I3FLOAT 1st Open Call

The I3FLOAT Open Call will open on September 7th, 2026, 10:00 CEST (Brussels Time). To apply, please complete the submission form on the Goodgrants platform at the following link, no later than November 10, 2026, at 17:00 CET (Brussels Time).

Each applicant can request a maximum of € 60,000. As an application can bring up to two applicants from two different regions in collaboration, the maximum budget for each project application can be € 120,000.

Applicants to the 1st Open Call should propose a project that is in line with the different challenges the I3FLOAT project has identified. These challenges can be Open Challenges, which means solutions that are aligned with any of the innovation lines prioritised in the Strategic Innovation Agenda, or Specific Challenges, more concrete and defined by a Challenge Owner. The Open Call will fund up to 10 innovations proposed for Open Challenges and up to 11 innovations corresponding respectively to each of the 11 Specific Challenges.

SMEs applying as a consortium should fill in one proposal. One of the involved SMEs will act as “coordinator” and will be responsible for the submission of the application. Only one application per SME will be accepted. if an SME is present alone or in a consortium in more than one proposal, only the last submitted proposal will be admissible.

Proposals will be eligible only if all the following conditions are met:

• Applicants must be SMEs according to the European definition of SMEs. The formal definition and the SME self-assessment questionnaire are available here;
• Applicants must have their headquarters or an affiliated entity in one of the regions represented in the I3FLOAT consortium, and/or be a member of one cluster partner in the I3FLOAT project by June 2026, and/or be established in a Less Developed Region - LDR or outermost or overseas region following the European Commission definitions;
• Applicants should be able to prove their financial stability and capacity and pass any financial check. This includes completing a financial capacity self-assessment available here and align with the obligations listed in section 7.3.1 of the Submission Toolkit;
• Applications should address either one of the 11 Specific or one of the 44 Open I3FLOAT Challenges. If an application addresses more than one challenges, it will be declared not eligible
• Applicants cannot submit several proposals. If several applications from the same applicants are submitted, only the latest one will be admissible;
• Applicants should not have any ownership connection with one partner in the I3FLOAT consortium;
• Applications must be written in English (applications partially or completely written in another language are not eligible);

The evaluation and selection process is overseen by two partners of the I3FLOAT project, BASQUENERGY Cluster and Pôle Mer Méditerranée, constituting the Evaluation Committee. All other partners and members of the I3FLOAT Advisory Board are taking part in the evaluation and selection process as evaluators.

Following the submission of applications, a three-steps assessment process will be followed, safeguarding the principles of transparency and equal treatment, as described below:

1) Eligibility check of the application form;

2) Qualitative evaluation of each application by 3 partners of the I3FLOAT project or members of the I3 Advisory Board.

3) Ranking list of all scores. A ranking list per Specific Challenge will be done. The highest score will be selected for funding. For Open Challenges, only one ranking list will be done, and applications will be selected following the ranking until the available budget has been spent.