Scaling Up Deep Tech Ecosystems

The main goal of this opportunity is to strengthen innovation ecosystems across the European Union and Associated Countries, with a special focus on the deep tech sector. It aims to help businesses scale and tackle key societal challenges such as green, digital, and social transitions. The initiative encourages cross-border collaboration, inclusiveness, and diversity among different innovation actors, such as inventors, startups, investors, and civil society. It also seeks to connect leading and emerging innovators, make use of pan-European research infrastructures, and create synergies with other funding sources to support breakthrough technologies.

• Projects must follow specific proposal page limits and layout requirements.
• Each project must include at least one ESFRI Landmark or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) as a beneficiary, or a legal entity hosting one of its nodes/components with proper cooperation documentation.
• At least 60% of the total eligible costs must be dedicated to providing grants to third parties, with a maximum of EUR 500,000 per third party.
• Projects should identify deep tech innovations with high breakthrough potential and assess their feasibility and scalability.
• They should cluster mature innovations for industrial implementation and provide grant funding to pilot projects in targeted technological areas.

Examples:

• A project that brings together a leading research infrastructure and startups to pilot a new green energy technology.
• An initiative that funds SMEs to develop digital tools for social inclusion, coordinated by a recognized European research consortium.
• A collaboration clustering advanced materials innovations for industrial use, with financial support distributed to promising pilot projects.

• Grants provided to third parties (at least 60% of total eligible costs)
• Costs related to identifying and assessing deep tech innovations
• Expenses for clustering and supporting mature innovations
• Funding for pilot projects in technological areas
• Administrative costs directly related to managing financial support to third parties
• Expenses for collaboration with research infrastructures
• Costs for activities promoting cross-border and inter-regional collaboration
• Communication and dissemination activities linked to the project

Restrictions: Grants to third parties are capped at EUR 500,000 per recipient. At least 60% of the total eligible costs must go to financial support for third parties.

• Budget for this Call: 5,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1
• Other financial details: Financial support must be given as grants, with a maximum of EUR 500,000 per third party. This is intended to foster collaborative innovation and technological partnerships. Additional financial conditions may apply.

• Proposals must include at least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as a beneficiary, or a legal entity hosting one of its nodes/components with a cooperation declaration.
• At least 60% of the proposed total eligible costs must be allocated to financial support to third parties.
• Financial support to third parties must be provided as grants, up to EUR 500,000 per recipient.
• Applicants must be located in the European Union
• Projects must focus on fostering innovation ecosystems, especially in deep tech sectors.
• Proposals should demonstrate plans for cross-border and inter-regional collaboration.
• Applicants should be ready to work with multiple partners from the quadruple helix (e.g., research, industry, startups, civil society).