European Partnership on Innovative SMEs/Innowwide CALL 5

European Partnership on Innovative SMEs Innowwide CALL 5 offers a fixed grant of €60,000 per selected SME to run six-month market feasibility projects targeting non-European markets, with a total call budget of €4,200,000 to fund approximately 70 projects. Eligible lead applicants are legally established SMEs from EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom that have been active for at least two years and have not previously received Innowwide funding in 2022–2025. Each project must include an independent local subcontractor in the target country, have a minimum total eligible cost of €86,000 (implying at least €26,000 SME co-financing), and be exclusively for civil applications. Applications must be submitted in English via the Eureka SmartSimple platform by 01 December 2026 02:00 Brussels time and will be evaluated on excellence, impact and quality of implementation against set thresholds.

What it funds

Market feasibility projects for internationalisation

Grants of €60,000 are awarded to SMEs to run six-month market feasibility projects that assess the viability of innovative products or services in a chosen target country outside Europe. This call will fund around 70 projects with a total call budget of €4,200,000 ¹.

Who can apply:Legally established SMEs (EU recommendation 2003/361) based in EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. The SME must be at least 2 years old by 1 December 2024 and must not have received Innowwide funding in 2022–2025.

1. 1Project must include an independent local subcontractor in the target country (subcontracting costs > 0).
2. 2Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and last six months.
3. 3Minimum total eligible project cost: €86,000.
4. 4Complete application in English, including workplan and declarations, submitted via Eureka SmartSimple by an authorised representative.

Evaluation:two remote experts score proposals (excellence, impact, quality of implementation). Top ~105 proposals passing thresholds proceed to panel and ethics review; first 70 in ranking receive grant agreements. Submit via the Eureka SmartSimple platform.

Footnotes

1. 1Innowwide programme and application platform: Eureka Innowwide webpage and Innowwide application platform.

Key facts and administrative data

Basic call information

Call title:European Partnership on Innovative SMEs/Innowwide CALL 5. Opening date: 01 October 2026. Deadline (single-stage): 01 December 2026 02:00 Brussels time. Total budget available for this call: €4,200,000. Number of projects expected to be funded: 70. Grant agreement number for the underlying EU project (InnovativeSMEs): 101055476. Call identifier: HORIZON-EIE.

Call purpose:Innowwide funds market feasibility projects led by innovative SMEs to assess the viability of their research or commercial ambitions outside Europe. Grants support short market feasibility activities delivered in collaboration with an independent local counterpart in the chosen target country.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants, core project constraints and administrative requirements are stringent and must all be met for an application to be considered eligible.

1. 1Eligible applicant types: legally constituted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as defined by EU recommendation 2003/361. The call targets startups and SMEs; other organisation types are not eligible as applicants but entities in target countries can participate as subcontractors (see below).
2. 2Applicant location/geographic eligibility: SME must be established in one of the participating Innowwide countries: European Union Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom.
3. 3Minimum company age: Applicant SME must have been legally established for at least two years by the call deadline (established on or before 1 December 2024).
4. 4Prior Innowwide funding exclusion: The applicant must not have received Innowwide funding in previous calls (2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025).
5. 5Project duration and focus: Proposed market feasibility projects must last six months and have an exclusive focus on civil applications (no military/defence activities).
6. 6Mandatory local counterpart: The project must include an independent subcontractor (local counterpart) located in the target country chosen by the SME; subcontracting costs must be above zero.
7. 7Minimum eligible total project cost: €86,000.
8. 8Application language and completeness: Applications must be completed in English, contain the online application form, the annex workplan (using the provided template), and all required declarations including the main subcontractor commitment. The subcontractor must sign the commitment in the Eureka SmartSimple platform; an emailed acceptance is insufficient.
9. 9Integrity and financial standing: No participating organisation may have been convicted for fraud, financial irregularities, illegal or unethical practices, be bankrupt or undergoing bankruptcy procedures, or be classified as an undertaking in difficulty under Article 2(18) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014.

Financial and procedural characteristics

This is a cascade funding call under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs implemented via the Innowwide programme. Funding is provided as a direct grant to applicant SMEs to carry out market feasibility projects in collaboration with a local counterpart in a target country. The grant amount awarded to each successful SME is €60,000. The overall call budget (€4.2 million) will cover approximately 70 grants in this selection round. Applicants must submit a single-stage application through the Eureka SmartSimple online platform.

Funding type:Grant (cascade funding to SMEs). Each successful SME receives a fixed grant award of €60,000 to implement a six-month market feasibility project.

