What is cascade funding?

Cascade funding (also called financial support to third parties) is money the European Commission gives to an EU-funded project, which the project then passes on to startups, SMEs, researchers or other organisations through its own open calls. You apply to the project, not to the Commission, and the project's own call rules apply.

Each call sets its own eligibility in its call document: usually organisations established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, often startups and SMEs. Check the call's eligibility section and the official guide before you apply.

Do I need a consortium?

Most cascade calls accept single applicants, which makes them one of the easiest ways into EU funding. Some calls ask for small teams; the call document says which.

How large are the grants?

Typically tens of thousands of euros per applicant and rarely more than €200,000, because the EU rules for financial support to third parties keep amounts per recipient modest. The exact maximum is in each call.

Can I combine it with other EU funding?

Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. Many startups use a cascade grant to build evidence before applying to larger programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

Innovation Funding for Estonian Cybersecurity Companies…

On this page · 8 sections→

01The project
02Consortium
03More from this project
04Similar calls
05Cascade funding FAQ
06Call scope
07Eligibility & conditions
08Official source

The project running this call: NCCEE2

Cybersecurity Community Building and Continuation of the Estonian Coordination Centre Activities

NCCEE2 is the next step of NCCEE project, moving towards a more capable cybersecurity community, a more sustainable impact in building those capabilities in Estonia and contributing to development of the cybersecurity sector. Building on the success of the activities of the previous, deployment oriented NCCEE project, it is paramount to continue on the path of advancing capabilities across the cybersecurity sector in Estonia. Moving from individual projects to a culture of innovation and capacity building to keep Estonia and Europe safe, NCCEE2 has the following objectives: 1. Creating sustained impact in capacity building in cybersecurity industry, research and technology alongside the cybersecurity community through events, knowledge sharing, sustainable innovation programs and facilitation of collaboration; 2. Promoting and encouraging a culture of innovation in cybersecurity,…

EU contribution

€2.7M

Total cost

€5.4M

Runs

1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2029

Programme

Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

3 organisations in the project. The coordinator usually manages the open call and its evaluation.

Riigi Infosusteemi Amet · EstoniaCoordinator
Ettevotluse Ja Innovatsiooni Sihtasutus · EstoniaPartner
Sihtasutus Tallinna Teaduspark Tehnopol · EstoniaPartner

Other open calls from NCCEE2

Financial support for start-ups registered in Estonia for developing new cybersecurity tools or services (Cyber Accelerator)NCCEE2 · closes 2 Jul 2027

Similar open calls from EU projects

Other cascade calls on related topics that you can apply to now.

Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What is cascade funding?: Cascade funding (also called financial support to third parties) is money the European Commission gives to an EU-funded project, which the project then passes on to startups, SMEs, researchers or other organisations through its own open calls. You apply to the project, not to the Commission, and the project's own call rules apply.
Who can apply?: Each call sets its own eligibility in its call document: usually organisations established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, often startups and SMEs. Check the call's eligibility section and the official guide before you apply.
Do I need a consortium?: Most cascade calls accept single applicants, which makes them one of the easiest ways into EU funding. Some calls ask for small teams; the call document says which.
How large are the grants?: Typically tens of thousands of euros per applicant and rarely more than €200,000, because the EU rules for financial support to third parties keep amounts per recipient modest. The exact maximum is in each call.
Can I combine it with other EU funding?: Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. Many startups use a cascade grant to build evidence before applying to larger programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

Cascade funding in the glossary · All open cascade calls

What this call funds

To apply, the following requirements must be met:

The applicant is a company registered in the Estonian Commercial Register.
The company’s business activity is related to cybersecurity products and/or services.
The applicant’s principal activity falls under EMTAK 2025 Division K, including:
Telecommunications
Computer programming
IT consulting
Computing infrastructure and other information service activities
The company’s EMTAK code must be compatible with the scope of the support scheme
The project must involve at least one partner, such as a research or development institution
All project activities must take place within the EU or EEA (EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein)
Both the applicant company and the entity controlling the project partner must be registered in the EU or EEA.

To apply, the following steps must be completed:

Identify a suitable research or development partner - Find a research or development institution that matches your project idea
Discuss the project idea with the partner - Agree on the project scope, objectives, expected results, and roles
Request a price quote - Obtain a formal price offer from the research or development institution for their planned work
Prepare the project plan - Describe the project objectives, activities, timeline, budget, and expected impact
Complete the application form - Fill in the required information in the E-grant self-service environment
Submit the application and supporting documents - Upload the project plan, price offer, and all other required documents in E-grant and submit the application.

