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.

Open Call 4bis for the selection of EEN organisations…

On this page · 7 sections→

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

The project running this call: EEN2EIC

Support to EIC Accelerator by the Enterprise Europe Network

The objective of EEN2EIC is to empower EEN network offices support potential EIC applicants, specifically women entrepreneurs and widening countries, and Seal of Excellence (SoE) holders. The project aims to develop a strong cooperation mechanism between the European Innovation Council and EEN in order to support innovation and scale up companies. EEN2EIC will involve the most relevant actors in the EIC and EEN landscape: the Enterprise Europe Network ( EEN), the EIC NCPs Network (ACCESS2EIC). EEN2EIC aims to focus on specific outreach and support activities, increasing the number of quality proposals to EIC calls with a specific focus in widening countries as well as women innovators, assisting Seal of Excellence holders access alternative sources of funding and guarantee a strong and profitable exchange of best practice within EEN. EEN2EIC overall objective is to make EU innovation…

EU contribution

€7.3M

Total cost

€7.3M

Runs

1 Sept 2022 to 31 Aug 2027

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

Agenzia Per la Promozione Della Ricerca Europea · ItalyCoordinator
Steinbeis 2i GmbH · GermanyPartner
Bpifrance · FrancePartner
Viesoji Istaiga Lietuvos Inovaciju Centras · LithuaniaPartner
Idryma Technologias Kai Erevnas · GreecePartner

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

Applications must be submitted only by additional EEN organisations (see Section 4.2) via the online form.

Application form: EEN2EIC call 4bis - Application form

Applications must be submitted no later than 30 June 2027 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time). This Call is implemented on a rolling basis. Applications may be submitted at any time until 30 June 2027 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time), or until the available budget has been fully allocated. Eligible applications will be evaluated by the EEN2EIC Evaluation Committee, composed of representatives of the EEN2EIC consortium.

Eligibility & conditions+

The Open Call 4bis is available at the official project website: https://een2eic.eu For further information you can contact een2eic@apre.it

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 · 7 sections→

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

The project running this call: EEN2EIC

Support to EIC Accelerator by the Enterprise Europe Network

EU contribution

€7.3M

Total cost

€7.3M

Runs

1 Sept 2022 to 31 Aug 2027

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

Agenzia Per la Promozione Della Ricerca Europea · ItalyCoordinator
Steinbeis 2i GmbH · GermanyPartner
Bpifrance · FrancePartner
Viesoji Istaiga Lietuvos Inovaciju Centras · LithuaniaPartner
Idryma Technologias Kai Erevnas · GreecePartner

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

Applications must be submitted only by additional EEN organisations (see Section 4.2) via the online form.

Application form: EEN2EIC call 4bis - Application form

Eligibility & conditions+

The Open Call 4bis is available at the official project website: https://een2eic.eu For further information you can contact een2eic@apre.it

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

Open Call 4bis for the selection of EEN organisations delivering Investment Readiness Services (IRS) and Follow-up Support – EEN2EIC

The project running this call: EEN2EIC

Who runs it: the consortium

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.

Open Call 4bis for the selection of EEN organisations delivering Investment Readiness Services (IRS) and Follow-up Support – EEN2EIC

The project running this call: EEN2EIC

Who runs it: the consortium

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.