KAVA Call 14 - RIS Innovation

KAVA Call 14 RIS Innovation is an EIT RawMaterials cascade funding call under the Business Plan 2026–2028 that supports innovation projects across the raw materials value chain with a focus on Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) participation. The single-stage submission via SeedBook is open with a final deadline of 16 October 2026 at 13:00 Brussels time and a total call budget of €3,000,000. Eligible applications are expected from consortia (with the lead partner established in an RIS country) proposing validated technologies at approximately TRL 5 or above for testing, demonstration or upscaling toward commercialization. Individual project support is typically in the range of €800,000–1,000,000 with co-funding up to around 70%, and proposals are assessed on eligibility, excellence, impact, quality and EIT RawMaterials strategic criteria.

What it funds

Summary

Cascade funding to support innovation activities under the EIT RawMaterials Business Plan 2026 2028. Projects are expected to run for about 2 years and must align with the strategic priorities described in the call text.

Total budget:€3,000,000 available in this call ¹.

1. 1Opening date: 07 August 2026
2. 2Deadline (single stage): 16 October 2026, 13:00 CET
3. 3Expected project duration: 2 years
4. 4Submission platform: SeedBook seedbook-portal.eitrawmaterials.eu

Who can apply

Eligibility is defined in the call text and supporting documents on the EIT RawMaterials call page. Applicants must comply with the admissibility and eligibility criteria; proposals are evaluated on eligibility, excellence impact and quality (external) and strategic criteria (EIT RawMaterials).

Selection uses a two-part evaluation:external experts assess excellence impact and quality (55% of score) and EIT RawMaterials applies strategic criteria (45% of score). Successful projects must sign project and financial sustainability agreements before final approval.

Full call text and application documents are available on the EIT RawMaterials website EIT RawMaterials Call Page and on the EU Funding & Tenders portal Opportunity Page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official call text and funding details available at the EIT RawMaterials call page EIT RawMaterials Call Page.

Key facts and administrative data

Call title KAVA Call 14 - RIS Innovation. Opening date 07 August 2026. Single-stage deadline 16 October 2026 at 13:00 Brussels time (CET). Expected duration of participation 2 years. Total budget available €3,000,000. Project acronym EIT RM BP26-28. Full name of the EU funded project EIT RawMaterials Business Plan 2026-2028. Grant agreement / project ID 101270585. Framework identifier HORIZON-EIT.

Where to find call text and submit:All call documentation, templates and the application submission platform are published on the EIT RawMaterials call page and SeedBook platform; applicants must register and submit proposals via SeedBook seedbook-portal.eitrawmaterials.eu ¹.

Submission and evaluation process

Submission model:single-stage. Proposals must be registered and submitted by the deadline using the SeedBook online platform. Late submissions will be declared inadmissible. Only proposals satisfying the stated admissibility requirements proceed to eligibility checks.

Evaluation structure:three sequential/parallel assessment sets are applied: eligibility criteria (mandatory), excellence-impact-quality criteria assessed by external experts, and strategic criteria assessed by EIT RawMaterials. External evaluation (excellence, impact and quality) accounts for 55% of the final score; strategic criteria assessed by EIT RawMaterials account for 45% of the final score. Eligible proposals are ranked by combined scoring and selected accordingly.

Communication of results and feedback:Successful and unsuccessful candidates will be informed by email within five working days after final decision. All candidates receive an evaluation feedback report including criterion scores and total score. Selection may be conditional: accepted proposals may receive a list of requested changes or conditions to be addressed by the Project Coordinator before final approval. Requests for clarification on evaluation results can be sent by email and will be answered within 15 days (may be extended with justification).

Contractual conditions:Project selection is subject to signing a Project Agreement between EIT RawMaterials and the project consortium, signing a Financial Sustainability Agreement (containing Financial Sustainability Measures, abbreviated FSM) between the parties, and acceptance of any mandatory changes listed in the evaluation feedback.

Eligibility and applicant requirements (extracted from call text)

The scraped source provides process-level eligibility steps but does not list a detailed eligibility table (legal entity types, minimum consortium composition, nationality rules) in the scraped excerpt. The call text and supporting documents on the EIT RawMaterials website must be consulted for the precise eligibility rules, admissibility criteria and any restrictions on beneficiary type or country. The SeedBook platform is the submission route and may implement checks at registration and submission.

Likely applicant types (based on EIT RawMaterials historic practice and this call context):Typically eligible: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research organisations, non-profit organisations (including NGOs), public authorities and innovation intermediaries acting singly or in consortiums in line with EIT RawMaterials cascade funding practice. Specific allowed applicant types and mandatory consortium composition must be verified in the official call text on the EIT RawMaterials site ¹.

