Guide · EU funding for start-ups and SMEs

Open calls by EU-funded projects: funding you apply for outside the EU portal

Many EU research and innovation projects pass part of their budget on to start-ups, SMEs and other third parties through their own open calls. These calls are listed on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, but you apply to the project, not to the European Commission. Right now 57 such calls are open; 15 of them state how much one applicant can receive.

How these calls differ from a Horizon Europe topic

Who runs the call

A consortium that already holds an EU grant, for example an EIT community or a Horizon Europe project. It selects the winners under its own call guidelines.

Where you apply

On the project’s own platform or form, named in the call text. A PIC and the portal’s Part A/Part B forms are not needed unless the call says so.

Who can apply

Set by each call: often single start-ups, SMEs or founder teams, sometimes researchers or public bodies. Read “Who can apply” on each call page; we quote the call text or say when it is not stated.

How much

Usually a fixed or capped amount per applicant (financial support to third parties), often tied to mentoring, pilots or acceleration. The table shows the per-applicant figure where the call states one, separately from the call’s total budget.

Deadlines

Often short windows, with times in the project’s own time zone. Check the call page for the exact cut-off.

Open calls right now

From the EU Funding & Tenders Portal list of calls by EU-funded projects, refreshed daily (last update 15 Nov 2026). Amounts are read from each call’s own text; “not stated” means the summary gives no per-applicant figure.

Before you apply: a five-minute check

1. Open the call page and confirm the applicant type (start-up, SME, founder team, researcher) and where you must be established.
2. Check whether you must already be a registered company. Some calls, such as Spark, require that you are not yet incorporated.
3. Note the per-applicant amount and whether it is a lump sum or paid on actual costs.
4. Find the application platform named in the call and create the account early.
5. Put the deadline and its time zone in your calendar; late submissions are usually not accepted.

See all open EU calls

Sources: EU Funding & Tenders Portal (calls for proposals by EU-funded projects) and each call’s own page. GrantRover is an independent directory; the call documents always take precedence.