AMALTEA 2nd Open Call - Call for SMEs & Start-ups: Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Construction

AMALTEA 2nd Open Call (Horizon Europe cascade funding) invites individual SMEs and start-ups established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries to develop, test and validate innovative software or hardware solutions for smart façade applications with interoperability to the AMALTEA digital tools. The call has a total budget of €2.5 million to fund up to 16 projects with lump-sum awards of up to €100,000 for software (9-month support) and up to €200,000 for hardware (12-month support), and requires proposals to start at TRL ≥3 and target TRL ≥6 with real-world pilot validation. Single-stage applications must be submitted via the AMALTEA portal with a deadline of 27 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, and selected beneficiaries will join a structured technical and business support programme and pilot deployments across Europe.

What it funds

Scope

Cascade lump-sum grants to develop, test and validate software and hardware solutions for building façades that leverage AI, digital twins and robotics; projects must target TRL ≥3 and aim to reach TRL 6+ with real-world pilot validation.

Applicants must pick a single innovation challenge and show feasibility to develop and pilot the solution within the support period; selected projects will join technical and business mentoring and be validated in large-scale pilots across Europe.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call conditions, eligibility rules and lump-sum model details are in the Open Call Package of Documents available at the AMALTEA call page Open Call - Amaltea Project.

Opportunity Snapshot

Key facts

Who can apply and eligible applicant types

Funding modality and award details

Call structure, scope and technical priorities

AMALTEA Digital Tools (mandatory interoperability expectation)

All applicant solutions must interface with, enhance or complement one or more of the AMALTEA modular Digital Tools (DTs) via standardized APIs and data models. The Digital Tools described in the call materials include:

Pilots, geographic testing and real-world validation

Selected solutions will be tested and validated in four large-scale Pilots across Europe. The pilots cover different lifecycle phases and geographies to demonstrate feasibility and scalability and to provide feedback loops with end users. Pilot descriptions include:

Innovation challenges (select one challenge per proposal)

For the Second Open Call the organisers define specific innovation challenges. Applicants must choose and address one challenge per proposal and demonstrate technical feasibility, TRL progression, and the ability to validate in a Pilot.

Project maturity and technical expectations

Application and selection process

After selection, beneficiaries will undergo a final eligibility check and sign a Sub-grant Agreement before joining the support programme.

Evaluation criteria and deliverables (summary)

Full evaluation criteria, scoring, and challenge-specific deliverables will be published in the Package of Documents available at launch. Applicants should expect evaluation to consider: technical excellence and TRL progression, feasibility of integration with AMALTEA Digital Tools and pilots, quality of the implementation plan and timeline relative to the 9- or 12-month support period, expected impact on façade value chain and Green Deal objectives, and robustness of business/market plan and exploitation potential.

Eligibility geography and beneficiary scope

Consortium requirement

Co-funding, eligible costs and financial obligations

Application templates and structure

Applicants should prepare to attach supporting documentation such as legal registration, financial statements, and pilot partner letters. The precise template fields and file formats will be in the official call documentation published at launch 1.

Application stages and timelines

Success rates and expected number of beneficiaries

Target sectors and technologies

What applicants must demonstrate

Deliverables and support offered to beneficiaries

In addition to the financial award, beneficiaries will join a Support Programme that includes technical mentoring, business development support, access to AMALTEA ecosystem partners (industrial leaders, research institutes), integration support with AMALTEA Digital Tools and access to pilot infrastructures for testing and validation.

Mentioned countries and pilot locations

Summary of structured information (question-style answers)

Footnotes

1. 1The Package of Documents (application templates, challenge detailed descriptions, evaluation criteria and legal/sub-granting documentation) will be published on the AMALTEA open call page and submission portal at launch: opportunities.getonepass.eu and amaltea-project.eu.

Opportunity overview

AMALTEA is a Horizon Europe cascade funding opportunity supporting individual small and medium-sized enterprises, including start-ups, that develop, test and validate innovative software or hardware for smart façade applications. The call is designed to modernise the façade value chain through artificial intelligence, digital twins, data interoperability, robotics, advanced sensing and lifecycle optimisation, while improving sustainability, safety, efficiency, quality and resource use in construction 1.

The support is delivered through a fixed lump sum and a structured support programme. Selected projects are expected to develop their solution, integrate it with the AMALTEA ecosystem, and demonstrate it in industrial or construction pilots across Europe.

Key opportunity facts

Who can apply

The call is aimed at individual SMEs and start-ups developing digital, software, hardware, robotics, sensor or related technology solutions for the construction sector. Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country, according to the dedicated AMALTEA call information 3.

The available information describes individual applications rather than consortium applications. A proposal should therefore be submitted by one eligible applicant and should clearly identify the applicant's own technical capability, commercial position, development team, pilot contribution and responsibility for delivery.

The call information also states that non-profit legal entities may be funded at up to 100% of eligible costs. However, the principal target group is individual SMEs and start-ups, and the final Package of Documents should be checked for the precise legal status conditions, SME definition, exclusions and any rules applying to non-profit applicants.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate that they are legally established in an eligible country, have the capacity to carry out the work within the relevant support period, can provide any required co-financing, and can comply with the sub-grant agreement and final eligibility verification.

What the funding supports

Projects must address innovative solutions for façade applications and contribute to the AMALTEA objective of integrating artificial intelligence, data and robotics into construction. Solutions should be capable of being developed, integrated and validated in a real industrial or construction context rather than remaining at a purely conceptual or laboratory stage.

The AMALTEA technical environment includes a modular set of digital tools covering design, simulation, digital twins, manufacturing, robotic installation, control, sensing, quality management, disassembly and recycling. Applicant solutions are expected to interface with, enhance or complement one or more of these tools through standardised application programming interfaces and data models 4.

