Inclusive Incubation and Finance for More Entrepreneurs

Inclusive Incubation and Finance for More Entrepreneurs ESF-2026-SE is an ESF+ EaSI call funding transnational consortia to develop and test inclusive incubation and finance solutions for under-represented entrepreneurs, with an indicative total budget of €1,500,000 expected to fund two projects of about €750,000 each. Applicants must be legal entities in eligible countries and form consortia led by a network of incubators, microfinance providers or finance-for-social-enterprise networks, with the consortium established across at least 14 eligible countries. The call opened 28 May 2026, closes 2 September 2026 at 17:00 CET, funds up to 80% of eligible costs for projects of 18–24 months, and requires electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Call at a glance

What is funded

Grants to develop and test inclusive incubation and financing solutions that enable people from under-represented groups to start, sustain and scale businesses. Activities include tailored incubation/acceleration, mentoring, access-to-finance pilots (microfinance, social investment, blended finance), integrated support pathways, ecosystem cooperation, digital tools, and evaluation for transferability.

Available budget and typical award:Total estimated call budget €1,500,000; expected to fund 2 projects (around €750,000 per project). Funding rate typically 80% of eligible costs ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: consortia led by a network of incubators, a network of microfinance providers or a network providing finance for social enterprises.
2. 2Consortium composition: must include at least one incubator network and one finance-provider network; consortium (lead + partners) must be established in at least 14 eligible countries.
3. 3Eligible countries: EU Member States (and OCTs), EEA countries, and certain non-EU countries listed in the call document; consult call for exact list.

Projects must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the standard ESF/SOCPL application templates. Applications must include Part A, Part B and required annexes; Part B is limited to the page limit set in the call document.

Key eligibility & assessment points:Lead applicant types, transnational coverage (minimum 14 eligible countries via members), clear links between incubation and finance, demonstrable operational capacity, and strong evaluation/transfer plans are essential. Award criteria: Relevance (40), Quality (40), Impact (20). Minimum overall pass score 60/100.

Submission will follow a single-stage procedure. Info session (recorded) was held and registration details and call updates are on the topic page. Apply via the Portal entry point for ESF-2026-SE.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and full details: Inclusive Incubation and Finance for More Entrepreneurs ESF-2026-SE — call fiche and documentation available on the Portal Call document

Call snapshot and purpose

Call for proposals launched under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) — Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand. The call aims to promote inclusive entrepreneurship across the European Union by funding incubation models and financing solutions that enable people from under-represented groups to start, sustain and scale viable businesses. Projects should develop and test adapted incubation approaches, link incubation with financing organisations (e.g. microfinance, social investors), strengthen entrepreneurial skills and foster ecosystem cooperation. Expected long-term results include more inclusive labour markets, jobs, stronger social economy ecosystems and reduced inequalities in access to entrepreneurship opportunities.

Call Identifier and Links:ESF-2026-SE. Topic page and call document available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call Topic ¹

Important dates and budget

Opening date:28 May 2026. Deadline for submission: 2 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (CET). Estimated available budget: €1,500,000. Expected number of projects to fund: 2. Typical requested grant per project indicated as around €750,000. Project duration normally between 18 and 24 months.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants must be legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries and registered in the Participant Register (PIC). Eligible countries: EU Member States including overseas countries and territories, EEA countries in accordance with the EEA Agreement, EU acceding/candidate/potential candidate countries in line with association agreements, and third countries explicitly allowed in the EaSI work programme or having participation agreements. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons where the company has no separate legal personality. International organisations and entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate subject to conditions. EU bodies (except JRC exception noted in call documentation) cannot participate.

1. 1Lead applicant organisational types allowed: networks of incubators (including business support organisations), networks of microfinance providers, or networks of providers of finance for social enterprises.
2. 2Consortium must include at least one network of incubators and one network of finance providers (microfinance or social enterprise finance).
3. 3Consortium (lead + co-applicants jointly) must be established (directly or via national members) in at least 14 eligible countries.
4. 4Affiliated entities, associated partners, subcontractors and third parties (in-kind) may participate under the rules in the Call Document.

Project scope, priorities and eligible activities

General objective:promote inclusive entrepreneurship by supporting incubation models and financing solutions for under-represented groups. Incubation includes acceleration services. Specific objectives include developing and testing tailored incubation approaches, improving access to finance linked to incubation, strengthening entrepreneurial capacities and business readiness, fostering cooperation across actors, and generating transferable knowledge and tools.