Submission, application format and templates

Applications must be prepared and submitted via the Eureka SmartSimple platform at eureka.smartsimple.ie. The applicant must be someone legally authorised to represent the SME. The application is entirely online, all fields are mandatory, and the platform allows saving drafts. The application must include the workplan annex submitted using the provided template and the declarations. After entering the project description, the SME invites its chosen subcontractor (main counterpart) to sign the commitment and declaration of honor within SmartSimple; the application remains incomplete until the counterpart signs in the platform. Each question has a maximum character limit; applicants must respect those limits.

1. 1Registration step: Register at eureka.smartsimple.ie and receive login details.
2. 2Complete the online application form in English; all fields mandatory; drafts can be saved.
3. 3Upload the workplan using the provided template (mandatory).
4. 4Invite the main subcontractor in the SmartSimple platform and obtain an on-platform signed commitment and declaration of honor from them.
5. 5Ensure total eligible project cost is at least €86,000 and that subcontracting costs are greater than zero.
6. 6Submit the completed application before the call deadline (01 December 2026 02:00 Brussels time).

Templates and application structure (what to expect):The application comprises a fixed online form with mandatory fields, a workplan annex to upload using the provided template, and declarations including the main subcontractor commitment. The online form enforces character limits per question. Applicants should prepare: company legal documents, a concise project description addressing excellence, impact and implementation, a cost breakdown demonstrating minimum eligible costs (>= €86,000), and the subcontractor commitment signed on-platform. Use of the Innowwide workplan template is mandatory.

Evaluation process, criteria and selection

Eligible and complete proposals enter a remote evaluation phase performed by two independent experts. One expert acts as rapporteur and drafts the consensus report. Evaluation follows the standard three criterion model: excellence, impact and quality and efficiency of implementation. Proposals are scored out of 100 and must meet minimum thresholds for each criterion to pass to ranking or further panel review.

1. 1Evaluation steps: two remote experts produce individual reports; rapporteur drafts a consensus report; if experts disagree the case is forwarded to the independent evaluation panel.
2. 2Evaluation criteria and thresholds: Excellence minimum 18 points; Impact minimum 24 points; Quality and efficiency of implementation minimum 18 points.
3. 3Scoring and progression: Top 105 proposals from remote evaluation that score above thresholds (1.5 times the target number of projects) progress to an independent evaluation panel and ethics review. Ties at rank 105 also progress.
4. 4Panel and ethics review: An independent evaluation panel produces a final ranking. An ethics panel reviews proposals that passed evaluation and discards those failing ethics requirements.
5. 5Result communication: Applicants will receive a single evaluation report with scores and qualitative feedback. Results intended to be communicated during the first trimester of 2027.
6. 6Grant award and reserve list: The first 70 successful SMEs in the ranking will be offered a Grant Agreement; if any decline or fail to sign, SMEs from the reserve list (in ranking order) will be offered contracts until budget exhaustion.

Selection statistics, success rate and co-funding

Call budget and the number of projects to be funded allow estimation of selection rates and co-funding requirements.

1. 1Grant size and arithmetic: €60,000 per SME. With €4,200,000 total budget, roughly 70 grants will be awarded (call states 70 projects).
2. 2Success rate: The exact success rate depends on the number of eligible applications received. The evaluation shortlist sent to panel comprises the top 105 proposals that passed thresholds. If 70 projects will be funded and 105 pass remote evaluation, the acceptance rate among those passing remote evaluation will be about 66% (70/105). The overall success rate from all submissions cannot be determined precisely from the provided data and depends on the total number of submitted applications.
3. 3Co-funding requirement: The call requires that the total eligible project cost is at least €86,000 and subcontracting costs are > 0. The grant awarded is €60,000, so the SME must demonstrate additional funding sources or in-kind contributions to cover the remainder of the project budget (minimum co-funding required is €26,000 to reach total eligible cost threshold). The call does not state whether the €60,000 is a contribution covering a fixed percentage of eligible costs or a lump-sum grant; operationally applicants should be prepared to co-finance the project costs beyond the €60,000 grant.

Target sectors, project stage and scope

Innowwide supports market feasibility activities across sectors; the programme is multi-sector and focuses on commercial and research-to-market viability in global target countries. Projects must focus on civil applications and are intended to move technologies or solutions towards market validation and commercialisation in a selected non-European market.

1. 1Target sectors: multi-topic; accepts proposals across technology and industry sectors where SMEs pursue international market feasibility (examples include health, ICT, cleantech, manufacturing, agriculture/food, advanced materials, biotech, energy, transport, digital solutions, and other civil sectors).
2. 2Project stage expected: development, validation and market feasibility; projects should be aimed at assessing market readiness, regulatory feasibility, local partner validation, pilot testing, business model adaptation or similar short-term feasibility tasks to inform international market entry.