Structured answers to the extraction questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: The scraped content does not provide a specific enumerated list of permitted legal entity types. Based on the EIT RawMaterials model and this being a cascade call under an EIT Business Plan, expected eligible applicant types include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, non-profit organisations, innovation intermediaries, public authorities and NGOs. Exact eligibility per legal form, and whether individuals may apply, must be confirmed in the official call text on the EIT RawMaterials website ¹.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (cascade funding administered by EIT RawMaterials under HORIZON-EIT). The call is presented as a competitive call for proposals and distributed from a €3,000,000 budget for selected projects.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: The scraped description does not explicitly state 'consortium required' or 'single applicant allowed'. EIT cascade calls commonly accept both single beneficiaries and consortia depending on the specific topic; applicants must consult the call text for whether a consortium is mandatory for this specific RIS Innovation call. The application process references a Project Coordinator and Project Agreement between EIT RawMaterials and the project consortium, indicating that multi-party projects are expected or typical, but this is not definitive in the scraped excerpt.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Region: EU / Horizon Europe / EIT RawMaterials ecosystem. The excerpt does not list specific country eligibility restrictions. Because this is an EIT RawMaterials cascade call funded under HORIZON-EIT, eligible beneficiaries are generally entities established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries; the call text will specify whether third countries or RIS-targeted countries are eligible. Confirm details on the official call page ¹.
5. 5Target Sector: Primary thematic focus is raw materials and related innovation, with emphasis on regional innovation scheme (RIS) activities and RIS Innovation. Sectors include mining and minerals, materials processing, recycling and circular economy for critical and strategic raw materials, value chain innovation, business model innovation for raw materials and supporting areas such as resource efficiency and substitution. The scraped excerpt identifies the call as part of EIT RawMaterials Business Plan 2026-2028 and KAVA Call 14 - RIS Innovation.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are explicitly named in the scraped content. Regional context is EU / EIT RawMaterials; applicants should consult the call text for explicit country lists or exclusions ¹.
7. 7Project Stage: The call is for innovation projects under RIS (Regional Innovation Scheme) which typically target development, validation and demonstration stages and promotion of technology or business model uptake in RIS regions. The expected duration is 2 years indicating activities at demonstration, validation and scaling-readiness rather than early-stage pure research only.
8. 8Funding Amount: Total call budget €3,000,000. The scraped content does not specify per-project funding limits or individual grant sizes. Per-project maximums and minimums are provided in the full call text on the EIT RawMaterials site and SeedBook platform and must be consulted for budgeting.
9. 9Application Type: Open competitive call, single-stage submission via SeedBook (open for submission between opening date and deadline).
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary grant funding (cascade funding). Projects will also be subject to contractual non-financial obligations (Project Agreement, Financial Sustainability Agreement) and likely receive non-financial support typical of EIT such as mentoring, networking and dissemination channels, although these services are not explicitly detailed in the scraped excerpt.
11. 11Application Stages: The selection process includes: 1) admissibility check, 2) eligibility assessment, 3) external evaluation on excellence-impact-quality, 4) EIT RawMaterials strategic evaluation, and 5) Selection Committee decision followed by contractual negotiations and signature. Operationally applicants pass through at least these five steps from submission to contract signature.
12. 12Success Rates: Not provided in the scraped content. Success rates are dependent on the number of eligible proposals and relative scoring; applicants should consider this call competitive. Historical EIT cascade call success rates vary widely; the call page or previous EIT RawMaterials calls may provide statistics.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: The scraped excerpt does not specify whether co-funding is mandatory or the required percentage. The requirement to sign a Financial Sustainability Agreement suggests financial commitments and sustainability measures are required; however, the exact co-financing rules for project budgets must be checked in the official call documents on the EIT RawMaterials website ¹.
14. 14Templates: The scraped content references the SeedBook platform for submission and refers to call text and supporting documents being available on the EIT RawMaterials website. No application template structure was provided in the scraped excerpt. Typical EIT cascade calls provide proposal templates covering project summary, work packages, budget, consortium description, impact, market analysis, communication and dissemination plan and financial sustainability measures. The Quality criteria include evaluation of Market Analysis and Communication and Dissemination work packages, so applicants should prepare dedicated sections for those elements.

Practical guidance for applicants (based on scraped info)

• Register early on SeedBook and create an account well before the deadline: seedbook-portal.eitrawmaterials.eu.
• Download and read the full call text and all supporting documents on the EIT RawMaterials call webpage before preparing your submission. The call text contains exact eligibility rules, budget per project limits, allowed beneficiary countries, and any mandatory consortium composition rules ¹.
• Prepare strong Market Analysis and Communication & Dissemination work packages: these are explicitly referenced in the evaluation quality criteria and will be scored.
• Anticipate contractual requirements: if selected you will be required to sign a Project Agreement with EIT RawMaterials and a Financial Sustainability Agreement including Financial Sustainability Measures. Plan internal approval and signatory processes accordingly.
• Allow time to address potential evaluation feedback: the selection may be conditional and require non-substantial changes before final approval.
• If clarification on results is needed after evaluation, submit requests by email within the indicated timeline (responses within 15 days unless extended).

