Call for Participants : Fashion Adaptor Programme 2025

The Fashion Adaptor Programme 2025, organized by EIT Culture & Creativity, is aimed at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the fashion industry, focusing on transitioning to sustainable and circular business models. Applications opened on July 28, 2025, with a deadline set for August 29, 2025, at 18:00 Brussels time. The program will admit a maximum of 30 SMEs for a 10-week structured training initiative, which does not offer direct financial grants but provides non-monetary services, including coaching, mentoring, and access to a digital circular tool for impact assessment.

Eligible applicants include SMEs that meet the European Commission’s definition, which must have retail availability through stockists or direct-to-consumer channels and a sound financial plan for 2026/2027. The geographic eligibility extends to legal entities in EU Member States and third countries associated with Horizon Europe.

The program is structured around four core pillars: Capital, Quality, Globality, and Material Innovation. It entails practical frameworks, case studies, and interactive exercises designed to facilitate the transition from conventional production models to more resource-efficient operations. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises utilizing a digital tool that benchmarks their sustainability efforts and guides them in setting measurable improvement goals.

The application process consists of four stages: submission of an online application, admissibility and eligibility checks, evaluation based on defined criteria such as excellence, impact, and quality of implementation, leading to ranking and final selection. Each application is scored by independent experts, with a minimum threshold of 13 out of a maximum of 25 points required for consideration.

The program’s emphasis lies not only in equipping participants with strategies for circular transformation but also in fostering solid communication of impact, thus building trust with consumers and regulators. The selected SMEs will showcase their results in a Demo Day, further connecting with the broader EIT Culture & Creativity ecosystem.

The Call for Participants: Fashion Adaptor Programme 2025 is an initiative by EIT Culture & Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025, grant agreement number 101159520, under the topic HORIZON-EIT-2024-2025-KIC-CCSI - Culture and Creativity Business Plan 2024-2025. The opening date for submissions was July 28, 2025, and the deadline for applications is August 29, 2025, at 18:00 (Brussels time). This is a single-stage submission model. The expected duration of participation is 10 weeks of training. The total funding available is 0,00 €. The project acronym is EIT CC - BP2024-2025.

The SME Fashion Adaptor 2025 is a structured program built around four key pillars: Capital, Quality, Globality, and Material Innovation. It provides practical frameworks, case studies, and interactive exercises to guide fashion brands in transitioning from conventional production models and design processes to circular, resource-conscious operations. The program combines strategic mentoring and coaching, peer-to-peer collaborations, and the use of a digital circular tool, which is a central component. A maximum of 30 SMEs will be admitted in 2025 for the 10-week training program, followed by a Demo Day scheduled at a later stage.

Through hands-on exercises, selected participants will input their real data into the digital tool to visualize their impact and set measurable improvement goals. The tool will provide insightful benchmarks, industry comparisons, and scenario planning, helping brands understand how small shifts in production, material choices, and supply chain strategies can lead to significant change.

Upon completing the Fashion Adaptor 2025, participating SMEs will develop:

A clear strategy for circular transformation, respecting planetary boundaries, that covers:
Moving from a linear to a circular design process and business model.
A structured approach to minimizing waste and overproduction.
Tangible data-driven goals for recycled and regenerative materials and supply chain resilience.
A roadmap for transitioning toward long-lasting, repairable products.
The ability to communicate impact transparently, building trust with consumers and regulators.
Showcase their social impact and for just transformation along the fashion value chain.

By integrating sustainability into core business models, selected SMEs will establish measurable progress, ensuring that change is both actionable and scalable. This program offers a unique chance for SMEs to meet and learn from peers and discover the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership, unlocking future opportunities.

The submission process involves the following steps:

Step 1: Submission of the application. Applicants must submit their applications no later than August 29, 2025, at 18:00 CET. Applications must be submitted in English and include:
A completed online form through the designated platform provided by EIT CC.
All supporting documents and annexes.

Step 2: Admissibility and eligibility check. All applications will be checked to ensure they meet the following criteria:
All applicant organizations must be legal entities established in an EU Member State or a third country associated with Horizon Europe.
Applicant organizations must meet the company type criteria in compliance with the European Commission’s SME definition.
The company should be developing circular solutions that align with the challenges identified by EIT Culture & Creativity.
Financial and operational stage of development: Retail availability through stockists or DTC (Direct to Customer), with a sound financial plan for 2026/2027.
Number of participants per applicant: A maximum of 2 people per SME are invited to join the different coaching, mentoring, and peer-to-peer sessions.

