RESIST II PRODUCT INNOVATION OPEN CALL

RESIST II Product Innovation Open Call is an EU-funded Eurocluster action under the Single Market Programme SMP-COSME supporting SME innovation in the Mobility, Transport and Automotive (MTA) ecosystem. Eligible applicants are SMEs (single or consortia of 2–3 SMEs from different NUTS2 regions) developing products or services that advance digitalisation, decarbonisation, circularity and value-chain resilience. Grants cover up to €20,000 for individual projects and up to €30,000 per SME in collaborative projects (90% co-financing), with an overall call budget of €800,000 and project duration up to 9 months. Applications are submitted electronically via the RESIST II portal with cut-offs (first deadline 13 July 2026) and support from the helpdesk at info@resisteucluster.eu.

What it funds

Objective

Supports development of new or significantly improved products, services or prototypes in the Mobility, Transport and Automotive ecosystem to improve digital and environmental performance, resource efficiency, decarbonisation and resilience.

Eligible activities and cost categories:Typical eligible costs: external services and procurement (testing, certification, consulting), equipment and consumables, personnel directly involved, prototype development, pilot testing and validation.

Who can apply

SMEs located in EU Member States or COSME/Horizon-associated countries operating in the Mobility, Transport and Automotive (MTA) ecosystem. Applications may be submitted by single SMEs or by consortia of 2–3 SMEs from different NUTS2 regions.

Funding and project duration

Funding levels:Grants of up to €20,000 for individual projects and up to €30,000 per SME for collaborative projects. Co-financing rate: 90% of project costs. Project duration: 9 months.

1. 1Application is electronic via the RESIST II submission page
2. 2Evaluation by independent experts in a three-stage process (admissibility, expert scoring, consortium validation)
3. 3Selected projects receive complementary support services (technical assistance, training, expert pool, internationalisation)

This is a competitive multi-cutoff open call under the RESIST II Eurocluster initiative. Apply electronically before the cut-off deadlines; required annexes include a resilience check and a declaration of honour ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call details and submission portal: RESIST II Product Innovation Open Call.

Opportunity summary

The RESIST II Product Innovation Open Call is part of the RESIST II Eurocluster initiative under the Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery. The call targets European SMEs operating in the Mobility, Transport and Automotive ecosystem to support development of new or significantly improved products and services that improve digital and environmental performance and increase resilience across the mobility value chain. Selected projects receive grant funding and complementary non-financial support, must be implemented within 9 months, and are expected to deliver measurable results within that period.

Call identifiers and timing:Call title: RESIST II PRODUCT INNOVATION OPEN CALL. Framework: Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) — identifier SMP-COSME. Total budget indicated for the activity: €800,000. Project duration per selected project: up to 9 months. Two cut-offs: first open call launched 13 May 2026 (open for 2 months, deadline 13 July 2026 17:00 UTC), the second expected in May 2027 with deadline 13 July 2027 17:00 UTC. Application submission is electronic via the RESIST II open call portal. RESIST II Open Call page ¹

Eligible applicants and participation model

Primary eligible applicants:Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) located in EU Member States or in SMP associated countries. SMEs may apply individually or as part of a collaborative consortium. Consortium composition rules: collaborative projects must be formed by 2 to 3 SMEs located in different NUTS2 regions. The call expressly addresses SMEs operating in the Mobility, Transport and Automotive (MTA) ecosystem. There is no mention of eligibility for large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, individuals, or public authorities in the scraped content; the call is focused on SMEs. Applicants must complete the application form and upload required annexes including a resilience check and a declaration of honour as part of submission.

Eligible applicant types:SMEs (single SME applicants and SME consortia of 2-3 partners).

Funding modality and amounts

Funding type:grant (competitive open call). Co-financing rate stated: 90% (the grant covers 90% of the eligible project costs). Maximum per-project grants: up to €20,000 for individual SME projects; up to €30,000 per SME for collaborative projects (i.e., per SME in the consortium). The overall programme budget line shown in the metadata is €800,000, although individual award levels are as specified above. Financial support is accompanied by a package of non-financial services.

Co-funding requirement:Yes. The grant finances 90% of eligible costs; participants must provide the remaining 10% of eligible project costs from their own or third-party resources.

Scope, priorities and eligible activities

The Open Call prioritises innovative products and services aligned with four thematic pillars relevant to mobility, transport and automotive supply chains. Projects should aim to improve environmental performance, reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency and reduce dependencies on critical raw materials. Eligible project cost categories and example activities are described below.

