Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a

The Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument Strand 2a, also known as I3-2025-INV2a, is a European Union funding opportunity aimed at supporting interregional innovation projects, particularly focused on integrating less developed and transition regions into European value chains. The program encourages collaboration among various innovation actors categorized under the quadruple helix model, which includes businesses (particularly SMEs), research institutions, universities, public authorities, and citizen groups.

Eligible applicants must form consortia that include partners from at least three different EU regions. The consortium is required to have a significant portion of its members from less developed or transition regions to ensure balanced participation and cooperation across diverse innovation capabilities. The funding type provided is a non-repayable grant under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with a total budget of €24 million allocated for 2025, and the expected project funding per proposal ranges from €1 million to €5 million.

The thematic priorities of the call focus on digital transition, green transition, and smart manufacturing. Projects should start at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 6, indicating a maturity level suitable for commercialization and scaling up. The application process is structured as a single-stage open call, with proposals required to be submitted by November 13, 2025.

Beneficiaries of the funding will receive both financial support, which may include cascade funding to third parties, and non-financial support such as advisory services, coaching, and matchmaking activities. The nature of the projects should aim to address bottlenecks in EU value chains, with an emphasis on technological transfer, experimentation, and demonstration of innovative practices.

Success rates were not explicitly detailed in the provided information; however, it is implied that the competition within this call will vary based on the number of proposals received. A minimum co-funding of 30% from applicants or third parties is expected, enhancing the sustainability of the funded projects.

Overall, the I3 Instrument seeks to stimulate interregional cooperation and investment in innovation within less developed and transition regions in Europe, thereby promoting economic cohesion, enhancing competitiveness, and supporting the EU's broader objectives for sustainable and technologically advanced development.

The Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument Strand 2a (I3-2025-INV2a) call for proposals, also known as I3 Project Grants (I3-PJG), is an EU funding opportunity under the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument (I3) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It aims to support interregional innovation investments and reduce the innovation divide in Europe by integrating less developed and transition regions into European value chains. The call encourages consortia of innovation actors from the quadruple helix ecosystems to bring their innovations to a more mature level, ready for scale-up and commercialisation. The total budget for this call is 24,000,000 EUR. The call adopts a single-stage submission process. The opening date for submissions is 22 May 2025, and the deadline for submission is 13 November 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The call focuses on technology transfer and specialised advisory support for experiments and demonstration cases in companies. Participation of innovation actors should be based on shared or complementary innovation priorities, as defined in their regional and/or national smart specialisation strategies (S3). Projects should demonstrate a balanced participation of regions with varying levels of development and innovation performance. I3 Instrument business investment cases should start with a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, aiming to facilitate demonstration, market uptake, and commercialisation. The development of business and investment cases should be facilitated by regional innovation ecosystems, with companies taking the lead. Support will be provided through direct funding to consortium beneficiaries or cascade funding/financial support to third parties (FSTP), as well as non-financial support like coaching, mentoring, and matchmaking activities.

Applications must address one of the following thematic priorities: Digital transition, Green transition, or Smart manufacturing.

Digital Transition: This priority targets investments in businesses and public administrations regarding the digital transition, aiming to unlock digital growth, improve service accessibility and efficiency, bridge the digital divide, and contribute to cybersecurity. Investment areas include:

a. Digital economy innovation: Deployment of innovative solutions for business digitalisation and digital services, including AI applications; ICT uptake in SMEs; B2B, B2C, and Customer to Customer solutions; digital innovation hubs and living labs; demonstration of innovative digital technologies for commercialisation and EU value chain integration; digital skills for companies adopting innovative digital technologies; user-driven innovation and valorisation of traceability and big data; cybersecurity reinforcement; investments in communication, transport, and digital network security; digital-based open innovation.

b. Digital transformation of public administration and public services: New or upgraded e-government services; take-up of Europe-wide interoperable services; improved efficiency through ICT such as AI; investments in innovative cybersecurity solutions; user-friendly, accessible, and interoperable services; demonstration of new digital technologies for large-scale IT system adoption, such as digitalisation in healthcare.

Green Transition: This priority aims to turn climate and environmental challenges into opportunities for competitiveness, reducing EU reliance on fossil fuels and achieving climate-neutrality by 2050. It supports innovative value chain investments, boosting competitiveness through green technology, focusing on energy-intensive industries and the clean-tech sector. Investment areas include:

Innovative investments in decarbonisation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality; investments in circularity, including recycled materials; smart, sustainable transport solutions and alternative fuels; business investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency; energy efficiency in buildings; sustainable blue economy; circular economy solutions; bioeconomy, efficient agriculture and forestry, and sustainable marine/maritime solutions; sustainable business models and alternative modes of production and consumption; innovative investments in SMART cities.

Smart Manufacturing: This priority focuses on improving the delivery of new or improved products, processes, or services in the manufacturing industry, fostering competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and a circular economy approach. It supports interregional innovation investments for the uptake of new or improved manufacturing solutions, addressing digitalisation challenges and promoting environmentally sustainable production. Investment areas include:

Demonstration processes for faster market reach of new industrial products and adoption of efficient and sustainable processes; valorisation of research results and practical applications for innovation diffusion, involving ecosystems and stakeholders; connecting testing and demonstration facilities at interregional level; improving natural resource use and material reuse, promoting circularity models and carbon neutrality; specific implementation strategies involving industry, SMEs, local authorities, educational institutions, and civil society; interregional demonstration cases for testing and replication; innovation diffusion and SME involvement in EU value chains; innovative investments in advanced materials.