Step 3: Evaluation process. Eligible proposals will be assessed by independent experts across three main criteria:
Excellence: The clarity, feasibility, and innovation of the business idea, and how well it responds to a market or sector-specific needs.
Impact: The expected contribution to the innovation ecosystem, market readiness, and alignment with EIT CC’s strategic objectives.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: The applicant’s ability to implement and scale the business, based on team structure, capabilities, and planning.

Each criterion is scored based on assessment sub-criteria, from 1 to 5 points, with a maximum total score of 25 points. Only whole points will be awarded (no fractional scores). The minimum threshold for an application to be considered for ranking is 13 out of 25 points. Each application is reviewed by two external experts and one internal expert from the EIT CC. The evaluation focuses on strategic alignment to the program's mission, business viability, and resilience transformation potential of the applicant SME.

Step 4: Ranking and final selection. Applications will be ranked in descending order according to their final score. The top-ranked applications will be selected until the maximum number of participants for this program is reached, i.e., 30 SMEs.

In summary, the Fashion Adaptor 2025 program is a 10-week training initiative designed to help SMEs in the fashion industry transition to more sustainable and circular business models. It focuses on capital, quality, globality, and material innovation, providing mentoring, coaching, peer collaboration, and a digital tool to visualize impact and set goals. The program aims to equip SMEs with a clear strategy for circular transformation, data-driven goals for sustainable materials, and the ability to communicate their impact transparently. The application process involves submitting an online form with supporting documents, meeting eligibility criteria related to the SME's location, size, and focus on circular solutions, and undergoing an evaluation based on excellence, impact, and quality of implementation. The top 30 SMEs will be selected to participate in the program.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise). The applicant organizations must meet the company type criteria in compliance with the European Commission’s SME definition.

Funding Type: The funding type appears to be non-monetary services. The total funding available is listed as 0,00 €, suggesting that the program provides training, coaching, mentoring, peer-to-peer collaboration, and access to a digital circular tool, rather than direct financial grants.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is designed for single applicants, specifically SMEs.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and third countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Target Sector: The target sector is fashion, with a focus on circular economy, sustainability, and resource-conscious operations. The program aims to guide fashion brands through the transition from conventional production models to circular ones, emphasizing material innovation.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is open to EU Member States and third countries associated with Horizon Europe. No specific countries are explicitly named, but the eligibility extends to the EU and associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage targets SMEs that already have retail availability through stockists or DTC (Direct to Customer) and a sound financial plan for 2026/2027. This suggests the program is aimed at companies in the development or validation stage, looking to integrate sustainability and circular economy principles into their existing business models.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is listed as 0,00 €, indicating that the program does not provide direct financial grants. Instead, it offers a 10-week training program, mentoring, coaching, peer-to-peer collaborations, and access to a digital circular tool.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The nature of support is non-monetary services. Selected SMEs will receive training, mentoring, coaching, peer-to-peer collaborations, and access to a digital circular tool.

Application Stages: The application process consists of four stages: 1. Submission of the application, 2. Admissibility and eligibility check, 3. Evaluation process, and 4. Ranking and final selection.

Success Rates: The program aims to admit a maximum of 30 SMEs in 2025. The success rate would depend on the number of applications received, but it is likely to be competitive, potentially falling into the 10 to 39% range or lower, depending on application volume and quality.

Co-funding Requirement: There is no explicit mention of a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The EIT Culture & Creativity's Fashion Adaptor Programme 2025 is a non-funding opportunity designed to support SMEs in the fashion industry to transition towards circular and sustainable business models. The program is open to SMEs based in EU Member States and third countries associated with Horizon Europe that are developing circular solutions and have retail availability through stockists or DTC (Direct to Customer), with a sound financial plan for 2026/2027. The selected SMEs, up to a maximum of 30, will participate in a 10-week training program focused on four key pillars: Capital, Quality, Globality, and Material Innovation. Participants will receive mentoring, coaching, peer-to-peer collaborations, and access to a digital circular tool to visualize their impact and set measurable improvement goals. The program aims to equip SMEs with a clear strategy for circular transformation, data-driven goals for recycled and regenerative materials, and the ability to communicate their impact transparently. The application process involves submitting an online form and supporting documents, followed by an eligibility check, evaluation by experts based on excellence, impact, and quality of implementation, and a final ranking to select the top 30 SMEs. While the program does not provide direct financial grants, it offers valuable non-monetary services to help SMEs integrate sustainability into their core business models and unlock future opportunities within the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership. The deadline for applications is August 29, 2025.