1. 1Net-Zero Manufacturing and Industrial Decarbonisation: examples include electric drivetrain components, hydrogen mobility technologies, smart charging systems, energy-efficient vehicle subsystems.
2. 2Circular Critical Raw Materials and Resource Efficiency: examples include critical-raw-material-efficient electric motors, design-for-recycling vehicle components, second-life battery products, circular mobility services.
3. 3Digital Mobility and Smart Industrial Systems: examples include digital fleet management platforms, predictive maintenance services, digital product passports, mobility data analytics tools.
4. 4Resilient Mobility Value Chains: examples include CRM traceability platforms, supply-chain monitoring solutions, mobility component marketplaces, adaptive logistics services.

Eligible cost categories:Project cost categories may include external services and procurement (testing, certification, consulting, specialised technical services), equipment, components and consumables, personnel costs of staff directly involved in the project, prototype development, pilot testing and validation activities.

Project maturity and expected outputs

Expected project stage:development, prototyping, pilot testing, validation and demonstration-level activities. Projects must be capable of delivering measurable results within the 9-month implementation period; typical expected outputs include prototypes, validated pilots, demonstrators, validated digital platforms or documented improvements in environmental performance or supply-chain resilience.

Application and evaluation process

Application type:open competitive call with multiple cut-offs. Submission is electronic via the RESIST II online submission portal using the 'Submit your proposal' function on the call page. Applicants must complete the required application form and upload mandatory annexes, notably a resilience check and a declaration of honour. Helpdesk contact: info@resisteucluster.eu.

Evaluation stages:Evaluation is performed in three stages: 1) verification of admissibility and eligibility of applications; 2) analysis of eligible proposals by at least three independent experts scoring proposals against the four evaluation criteria specified in the Guide for Applicants; 3) ranking of applications by score with tie-breaking rules, followed by validation of the resulting ranking by the consortium partners.

Selection criteria, scoring and success rates

Selection is merit-based with independent expert scoring against four evaluation criteria described in the Guide for Applicants (the scraped content does not list the four criteria explicitly). Applications are ranked by score and awarded according to available budget and tie-breaking rules after consortium validation. Success rates are not provided in the scraped content and will depend on the number of eligible applications and available budget per cut-off.

Consortium requirement and collaboration model

The call allows either single SME applicants or collaborative SME consortia. Consortium projects must include 2-3 SMEs from different NUTS2 regions. There is no requirement for participation of research organisations, large companies or public bodies in the scraped material; the focus is SMEs. Therefore the participation model is flexible: single or consortium.

Geographic eligibility and mentioned countries

Geographic eligibility:applicants must be located in EU Member States or in SMP associated countries. The scraped content does not list specific country names beyond this; it specifies EU Member States and SMP associated countries as eligible jurisdictions.

Mentioned countries or regions:EU Member States and SMP associated countries (no individual countries explicitly named in the provided text).

Nature of support and complementary services

Beneficiaries receive monetary support (grant funding) and non-monetary services. Monetary:grant covering 90% of eligible costs, up to €20,000 for individual SME projects and up to €30,000 per SME for collaborative projects. Non-monetary: technical assistance, access to a pool of experts, training courses, and internationalisation opportunities including support for access to third-country markets.

Application templates and documents

Applicants must complete an application form and upload required annexes. Explicitly mentioned annexes include a resilience check and a declaration of honour. The Guide for Applicants contains the evaluation criteria and tie-breaking rules; both the application form and annex templates are available for download from the call page. Applicants should refer to the Guide for Applicants for the precise application structure and scoring details.

1. 1Application form: structured proposal form to be filled online; must include project description, workplan, budget and expected KPIs.
2. 2Annex: Resilience check (mandatory upload).
3. 3Annex: Declaration of honour (mandatory upload).
4. 4Guide for Applicants: contains evaluation criteria, scoring, and tie-breaking rules (applicants should consult this document).

Administrative and other details

Call reference in the EU portal:call id 14062, project acronym RESIST II, project id 101236714. The programme period is 2021-2027. Application deadlines are tied to cut-off dates; the first cut-off deadline is 13 July 2026 17:00 UTC, and the second cut-off deadline is 13 July 2027 17:00 UTC. Duration of funded projects: 9 months. Helpdesk contact: info@resisteucluster.eu.

