business plan, ownership structure and justification linked to STEP. (Max 50 pages)
  • Pitch deck (Max 15 pages)
  • Supporting documentation from a qualified investor (See EIC trusted investor network)
  • Ownership declaration

2. Interview in Brussels with 6 jury members

More information about the programme on the EIC website

EU Innovation Fund – for early projects with great opportunities

The EU Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programs for the demonstration of innovative technology that contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The fund aims to support projects that demonstrate highly innovative technologies, processes or products, which are sufficiently mature and which have a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is done by offering financial support that is tailored to the market needs and risk profiles of the eligible projects, while at the same time contributing to the possibility of attracting additional public and private funds.

In December 2025 the EU Innovation Fund opened a new call for proposals which closes in April 2026.

The Inovation Fund Call 2025 for Net Zero Technologies has following topics:

• General decarbonisation small-scale projects (for projects with CAPEX between 2 500 000 an 20 000 000 Euro.)
• General decarbonisation medium-scale projects (for projects with CAPEX between 20 000 000 and 100 000 000 Euro)
• General decarbonisation large-scale project (for projects with CAPEX over 100 000 000 Euro)
• Cleantech Manufacturing (for projects with CAPEX from2 500 000 Euro)
• Pilots (for projects with CAPEX from 2 500 000 Euro)

Projects must be implemented in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and must not have started at the time of application. Projects can receive cost coverage of up to 60% of their eligible CAPEX and OPEX. Up to 40% of the grant is paid at “financial close ” (FC), which refers to the pint in time when all financing agreements and permits have been signed and the requirements in them have been met. FC must be achieved not later than 4 years after signing the Grant Agreement. At least 60% of the grant is paid after FC matching to reported GHG emission avoidance during a monitoring period. The monitoring period is

• 5 years after entry into operation for large-, mid-scale and cleantech manufacturing projects
• 3 years after entry into operation for small-scale and pilot projects

The focus is on the following areas:

• Innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries
• Capture and use of carbon dioxide
• Construction and operation of carbon dioxide capture and storage
• Innovative production of renewable energy
• Energy storage
• Net-zero mobility and buildings

Selection criteria

• Degree of Innovation
• GHG Emissions avoidance
• Project maturity
• Cost efficiency
• Replicability

The detailed scoring and ranking method is stated in each application round.The EU authority CINEA Innovation Fund  is responsible for the fund’s calls.

Applications for the fund’s calls are made via the authority’s calls for proposals portal .

The responsible Swedish authority for information regarding the fund is  the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten).

Hydrogen Auction

In December 2025, the EU Innovation Fund opened its third hydrogen auction, which closed on 19 February 2026.

The hydrogen auction aims to support the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) hydrogen and/or electrolytic low-carbon hydrogen. A total of EUR 1.3 billion is available to project developers, and successful bidders may receive funding support in the form of a fixed premium per kilogram of hydrogen produced over a 10-year period. The bid ceiling price is EUR 4/kg of hydrogen, and projects must include an electrolyser with a minimum installed capacity of 5 MWe.

The auction is divided into three different themes:

1. RFNBO-GENERAL, which supports the production of RFNBO hydrogen from new or additional electrolysis capacity, with a budget of EUR 600 million;
2. RFNBOLOWCARB-GENERAL, which supports both RFNBO hydrogen and electrolytic low-carbon hydrogen, with a budget of EUR 400 million; and
3. RFNBOLOWCARB-MAR-AVI, targeting projects that commit to supplying at least 60% of their RFNBO hydrogen and/or electrolytic low-carbon hydrogen production to off-takers in the maritime or aviation sectors, with a budget of EUR 300 million.

In total, 58 applications were submitted from 11 countries, demonstrating continued strong interest in investments in hydrogen production in Europe. Nine projects in six European countries were selected for funding. The total support awarded amounts to approximately EUR 1.09 billion, compared with the original budget of EUR 1.3 billion.