Call priorities (applicants should address one or more):Priority 1: Inclusive Incubation Models. Priority 2: Better Access to Finance. Priority 3: Integrated Support Pathways (incubation + finance + market linkages). Priority 4 (optional): Fostering Ecosystem Cooperation.

Examples of eligible activities (non-exhaustive):outreach and engagement of target entrepreneurs; design, development and implementation of innovative incubation and acceleration programmes; mentoring, coaching, peer learning and training; testing or facilitating access to financing mechanisms including microfinance, guarantees and blended finance; partnerships between incubators, financial intermediaries and social economy organisations; capacity-building for support organisations; digital tools and platforms; investor training to reduce bias; mutual learning and exchange of good practices; monitoring and evaluation to assess effectiveness and scalability.

Funding type, financial rules and award mechanics

Type of funding:ESF Project Grants (ESF Project Grants action under ESF+). Model grant agreements: ESF Action Grant Budget-Based. Form of grant: budget-based mixed actual cost grant with actual costs and unit/flat-rate elements as specified in the grant agreement. Indicative funding rate: 80% of eligible costs (as per call document). Indirect costs: flat-rate 7% of eligible direct costs (A-D excluding volunteer costs and exempted items). Volunteers, SME owner work and travel/subsistence may use authorised unit costs/decisions. VAT rules: non-deductible VAT eligible in principle, except VAT for public bodies acting as public authority is not eligible. Financial support to third parties is not allowed for this call (call specifically states financial support to third parties is not allowed).

Available budget and project size:Total estimated call budget €1,500,000. Expected to fund two projects; indicative project request amount around €750,000 each. The grant awarded may be lower than requested and the Commission reserves the right not to award all funds.

Consortium requirement and geography

Consortium requirement:multi-partner consortia are required with a single lead applicant coordinating (lead must be one of the specified network types). The consortium must include at least one incubator network and one finance provider network and jointly be established in at least 14 eligible countries. Geographic eligibility: project activities must take place in eligible countries (EU Member States, EEA, associated and candidate countries as specified). Proposals should demonstrate transnational dimension and potential to transfer or scale across Member States.

Evaluation, award criteria and thresholds

Submission and evaluation procedure:single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (Portal Electronic Submission System). Admissibility: applications must include Part A (administrative), Part B (technical) and mandatory annexes; Part B limited to 50 pages for this topic (call document specifies 50 pages; other forms indicate 70 pages standard—follow the topic-specific instruction). Applications must be readable, accessible and printable and submitted before the deadline. Evaluation will follow one-stage single-step evaluation with an evaluation committee; admissibility and eligibility checks followed by assessment of operational capacity and award criteria. The award decision is subject to legal checks (entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion). Grant preparation follows successful evaluation and may include dialogue and adjustments.

1. 1Award criteria and weighting: Relevance 40 points, Quality 40 points, Impact 20 points.
2. 2Individual thresholds: Relevance >= 24/40, Quality >= 24/40, Impact >= 12/20. Overall pass score 60/100.
3. 3Ranking and tie-breaking rules: priority given to projects covering uncovered themes, then by Relevance score, then Impact, then Quality; further prioritisation may consider portfolio balance and synergies.

Application, forms and templates

Application method:open call; full electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System (no paper). Application consists of: Part A (administrative forms filled online), Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF using the mandatory template from the Submission System), and mandatory annexes and supporting documents uploaded as PDF. Required annexes include CVs of core team, activity reports, list of previous relevant projects (last 3 years), and any call-specific templates available in the Submission System.

Application templates and structure:Applicants must use the standard ESF and SOCPL Application Form (Administrative Part A and Technical Part B). Part B structure (from template): project summary; 1. Relevance (background, needs analysis, specific objectives, complementarity and EU added value); 2. Quality (concept and methodology, consortium set-up, teams, management, monitoring and evaluation, cost-effectiveness, risk management); 3. Impact (ambition, dissemination and visibility, sustainability); 4. Workplan and work packages with deliverables, milestones, timing and resources; 5. Other (ethics, security); 6. Declarations. Annexes: CVs, activity reports, list of previous projects, other call-specific annexes. Part B page limit for this topic: 50 pages; follow mandatory formatting (A4, min Arial 9pt, margins, no excess pages considered).

Selection, capacity checks and exclusions

Financial and operational capacity:applicants must demonstrate stable and sufficient resources and operational experience to deliver the project. Financial capacity checks will be based on documents in Participant Register (P&L, balance sheet, audit report) except for public bodies and small grants below thresholds. Operational capacity is assessed through CVs, activity reports and previous projects. Exclusion grounds: bankruptcy, tax/social security breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorism-related offences, irregularities, resistance to audits, misrepresentation during award; entities subject to EU restrictive or conditionality measures are ineligible. Declarations of honour required at submission and signature phases.