Indicative technical areas include the following:

Innovation challenges

Each proposal is expected to select one innovation challenge and explain how the proposed solution addresses that challenge, integrates with the AMALTEA environment, and can be validated through an appropriate pilot.

Technology readiness and validation requirements

The project information indicates that solutions should start at technology readiness level 3 or higher and reach technology readiness level 6 or higher during the support period. Applicants should explain the starting technology readiness level, the development steps required, the evidence supporting the starting level and the tests that will demonstrate the target level.

Projects should be feasible within 9 months for software solutions or 12 months for hardware solutions. The work plan should therefore focus on a clearly bounded product or component, measurable development objectives, integration activities, pilot preparation, testing, validation and exploitation.

Real-world testing and validation in an AMALTEA pilot is a central requirement. Proposals should identify the relevant pilot context, the users or industrial partners involved, the data and infrastructure required, the expected performance indicators and the route from prototype validation to market deployment.

Funding and financial conditions

The award is described as a fixed lump sum. The maximum award is therefore not necessarily the amount requested by every applicant, and applicants should align the requested lump sum with the scope, outputs, milestones and cost assumptions permitted by the final call documents.

For an SME receiving support at a rate of up to 70%, a €100,000 award would normally correspond to eligible costs of approximately €142,857 if the full award is requested and the funding rate is applied at the maximum level. A €200,000 award would correspond to eligible costs of approximately €285,714. These figures are planning illustrations only and do not replace the financial rules in the Package of Documents.

The total budget of €2.5 million is not sufficient to award the hardware maximum to all 16 projects. Applicants should therefore not assume that every selected project will receive the maximum amount or that the budget will be divided equally between software and hardware projects.

Support programme and non-financial benefits

Selected beneficiaries are expected to join a 9 month software or 12 month hardware support programme. The programme includes technical mentoring, business support, access to the AMALTEA ecosystem and opportunities to test and validate solutions in large-scale industrial or construction pilots 1.

Pilot and ecosystem relevance

The AMALTEA project is structured around large-scale pilot environments covering design, manufacturing, installation, dismantling and recycling. The available information identifies a design and lifecycle optimisation pilot, a façade manufacturing pilot in Budapest, and real-world demonstration building pilots in Southern and Central Europe.

Applicants should show a credible route to pilot implementation. This should include the specific use case, integration interfaces, hardware or software dependencies, site or laboratory requirements, access to relevant data, health and safety considerations, user involvement, and measurable validation results.

Selection process

The stated selection process consists of five stages followed by a final eligibility check and sub-grant agreement.

The process means that technical quality alone will not be sufficient. Applicants must first satisfy formal submission and scope requirements, then provide a proposal that can be assessed consistently by external evaluators and defended during the consensus and jury stages.

Likely evaluation priorities

The final evaluation criteria should be taken from the published Package of Documents. Based on the stated objectives and requirements, a competitive proposal should address the following priorities:

Conditions and obligations applicants should anticipate

The exact rules on intellectual property ownership, access rights, background information, open source components, data use, confidentiality, payment timing, reporting, audit rights, eligible costs and treatment of unsuccessful or incomplete milestones should be confirmed in the Package of Documents and Sub-grant Agreement before submission.

Application route

The dedicated application route identified in the call information is AMALTEA application platform. Applicants should use the dedicated platform unless the final call documents direct them to another submission system.

For clarification, the published contact address is helpdesk.amaltea@fundingbox.com. Applicants should retain evidence of submission, including the final submitted version, confirmation receipt, timestamp and any declarations or annexes uploaded.

Recommended application strategy

Overall assessment

This is a highly targeted technology validation opportunity rather than a general business development grant. It is most suitable for an SME or start-up with an existing technology demonstrator, a clear façade or construction use case, sufficient capacity to reach pilot validation quickly, and a credible plan to integrate with an external digital and industrial ecosystem.

The strongest applications are likely to combine technical maturity, interoperability, pilot readiness, measurable sustainability impact and commercial scalability. Applicants at an early idea stage, applicants unable to demonstrate technology readiness level 3, or proposals without a realistic pilot and integration pathway are likely to be poorly positioned.

The maximum support is attractive, but the funding rate means an SME may need to contribute the remaining eligible costs. The fixed lump-sum structure also makes a precise, deliverable-led work plan essential. Final eligibility, evaluation criteria, payment arrangements and detailed challenge descriptions must be verified against the official Package of Documents when released.

Sources and verification notes

The official EU Funding and Tenders Portal identifies the call as a forthcoming single-stage cascade funding opportunity with a €2.5 million total budget, a 27 January 2027 deadline at 17:00 Brussels time, and participation durations of 9 months for software and 12 months for hardware. The dedicated AMALTEA page provides the detailed technology scope, applicant profile, challenge structure and support programme information 2.

The project webpage and application page should be treated as complementary sources for operational details, while the final Package of Documents and Sub-grant Agreement remain controlling for eligibility, evaluation, financial and contractual requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1AMALTEA dedicated application page, including applicant profile, scope, maximum awards, support programme and deadline: AMALTEA 2nd Open Call.
2. 2Official EU Funding and Tenders Portal call record: AMALTEA call record. The portal information states 4 November 2026 as the opening date, while the project webpage information refers to 4 December 2026. The final call package should be used to resolve this discrepancy.
3. 3AMALTEA application information states that the call is open to individual SMEs and start-ups established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
4. 4AMALTEA project call information states that applicant solutions must interface with, enhance or complement one or more AMALTEA digital tools through standardised application programming interfaces and data models.