More information on the hydrogen auction results 2025 is available here

Industrial process heat decarbonisation auction

In December 2025, the EU Innovation Fund opened a pilot auction for the decarbonisation of industrial process heat, which closed on 19 February 2026.

The pilot auction for industrial process heat aims to reduce emissions from industrial process heat by supporting innovative projects that use electrified or directly renewable solutions, such as solar thermal or geothermal heat. The auction is particularly relevant for industrial actors with high heat demand that wish to accelerate electrification and reduce their climate impact.

The support mechanism under the heat auction takes the form of a fixed premium in EUR per tonne of avoided CO₂ emissions. Applicants submit bids indicating the level of compensation required to implement their electrification projects, and selection is carried out through price-based ranking once the formal eligibility requirements have been met.

Projects requesting the lowest compensation per avoided tonne of CO₂ are awarded support until the available budget is exhausted. The support duration for awarded projects is 5 years, with a maximum amount per bid of EUR 100 million for medium-temperature heat projects and EUR 250 million for high-temperature heat projects.

The total budget for the heat auction under the 2025 call is EUR 1 billion, allocated across three categories:

1. medium-temperature heat (100–400 °C) for projects sized 3–5 MWth, with a budget of EUR 150 million;
2. medium-temperature heat (100–400 °C) for projects ≥ 5 MWth, with a budget of EUR 350 million; an
3. high-temperature heat (above 400 °C) for projects ≥ 3 MWth, with a budget of EUR 500 million.

The first pilot auction for industrial process heat decarbonisation resulted in 65 projects in ten European countries being selected to proceed to Grant Agreement Preparation. In total, 85 applications were submitted from 14 countries. Among these was one application from Sweden, but no Swedish project was among the selected projects.

More information on the heat auction results 2025 is available here.

NATO DIANA

Are you a Swedish-registered tech start-up with an innovation that can make a difference – both in civilian and defence applications?

Then NATO DIANA is something to take a closer look at.

What is it all about?

NATO Diana Accelerator is looking for companies with solutions to specific challenges, known as Challenges. The challenges have been identified by NATO member states. Companies that are accepted into the programme receive funding to further develop and test their solutions, as well as support and valuable networks to prepare for and sell to NATO member states.

If your company is selected, you will receive:

• €100,000 in funding in Phase 1 to further develop your solution within the framework of DIANA’s accelerator
• The opportunity for an additional €300,000 in Phase 2 to demonstrate and validate the technology and establish contacts with investors and future users

Who can apply?

The programme is aimed at commercial companies with:

• Headquarters in a NATO country
• A DUNS or UEI number
• At least TRL 4 (but lower TRLs may also be considered if the solution has strong dual-use potential)

How to proceed

1. Go to the  DIANA Challenges page and find the call for proposals that best matches your technology.
2. Prepare a short application, Short Proposal, of max. 5 pages + a ‘Quad Chart’.
3. Register your company and submit your application. A new application period is tentatively scheduled to open in July 2026.

Get Your DUNS number

To be able to apply for DIANA’s Challenge Call within dual use, you need a DUNS* number. Apply here

*DUNS number (short for Data Universal Numbering System) is a unique nine-digit identifier assigned to a business entity by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), a global business information provider.

· A unique numeric identifier that distinguishes a business globally.

· Created and maintained by Dun & Bradstreet since 1963.

· Used to identify companies in D&B’s business credit database.

Contact EU SME Support –
we will get in touch with you within 48 hours

Do you wish to get support regarding funding from EU through EIC Accelerator, Fast Track to Innovation or Eurostars? Have you application gotten rejected and want to enhance your application financing of EU projects or funding of other research and innovation projects? Welcome to contact us through the web form and you will get a reply within 48 hours.

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På uppdrag av Vinnova, Tillväxtverket och Energimyndigheten hjälper EU SME Support innovativa, små och medelstora företag (SME)
med internationella ambitioner att söka EU-finansiering. Kostnadsfri expertrådgivning och snabb respons.