Project implementation, reporting and payments

Project duration typically 18 to 24 months. Deliverables, milestones and reporting managed through the Portal Grant Management System. Dissemination level options: Public or Sensitive (EU classified not used under ESF+EaSI). Payments: prefinancing (initial and additional), no interim payments specified other than prefinancing linked to reporting periods, and final payment after approval of final periodic report. Standard prefinancing arrangements described in the call document: initial prefinancing commonly 40% within 30 days after entry into force or after provision of prefinancing guarantee if required; a second prefinancing of 40% after an additional prefinancing report depending on consumption. Final payment calculated by subtracting prefinancing and interim payments from final grant amount. Prefinancing guarantees may be required depending on financial risk assessment. Certificates (CFS) may be requested depending on grant size and thresholds.

Restrictions, rules and notable specifics

1. 1Financial support to third parties is NOT allowed for this call (explicit in call conditions).
2. 2Projects must respect EU values, environmental and social policy, and be aligned with EU priorities. Activities must avoid conflicts with EU restrictive measures.
3. 3Applicants must register organisations and participants in the Participant Register and obtain validated PICs before submission.
4. 4Consortium agreement recommended to manage internal arrangements; coordinator remains legally responsible for consortium obligations towards the granting authority.
5. 5Proposals already completed will be rejected; proposals that have already started are assessed case-by-case and costs before project start are not reimbursable unless exceptionally allowed.

Evaluation and expected timetable

Call timeline (indicative):opening 28 May 2026; deadline 2 September 2026 (17:00 CET); evaluation Sept–Oct 2026; information on evaluation results Nov 2026; grant agreement signature Jan–Feb 2027. Evaluation uses single-stage single-step process. Successful applicants invited to grant preparation subject to legal and financial verifications.

Success rates and competition

The call budget is €1.5 million and the Commission expects to fund approximately two projects. Given the limited budget and the likely number of applicants, success rates are expected to be low; exact historic success rate data is not provided in the call document. Competition will be strong, and proposals must meet award thresholds and provide strong transnational consortia covering the 14-country requirement to be competitive.

Co-funding, costs and financial contributions

Co-funding requirement:projects are typically co-funded — the ESF+ grant covers a share of eligible costs (funding rate indicated as 80%). Applicants should secure other sources (own contributions, third-party contributions or revenues) to ensure project sustainability and co-financing of remaining eligible costs. The call document indicates project budgets expected around €750,000 but does not preclude other amounts.

Application stages and process complexity

Application stages:single-stage submission (1). Evaluation and possible clarification during grant preparation (effectively a second step). Overall applicants pass through: 1) submission and admissibility checks, 2) eligibility and selection (financial/operational capacity) checks, 3) evaluation against award criteria, 4) grant preparation/legal checks and signature. In total applicants face 3 to 4 distinct decision points before signature and disbursement.

Success factors and practical advice

1. 1Assemble a consortium that meets the lead applicant type requirement and demonstrates presence in at least 14 eligible countries (directly or via members).
2. 2Demonstrate clear, practical and tested approaches with strong innovation and transferability potential across Member States.
3. 3Include financial partners (microfinance or social investors) in the consortium and detail concrete financing mechanisms and linkages to incubation services.
4. 4Provide robust monitoring, evaluation and indicators (baseline and targets) and a credible sustainability and scaling plan.
5. 5Ensure documentation for financial and operational capacity is complete in Participant Register and upload all required annexes (CVs, activity reports, list of previous projects).
6. 6Respect page limits and submission templates; submit early to avoid IT or registration issues.

Eligible applicant types (detailed answer)

Eligible applicant types include:networks of incubators and business support organisations, networks of microfinance providers, networks of providers of finance for social enterprises, social economy organisations, employment services, managing entities of local innovation ecosystems, research institutes, universities, SMEs, non-profits and public bodies where consistent with consortium composition rules. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons where the enterprise has no separate legal personality. International organisations can participate. Associated partners, affiliated entities, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions can be involved under the rules set out in the Call Document. The lead applicant must be one of the network types listed.

Funding type (detailed answer)

Primary financial mechanism:grant (ESF Project Grants). This is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant using actual costs supplemented by unit cost and flat-rate elements where allowed. The grant reimburses eligible project costs up to the funding rate stated in the grant agreement (indicative 80%).

Consortium requirement (detailed answer)

A consortium is required. Single applicants are not appropriate for this topic because the lead applicant must be a specified network type and the consortium must include at least one network of incubators and one network of finance providers. The consortium must be established in at least 14 eligible countries (directly or via national members). The coordinator represents the consortium; consortium agreement recommended.