Missing information applicants must obtain from the official call documents

The scraped content does not include precise eligibility lists (permitted legal entity types), explicit country lists or association rules, per-project funding ceilings or floors, percentage of funding covered versus co-financing requirements, detailed project templates and page limits, exact admissibility criteria, or scoring grids and threshold values. Applicants must consult the official EIT RawMaterials call page and download the call text, templates and budget guidance on SeedBook prior to submission ¹.

Summary and recommendation

This opportunity is a competitive cascade funding call (KAVA Call 14 - RIS Innovation) launched under the EIT RawMaterials Business Plan 2026-2028 with a total available budget of €3,000,000 to fund projects of approximately two years duration. Submission is single-stage via the SeedBook platform by 16 October 2026 13:00 CET. Proposals are evaluated on eligibility, external assessment of excellence-impact-quality (55% of the score) and internal strategic criteria by EIT RawMaterials (45%). Selection is conditional on signature of a Project Agreement and a Financial Sustainability Agreement. The scraped source provides procedural and high-level information but does not include precise eligibility rules, per-project funding levels, co-funding rates or full application templates; applicants must retrieve the full call documentation and templates from the EIT RawMaterials call webpage and SeedBook portal prior to preparing and submitting proposals ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call webpage and documents for KAVA Call 14 - RIS Innovation are available on the EIT RawMaterials site: eitrawmaterials.eu and submissions are made on SeedBook seedbook-portal.eitrawmaterials.eu.

KAVA Call 14 RIS Innovation is an EIT RawMaterials cascade funding opportunity under the EIT RM BP26-28 project, focused on innovation projects in the raw materials value chain and particularly on Regional Innovation Scheme countries. The call is open for submission and uses a single stage procedure, with the final deadline set for 16 October 2026 at 13:00 Brussels time.[4]

What the funding supports

The call supports projects that develop new technologies, products, services, or business models for exploration, sustainable mining, processing, circularity, recycling, and substitution in the raw materials sector. Supporting materials describe the RIS Innovation track as aimed at validated technologies that still need additional testing, demonstration, proof of concept, or upscaling before commercialization.[4][2]

Who can apply

Applications are expected from consortia rather than single applicants. The call is open to startups, SMEs, large companies, universities, research centres, NGOs, government agencies, and public institutions, provided the consortium structure and project topic fit the RIS Innovation scope.[4]

• The consortium must include at least 2 organisations from different RIS eligible countries.[4][2]
• The consortium must represent at least two sides of the knowledge triangle, meaning education, research, and business.[4][2]
• The lead partner must be established in an RIS eligible country.[4][2]
• Projects should be at least TRL 5 at the start, meaning the technology is already validated in a relevant environment.[2]

Funding, duration, and budget

The portal lists a total funding envelope of €3,000,000 and an expected duration of participation of 2 years. Supporting call material also describes RIS Innovation projects as typically lasting 1 to 2 years, with individual project support often in the range of about €800,000 to €1,000,000 and co funding of up to 70 percent, depending on the project type and TRL.[4][2]

How proposals are assessed

Proposals are first checked against mandatory eligibility criteria and then scored on excellence, impact, and quality, including market analysis and communication and dissemination work packages. A separate strategic assessment is applied by EIT RawMaterials, with external evaluation accounting for 55 percent of the final score and the strategic criteria for 45 percent.[4]

• External experts appointed by EIT RawMaterials assess excellence, impact, and quality.[4]
• EIT RawMaterials assesses the strategic criteria.[4]
• Evaluators are selected with attention to gender and geographic balance.[4]

Submission and selection conditions

Proposals must be registered and submitted through SeedBook before the deadline. Late submissions are inadmissible. Successful and unsuccessful candidates are informed by email within five working days after the final decision, and all candidates receive a feedback report with scores by criterion and the overall score.[4]

If a proposal is selected, the award remains subject to signature of the Project Agreement and the Financial Sustainability Agreement, as well as acceptance of any mandatory changes requested in the evaluation feedback, provided those changes do not substantially alter the proposal.[4]

Applicant takeaways

1. 1Prepare a consortium with at least two eligible organisations from different RIS countries and ensure the partnership covers at least two parts of the knowledge triangle.[4][2]
2. 2Demonstrate a validated technology with a clear path from testing or demonstration to market entry, ideally at TRL 5 or above.[2]
3. 3Show a credible market analysis, impact pathway, and communication and dissemination plan because these elements are explicitly scored.[4]
4. 4Confirm consortium readiness for post selection obligations, including the Project Agreement and Financial Sustainability Agreement.[4]

For applicants, the main commercial message is that this call is designed to turn strong regional innovation into market relevant solutions for the raw materials value chain, with a strong emphasis on RIS participation, consortium quality, and a realistic route to commercialization.[4][2]