Eligibility & conditions+

A company may apply for support in the amount of €60,000 to €100,000 of the total cost of the product development project. The grant amounts to 70% of the total project costs for micro and small enterprises, 60% for medium-sized enterprises, and 50% for large enterprises.

The grant is targeted at projects carrying out innovation and development activities in the following areas:

cybersecurity automation
the use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity
tools and strategies for the transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms
cybersecurity of space technologies

The call deadline of 2 December 2026, may be extended depending on the availability of funding.

Further information on the Innovation Funding is provided by RIA (Estonian Information System Authority) and EIS (Estonian Business and Innovation Agency) websites.

Official source

Confirm the current call documents and submission conditions with the funding authority.

View on EU portal ↗

Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-11-09

On this page · 8 sections→

01The project
02Consortium
03More from this project
04Similar calls
05Cascade funding FAQ
06Call scope
07Eligibility & conditions
08Official source

The project running this call: NCCEE2

Cybersecurity Community Building and Continuation of the Estonian Coordination Centre Activities

EU contribution

€2.7M

Total cost

€5.4M

Runs

1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2029

Programme

Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

3 organisations in the project. The coordinator usually manages the open call and its evaluation.

Riigi Infosusteemi Amet · EstoniaCoordinator
Ettevotluse Ja Innovatsiooni Sihtasutus · EstoniaPartner
Sihtasutus Tallinna Teaduspark Tehnopol · EstoniaPartner

Other open calls from NCCEE2

Financial support for start-ups registered in Estonia for developing new cybersecurity tools or services (Cyber Accelerator)NCCEE2 · closes 2 Jul 2027

Similar open calls from EU projects

Other cascade calls on related topics that you can apply to now.

Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What is cascade funding?: Cascade funding (also called financial support to third parties) is money the European Commission gives to an EU-funded project, which the project then passes on to startups, SMEs, researchers or other organisations through its own open calls. You apply to the project, not to the Commission, and the project's own call rules apply.
Who can apply?: Each call sets its own eligibility in its call document: usually organisations established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, often startups and SMEs. Check the call's eligibility section and the official guide before you apply.
Do I need a consortium?: Most cascade calls accept single applicants, which makes them one of the easiest ways into EU funding. Some calls ask for small teams; the call document says which.
How large are the grants?: Typically tens of thousands of euros per applicant and rarely more than €200,000, because the EU rules for financial support to third parties keep amounts per recipient modest. The exact maximum is in each call.
Can I combine it with other EU funding?: Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. Many startups use a cascade grant to build evidence before applying to larger programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

Cascade funding in the glossary · All open cascade calls

What this call funds

To apply, the following requirements must be met:

The applicant is a company registered in the Estonian Commercial Register.
The company’s business activity is related to cybersecurity products and/or services.
The applicant’s principal activity falls under EMTAK 2025 Division K, including:
Telecommunications
Computer programming
IT consulting
Computing infrastructure and other information service activities
The company’s EMTAK code must be compatible with the scope of the support scheme
The project must involve at least one partner, such as a research or development institution
All project activities must take place within the EU or EEA (EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein)
Both the applicant company and the entity controlling the project partner must be registered in the EU or EEA.

To apply, the following steps must be completed:

Identify a suitable research or development partner - Find a research or development institution that matches your project idea
Discuss the project idea with the partner - Agree on the project scope, objectives, expected results, and roles
Request a price quote - Obtain a formal price offer from the research or development institution for their planned work
Prepare the project plan - Describe the project objectives, activities, timeline, budget, and expected impact
Complete the application form - Fill in the required information in the E-grant self-service environment
Submit the application and supporting documents - Upload the project plan, price offer, and all other required documents in E-grant and submit the application.

Eligibility & conditions+

The grant is targeted at projects carrying out innovation and development activities in the following areas:

cybersecurity automation
the use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity
tools and strategies for the transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms
cybersecurity of space technologies

The call deadline of 2 December 2026, may be extended depending on the availability of funding.

Further information on the Innovation Funding is provided by RIA (Estonian Information System Authority) and EIS (Estonian Business and Innovation Agency) websites.

Official source

Confirm the current call documents and submission conditions with the funding authority.

View on EU portal ↗

Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-11-09

Innovation Funding for Estonian Cybersecurity Companies for developing innovative, high value-added products and services

The project running this call: NCCEE2

Who runs it: the consortium

Other open calls from NCCEE2

Similar open calls from EU projects

Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What this call funds

Official source

Track this call and plan your application.

Innovation Funding for Estonian Cybersecurity Companies for developing innovative, high value-added products and services

The project running this call: NCCEE2

Who runs it: the consortium

Other open calls from NCCEE2

Similar open calls from EU projects

Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What this call funds

Official source

Track this call and plan your application.