Beneficiary scope and geographic eligibility (detailed answer)

Geographic eligibility:EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), EEA countries in accordance with the EEA Agreement, EU acceding/candidate/potential candidate countries where association applies, and third countries listed in EaSI work programme or having agreements permitting participation. Projects must implement activities in eligible countries and demonstrate transnational reach and transferability.

Target sector(s)

Thematic sectors targeted:social inclusion, social economy, entrepreneurship support, microfinance and social investment, incubation and acceleration services. Sectors may cut across ICT, green, digital and social economy where relevant; applicants can focus on sector-specific incubation such as digital, green or social enterprise if justified.

Mentioned countries

Explicit country mentions in call:EU Member States and their overseas countries and territories, EEA countries, EU acceding/candidate/potential candidate countries in line with participation agreements. No individual Member States are singled out; the requirement is pan-European coverage with at least 14 eligible countries represented across the consortium.

Project maturity / stage expected

Expected project stage:development, testing and validation of incubation and finance approaches; demonstration and pilot activities at transnational scale with monitoring and evaluation. Projects should move beyond idea and research to implementation, testing, evaluation and preparation for replication/scale-up.

Funding amount and range (detailed)

Rough funding scale:total call budget €1,500,000. Commission expects to fund 2 projects; indicative grant request per project around €750,000. Funding rate applied to eligible costs typically 80% (to be confirmed in the Grant Agreement/Data Sheet). Final awarded amounts may be lower than requested and subject to legal and financial verification.

Application type and submission method

Application type:open competitive call for proposals. Submission method: single-stage, electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Applicants must use the templates available inside the Submission System and upload annexes as PDF. The lead applicant must confirm mandate to represent all participants at submission.

Nature of support

Beneficiaries will receive monetary support in the form of an EU grant to reimburse eligible project costs (money). The call also demands non-monetary services be delivered by beneficiaries, such as incubation services, capacity-building, mentoring and development of tools; but the financial mechanism is a grant (monetary).

Application stages (count)

Number of distinct procedural stages applicants pass through:1 submission stage (single-stage). Post-submission stages include evaluation, potential invitation to grant preparation (dialogue and clarifications), legal & financial checks and grant signature. Counting principal stages from applicant perspective: 3 to 4 (submission; evaluation; grant preparation/legal checks; signature and first payment).

Success rates (estimate)

Estimated success rate:low given two projects to be funded and likely considerable interest. Exact historical success rates are not provided in the call document. Applicants should expect strong competition and design proposals that clearly meet award criteria and consortium requirements.

Co-funding requirement (detailed)

Co-funding:yes — projects require co-funding for the share of eligible costs not covered by the EU funding rate (e.g. if funding rate 80%, applicants need to cover remaining 20%). Co-funding can come from own resources, third-party contributions or revenues. The budget must be balanced and justify any remaining resources and sustainability after the EU funding period.

Templates and application structure (detailed guidance)

Use the ESF and SOCPL standard Application Form. Part A is entered in the Portal; Part B is prepared using the template from the Submission System and re-uploaded as PDF. Part B must follow the provided structure and cover: project summary; 1) Relevance (needs analysis, objectives, EU added value), 2) Quality (methodology, consortium roles, team, management, M&E, cost-effectiveness, risks), 3) Impact (target groups, indicators, dissemination strategy, sustainability), 4) Workplan and work packages with tasks, deliverables, milestones, resource and timing tables, staff effort, subcontracting details, and timeline; 5) Ethics and security; 6) Declarations. Annexes include CVs of key staff, recent activity reports, list of relevant projects (last 3 years), financial documents as required for Participant Register validation, and any call-specific annexes. Part B page limit for this topic: 50 pages; ensure formatting rules (A4, min font size, margins). Upload all annexes in the correct Submission System slots or risk inadmissibility. Ensure the lead applicant confirms the mandate to represent all applicants at submission.

Specific annexes required at submission (as listed in call document):standard CVs of core project team (use standard CV template when available in Submission System), activity reports from the last year, list of previous key projects for the last 3 years (template in Part B), and other supporting documents. The detailed budget table/calculator is indicated as not applicable for this call in the budget map but follow Submission System instructions.