Geographic scope and involvement of target countries

Applicant SMEs must be established in EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. The market feasibility activity must target a country outside Europe where the SME will work with an independent local counterpart. Entities in target countries (Africa, Americas, Asia or Oceania) can participate as subcontractors and benefit indirectly but are not eligible as lead applicants in this call.

Explicitly mentioned countries and regions:Eligible applicant countries: European Union Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom. Potential partner/target country regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Oceania (as target markets where local subcontractors may be based).

Application stages and timeline

This is a single-stage submission call. The evaluation process features multiple internal steps but applicants submit once and then proceed through evaluation stages.

1. 1Stage 1: Single-stage online submission via SmartSimple by 01 December 2026 02:00 (Brussels time).
2. 2Stage 2: Remote evaluation by two experts producing individual reports and a consensus report; threshold filters applied.
3. 3Stage 3: Independent evaluation panel and ethics review for the top proposals (approx. top 105 passing thresholds).
4. 4Stage 4: Final ranking, selection list and reserve list published; communication of results intended in first trimester 2027.
5. 5Stage 5: Grant Agreement issuance to the first 70 ranked SMEs and signature process; reserve list SMEs are offered contracts if initial awardees fail to sign.

Number of application/evaluation stages applicants must pass:Although submission is single-stage, applicants must pass through evaluation phases: remote evaluation, consensus, possible independent panel review and ethics review before award (effectively 4 major evaluation phases).

Additional operational details and contact resources

Applicants should consult the Innowwide webpages, resource library and the SmartSimple application platform for the workplan template, detailed guidance, and legal notices. Contact the Innowwide helpdesk for specific questions about eligibility or application procedures. The call is operated by the Eureka Secretariat implementing the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs (project acronym InnovativeSMEs).

1. 1Eureka Innowwide programme page: eurekanetwork.org
2. 2Innowwide resource library and templates: eurekanetwork.org
3. 3Innowwide application portal (SmartSimple): eureka.smartsimple.ie
4. 4Data privacy and legal information: eurekanetwork.org
5. 5Helpdesk contact: innowwide@eurekanetwork.org ¹

Precise answers to the required categorisation questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: SME (startups and small and medium-sized enterprises as defined by EU recommendation 2003/361) acting as the lead applicant. Local counterparts in target (non-European) countries may be subcontractors but are not eligible lead applicants in this call.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (cascade funding to SMEs; fixed award of €60,000 per successful market feasibility project).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single applicant SME is required as project coordinator; project must include an independent subcontractor (local counterpart) in the target country. Thus the lead is a single SME but collaboration with at least one subcontractor is mandatory.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible applicants must be established in EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. Target country partners may be in Africa, the Americas, Asia or Oceania.
5. 5Target Sector: Multi-topic; open to all civil sectors where SMEs pursue international market feasibility (examples include health, ICT, cleantech, manufacturing, agriculture/food, advanced materials, biotech/medtech, energy, transport, digital services, and other civil technologies/services).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: European Union Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom. Regions mentioned for target countries: Africa, Americas, Asia, Oceania.
7. 7Project Stage: Development, validation and market feasibility (market readiness/feasibility stage).
8. 8Funding Amount: €60,000 grant per selected SME project. Total call budget €4,200,000 funding approximately 70 projects.
9. 9Application Type: Open single-stage competitive call submitted via Eureka SmartSimple platform (online).
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary grant (financial support) to SMEs. Indirect benefits for subcontractors in target countries through paid subcontracting. No direct non-monetary service package is specified in the call text.
11. 11Application Stages: Although submission is single-stage, the evaluation and award process involves multiple evaluation steps: remote evaluation (two experts), consensus report, independent evaluation panel and ethics review, ranking and grant signature — effectively 4 to 5 internal stages.
12. 12Success Rates: The call will fund 70 projects out of the pool of eligible submissions. The remote evaluation shortlist comprises around 105 proposals passing thresholds; among those the success ratio to funded projects is approximately 70/105 = 66% assuming 105 pass. Absolute success rate from total submissions cannot be inferred from available data.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Yes. The grant is €60,000 while the minimum eligible project cost is €86,000, meaning the SME must provide or secure at least €26,000 additional funding (own funds and/or other sources or in-kind) to cover the total project budget. The call requires subcontracting costs > 0.

What applicants should prepare:company registration documents proving SME status and establishment date; a concise project description addressing excellence, expected impact and implementation plan; a cost breakdown justifying total eligible costs (>= €86,000) and subcontracting budget; the completed workplan using the provided template; the main subcontractor commitment signed on the SmartSimple platform; and contact details and legal representative details for submission.