Projects should be implemented through an investment portfolio approach, where beneficiaries (including SMEs) and third parties (SMEs) can play a role in specific segments of EU value chains. The project portfolio may consist of investment-ready sub-projects addressing bottlenecks in a value chain. The proposal must describe the progress from innovation towards commercialisation and upscaling, outlining an exploitation plan for the project's completion.

Target investments can be both tangible and intangible, including: financial support for plans and arrangements for new or improved products, processes, or services; demonstrating, testing, and piloting activities; large-scale product validation and market replication; adaptation of existing prototypes; development of portfolios of projects for close-to-market investments; activities connecting testing and demonstration facilities; innovation services for business investment; test beds and activities to improve regulations and remove innovation barriers; activities bringing innovative ideas and new products to the market; and advisory support for investment.

Conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, and other specific conditions. Financial and operational capacity of applicants will be assessed, and exclusion criteria apply. The evaluation and award process involves submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring, thresholds, and an indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement. Legal and financial aspects of the grants are also specified.

Applicants must submit the standard application form (I3), a detailed budget table (I3 FSTP 100%), and an S3 Compliance Declaration (I3). Model Grant Agreements (MGA) and additional documents such as the I3 Instrument Work Programme, ERDF Regulation 2021/1058, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and guidelines for legal entity validation are also available.

The expected impact includes the creation of new value chains in less developed and transition regions, the application and deployment of innovative technologies, exploitation of research results, uptake of innovative solutions, deployment of green and digital technologies, adoption of innovative technologies by SMEs, identification of funding sources, strengthening innovation diffusion channels, and reinforcing regional co-investment capacity. Long-term impacts include reduction of the innovation divide, increased company productivity, improved public services, enhanced digital skills, improved EU innovation capacity and competitiveness, new market opportunities, a more efficient and sustainable EU industry, increased social and territorial cohesion, improved education and training systems, reinforced EU value chains, unlocked innovation potential, contribution to the European Green Deal objectives, and positive impacts on the environment, security, health, climate, social aspects, and the economy.

In summary, this call aims to stimulate interregional cooperation and investment in innovation, particularly in less developed and transition regions, to strengthen European value chains and promote the digital and green transitions, as well as smart manufacturing, ultimately contributing to the EU's competitiveness and cohesion. It seeks to bridge the innovation gap across European regions by providing financial and advisory support to consortia that can demonstrate mature business cases and a clear path to commercialisation for their innovative solutions.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to consortia of innovation actors from the quadruple helix ecosystems. This implies that eligible applicants can include a mix of: businesses (including SMEs), research institutions, universities, public authorities, and citizen groups or end-users. The focus is on interregional collaboration, so applicants must form a consortium with partners from different regions, including less developed regions (LDRs), transition regions (TRs), and more developed regions.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically an I3 Project Grant (I3-PJG) under the I3 Action Grant Budget-Based [I3-AG] model. The funding also allows for cascade funding/financial support to third parties (FSTP). Non-financial support such as coaching, mentoring, or matchmaking activities are also part of the support.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The call emphasizes interregional cooperation, so a single applicant is not eligible. The consortia should involve innovation actors from the quadruple helix, ensuring a balanced participation of regions with varying levels of development and innovation performance.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility focuses on regions within the European Union, specifically targeting less developed regions (LDRs) and transition regions (TRs). The I3 Instrument aims to foster cooperation among less developed, transition, and more developed regions within the EU.

Target Sector: The program targets the following thematic or industry sectors: Digital transition, Green transition, and Smart manufacturing.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on regions within the European Union, including less developed regions (LDRs), transition regions (TRs), and more developed regions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the demonstration, scaling up, and market uptake stages. I3 Instrument business investment cases should start with a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 and have the ambition to facilitate demonstration and accelerate market uptake and commercialisation.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic I3-2025-INV2a - I3-PJG I3 Project Grants is EUR 24,000,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both financial support (direct funding and cascade funding to third parties) and non-financial support (coaching, mentoring, matchmaking activities).

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument Strand 2a (I3-2025-INV2a) call for proposals is an EU funding opportunity designed to support interregional innovation investments, particularly focusing on integrating less developed and transition regions into European value chains. This initiative aims to reduce the innovation divide within Europe by providing financial and advisory support to consortia of innovation actors from the quadruple helix ecosystems (businesses, research institutions, public authorities, and citizen groups).

The call targets projects that address one of the following thematic priorities: digital transition, green transition, or smart manufacturing. Projects should start at a minimum TRL of 6 and aim to facilitate demonstration, market uptake, and commercialisation of mature innovations. The instrument supports technology transfer, experiments, and demonstration cases in companies, with a balanced participation of regions with varying levels of development and innovation performance.

The funding mechanism includes both direct financial support to consortium beneficiaries and cascade funding to third parties (SMEs), along with non-financial support such as coaching, mentoring, and matchmaking activities. The call emphasizes an investment portfolio approach, where projects are implemented through interconnected sub-projects addressing bottlenecks in EU value chains.

The expected impacts include the creation of new value chains, the application of innovative technologies in less developed regions, the exploitation of research results, and the overall improvement of EU innovation capacity and competitiveness. The long-term vision is to reduce the innovation divide, increase companies' productivity, improve public services, and contribute to the European Green Deal objectives.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium and submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The call is a single-stage process with a deadline of November 13, 2025. The total budget for this call is EUR 24,000,000.