How to apply and support

1. 1Register an EU Login account and register your organisation in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC. Ensure PIC validation before submission.
2. 2Use the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System: complete Part A online, download Part B template from the system, complete and upload as PDF, upload required annexes as PDF.
3. 3Submit well before the deadline to avoid last-minute IT or registration issues. The Portal will send a confirmation email upon successful submission.
4. 4For IT help contact the IT Helpdesk; for general ESF+ questions contact EMPL-EaSI@ec.europa.eu and for call-specific questions contact EMPL-SOCIAL-ENTERPRISE@ec.europa.eu. Submit non-IT questions at least 7 days before the deadline.

An information session is scheduled online on 7 July 2026 at 10:00 CET. Registration deadline for the info session: 6 July 2026, 14:00 CET. The session will be recorded and recording shared with registrants. See the call topic page for registration link and privacy statement for the info session.

Concluding summary: what this opportunity is about and how to explain it

This ESF+ EaSI call finances transnational projects that design, test and demonstrate inclusive incubation and finance models for under-represented entrepreneurs across Europe. It targets practical, demonstrator-style projects that combine tailored incubation/acceleration services, connections to financing (microfinance, social investment, blended models), capacity-building and ecosystem cooperation, and that generate transferable tools and evidence to inform policy and scale-up. Applicants must form a strong multi-country consortium (including specific types of network lead organisations and at least one incubator network and one finance network) covering 14 eligible countries, submit a single-stage application via the Funding & Tenders Portal, and propose projects normally 18–24 months long with budgets around €750,000 each. Selection is competitive and based on Relevance, Quality and Impact with strict eligibility, financial capacity and exclusion checks. The call expects innovation, transnational learning and practical pathways to increase entrepreneurship participation among under-represented groups and improve access to tailored finance. Applicants should follow the call document and Portal templates exactly, prepare complete supporting annexes, ensure Participant Register validation, and plan for co-funding and sustainability beyond the EU grant.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates and the topic page are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Overview and Objectives

This call, funded under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand, aims to promote inclusive entrepreneurship across the EU by supporting incubation models and financing solutions for under-represented entrepreneurs [[1]][[4]]. The primary goal is to enable aspiring entrepreneurs from groups such as young people, women, migrants, persons with disabilities, seniors, and the long-term unemployed to start, sustain, and scale viable business activities [[2]][[7]].

Key Specific Objectives:Develop and test tailored incubation approaches; improve access to finance by linking incubation with microfinance or social investment; strengthen entrepreneurial skills and business readiness; foster cooperation among incubators, financial intermediaries, and social economy actors; and generate transferable knowledge for replication across Member States [[1]][[4]].

Who Should Apply (Eligibility)

Applicants must be legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries, including EU Member States, EEA countries, and candidate/potential candidate countries [[2]][[7]]. The consortium must be partnership-based, combining entrepreneurship support expertise with access-to-finance expertise [[1]].

Consortium Composition Requirements:The lead applicant must be a network of incubators, a network of microfinance providers, or a network of providers of finance for social enterprises [[2]][[7]]. Every consortium must include at least one network of incubators and one network of finance providers [[2]]. Additionally, the consortium must be established in at least 14 eligible countries (directly or via national members) [[2]][[7]].

Budget and Funding Details

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant, reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred [[2]]. Financial support to third parties is not allowed [[2]][[7]].

Priorities and Eligible Activities

1. 1Priority 1: Inclusive Incubation Models (tailored mentoring, coaching, peer learning)
2. 2Priority 2: Better Access to Finance (blended finance, microfinance partnerships)
3. 3Priority 3: Integrated Support Pathways (combining incubation and finance)
4. 4Priority 4: Fostering Ecosystem Cooperation (optional but encouraged)

Eligible activities include designing inclusive incubation programs, providing mentoring and training, testing financing mechanisms, developing partnerships between stakeholders, and creating digital tools for incubation or finance access [[2]][[7]].

Timeline and Submission

The call opened on 28 May 2026, with a submission deadline of 2 September 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time) [[2]][[3]]. An info session is scheduled for 7 July 2026 [[2]].

Submission Requirements:Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal [[2]][[3]]. Proposals must include Part A (administrative), Part B (technical description, max 50 pages), and mandatory annexes (CVs, activity reports, list of previous projects) [[2]][[7]]. Paper submissions are not accepted [[2]].

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated based on Relevance (40 points), Quality (40 points), and Impact (20 points), with a maximum of 100 points [[2]]. Minimum passing scores are 24/40 for Relevance, 24/40 for Quality, and 12/20 for Impact, with an overall threshold of 60 points [[2]].

For call-specific questions, contact EMPL-SOCIAL-ENTERPRISE@ec.europa.eu [[2]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official Call Document: Call Fiche ESF-2026-SE-INCUBATION
2. 2Info Session Registration: Register for Info Session