Final summary — what this opportunity is about

The European Partnership on Innovative SMEs/Innowwide CALL 5 is a cascade funding open call targeted at innovative SMEs established in EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. It provides a fixed grant of €60,000 to each selected SME to carry out a six-month market feasibility project in collaboration with an independent local counterpart in a non-European target market. The programme aims to help SMEs assess technical, regulatory, commercial and partnership feasibility for international market entry. Applications are submitted via the Eureka SmartSimple platform in English, must include a mandatory workplan template and an on-platform signed commitment from the local subcontractor, and must demonstrate a minimum total eligible budget of €86,000. Proposals are evaluated remotely by two experts against excellence, impact and implementation criteria with set thresholds; the top proposals progress to an independent evaluation panel and ethics review. Approximately 70 projects will be funded from a total call budget of €4.2 million. Applicants should ensure compliance with eligibility, prepare co-funding to cover costs beyond the €60,000 grant, and consult the Innowwide resources and helpdesk for templates and guidance ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Innowwide helpdesk and resources: Innowwide webpage and library (eurekanetwork.org and eurekanetwork.org) and SmartSimple portal (eureka.smartsimple.ie). For direct enquiries contact innowwide@eurekanetwork.org.

European Partnership on Innovative SMEs Innowwide CALL 5 is a forthcoming single stage cascade funding call that supports innovative SMEs to test the feasibility of their solutions in international markets outside Europe through six month market feasibility projects with a local counterpart.[2][4][6][7]

Funding and budget

Funding purpose:The grant supports market feasibility work that helps an SME assess the commercial or research viability of its innovation in a chosen target country, with the foreign partner involved as an independent subcontractor.[2][4][6][7]

Who can apply

The call is open to legally constituted SMEs established in an eligible participating country, and the company must have been legally established for at least two years by the deadline, meaning on or before 1 December 2024.[2][4][6][7]

• Eligible applicant countries are EU Member States, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.[2][4][7]
• The applicant must not have received funding under a previous Innowwide call in 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025.[4][6]
• The project must include an independent subcontractor or local counterpart in the target country.[4][6]
• The project must have an exclusive civil application focus and cannot be military or security oriented.[4][6]
• The applicant and participating organisations must not be bankrupt, in insolvency proceedings, convicted for fraudulent behaviour or other serious irregularities, or be undertaking in difficulty under the EU state aid definition.[4][6]
• The application must be complete, written in English, and include the application form, the workplan annex in the required template, declarations and the main subcontractor commitment.[4][6]
• The subcontracting cost must be greater than zero and the project must include a combination of eligible activities.[4][6]

What the projects are meant to do

Innowwide funds bottom up feasibility projects rather than thematic R and D projects, so applicants choose the market and topic themselves, provided the work is aimed at assessing the viability of an innovation for a foreign market and remains strictly civil.[4][6][7][10]

The target country should be outside Europe and may be in Africa, the Americas, Asia or Oceania.[1][4][7]

Submission requirements

Applications must be completed and submitted on the Eureka SmartSimple platform by someone legally authorised to represent the SME in an eligible country, and the application is not complete until the local counterpart has accepted the commitment inside the platform.[4][6]

1. 1Register on the SmartSimple platform and log in with the credentials provided by email.[4][6]
2. 2Complete the application form in English and save drafts as needed.[4][6]
3. 3Invite the counterpart to sign the commitment and declaration of honour inside the platform, since email acceptance alone is not sufficient.[4][6]
4. 4Upload the required workplan using the official template.[4][6]
5. 5Submit the completed application electronically before the deadline.[4][6]

Evaluation and award process

Eligible applications are assessed by two remote experts against excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation, with scores given out of 100 and threshold scores that must be met in each criterion.[4][6]

Evaluation results are intended to be communicated during the first trimester of 2027.[4][6]

Practical applicant takeaways

• This is a competitive but well defined opportunity for SMEs planning market validation rather than full scale market entry.[4][6][7]
• The fixed grant means project budgets must be structured to reach the minimum eligible cost level and cover the balance with company contribution and any in kind planning outside the grant.[4][6]
• A strong application should clearly explain the innovation, the market need, the role of the target country counterpart, and why the six month feasibility work can reduce market entry risk.[4][6]
• Only civil projects with proper counterpart commitment and complete documentation should be submitted, because incompleteness or missing counterpart approval makes the application ineligible.[4][6]

Further information and support are available through the Innowwide programme pages and the helpdesk contact innowwide@eurekanetwork.org.[4][6]