Quick facts (structured)

Missing or unspecified information

The scraped content does not list the explicit four evaluation criteria text, detailed scoring thresholds, exact application form fields, eligible SMP associated countries list, or historical success rates. Budget allocation per cut-off and maximum number of projects to be funded per cut-off are not specified in the available content. Applicants should consult the Guide for Applicants and the call webpage for the full details and templates.

How to apply

Apply electronically via the RESIST II Open Call page using the 'Submit your proposal' button. Download and complete the application form and mandatory annexes (resilience check and declaration of honour) and upload them to the portal before the cut-off deadline. For assistance contact the helpdesk at info@resisteucluster.eu.

Concluding summary:This open call provides targeted, short-term funding and support to SMEs in the mobility, transport and automotive ecosystem to accelerate product and service innovations that deliver environmental and digital improvements and increase supply-chain resilience. Projects must be achievable within 9 months, align with defined pillars (decarbonisation, circularity, digitalisation and resilient value chains), and meet eligibility and co-financing requirements. Successful applicants receive a grant covering 90% of eligible costs plus technical and market support services to scale and validate their solutions.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call webpage and application portal: ec.europa.eu

The RESIST II Product Innovation Open Call is part of the EU-funded RESIST II Eurocluster initiative under the Single Market Programme SMP-COSME. It supports European SMEs in the Mobility, Transport, and Automotive (MTA) ecosystem to develop new or significantly improved products or services enhancing digital and environmental performance, thereby increasing resilience. The initiative builds on the previous RESIST project (Grant Agreement 101074204) and focuses on green and digital transitions, with cascade funding totaling €1.6 millioneuros distributed across open calls. RESIST II runs from October 2025 to September 2028 (Grant Agreement 101236714), coordinated by CEAGA in Spain.

Key Dates

• 1st Cut-off: Opens 13 May 2026 (10:00 UTC), Closes 13 July 2026 (15:00 UTC)
• 2nd Cut-off: Expected May 2027 (exact dates to be confirmed)
• Project Duration: 9 months from start

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are SMEs (including start-ups and mid-caps with fewer than 500 employees) operating in the MTA ecosystem, located in EU Member States or countries associated with the SMP. Applications can be submitted individually or in consortia of 2-3 SMEs from different NUTS2 regions. No consortium is required for individual applications. Priority is given to projects aligned with Net-Zero Technologies and Critical Raw Materials.

Funding Details

Funding Amounts:Up to 20,000 euros for individual projects; up to 30,000 euros per SME in consortium projects (maximum 60,000 euros per SME across both calls). Overall call budget: 800,000 euros.

Funding Rate:90% co-financing rate of eligible project costs.

Eligible Costs:External services and procurement (e.g., testing, certification, consulting); equipment, components, and consumables; personnel costs for staff directly involved; prototype development, pilot testing, and validation activities.

Priority Areas

• Net-Zero Manufacturing & Industrial Decarbonisation (e.g., electric drivetrain components, hydrogen mobility technologies, smart charging systems, energy-efficient vehicle subsystems)
• Circular Critical Raw Materials & Resource Efficiency (e.g., CRM-efficient electric motors, design-for-recycling vehicle components, second-life battery products, circular mobility services)
• Digital Mobility & Smart Industrial Systems (e.g., digital fleet management platforms, predictive maintenance services, digital product passports, mobility data analytics tools)
• Resilient Mobility Value Chains (e.g., CRM traceability platforms, supply-chain monitoring solutions, mobility component marketplaces, adaptive logistics services)

Application Process

1. 1Complete the resilience check and declaration of honour annexes.
2. 2Fill in the application form.
3. 3Submit electronically via the RESIST II platform: RESIST II Application Platform.
4. 4Evaluation in three stages: admissibility/eligibility check, scoring by at least three independent experts on four criteria, ranking and validation by consortium partners.

Additional Support for Selected Applicants

Beyond funding, selected SMEs receive a package of business support services, including technical assistance, access to a pool of experts, training courses, project monitoring, and internationalisation opportunities in third countries. Pre-application support includes resilience checks, individual assessments, and roadmap design.

Project Partners and Resources

Applicants should consult the Guide for Applicants and open calls section on the RESIST II website for full details, forms, and templates. The initiative is co-funded by the European Union under the SMP COSME programme.

Footnotes

1. 1Official EU Funding & Tenders Portal entry for RESIST II: EU Portal.