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.

Strategic Innovation Open Call (EU cascade funding)

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: EITUM-BP26-28

EIT Urban Mobility Business Plan 2026-2028

EIT Urban Mobility is Europe’s leading innovation community, accelerating the transition to sustainable urban mobility for more liveable cities. Building on our Strategic Agenda 2021–2027, its 3 societal impact goals and the achievements of its startup and ramp-up phase, the Business Plan 2026–2028 sets out an ambitious programme to deliver scalable, inclusive and impact-driven solutions through strong Knowledge Triangle Integration across education, research and business, aligned with EU policy priorities.Actions focus on 5 priority domains where change is most urgent and promising: Public and Shared Transport, Health and Mobility, Electrification and Alternative Fuels, Sustainable Urban Logistics, and Mobility Data Management, supported by cross-cutting technologies such as AI and robotics.This Business Plan raises ambition across all programmes, with a unified innovation call,…

EU contribution

€207M

Total cost

€207M

Runs

1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2028

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

EIT KIC Urban Mobility SL · Spain · SMECoordinator
EIT Urban Mobility Foundation · SpainPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub C · GermanyPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South SL · SpainPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub North ApS · Denmark · SMEPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hubeast S.r.o. · Czech RepublicPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub West BV · Netherlands · SMEPartner

Other open calls from EITUM-BP26-28

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

Applicants are invited to submit proposals using the EIT Urban Mobility Programmes Portal (NetSuite).

Proposals will be evaluated based on pre-defined evaluation criteria and following the evaluation process described in Section 5 “Evaluation and selection process” of the Call Manual.

Eligibility & conditions+

Our Strategic Innovation Open Call aims to support our mission and vision by investing in innovative solutions, products and services that respond to the most pressing urban mobility challenges. The main focus is to accelerate the adoption of impactful innovation by derisking the development and large-scale deployment. In particular, we aim to support tested solutions with a clear path to market, enabling cities and mobility providers to confidently procure and scale proven innovations. This call also creates opportunities for innovators to refine their offerings in real-world settings, ensuring they are ready for widespread implementation and long-term impact.

Further information can be found here: Strategic Innovation Open Call - EIT Urban Mobility

Note: The toal budget of this call is 60,000,000 EUR. The first 3 cut-offs with a total budget of 42,000,000 EUR were published under BP23-25: EU Funding & Tenders Portal

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: EITUM-BP26-28

EIT Urban Mobility Business Plan 2026-2028

EU contribution

€207M

Total cost

€207M

Runs

1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2028

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

EIT KIC Urban Mobility SL · Spain · SMECoordinator
EIT Urban Mobility Foundation · SpainPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub C · GermanyPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South SL · SpainPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub North ApS · Denmark · SMEPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hubeast S.r.o. · Czech RepublicPartner
EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub West BV · Netherlands · SMEPartner

Other open calls from EITUM-BP26-28

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

Applicants are invited to submit proposals using the EIT Urban Mobility Programmes Portal (NetSuite).

Proposals will be evaluated based on pre-defined evaluation criteria and following the evaluation process described in Section 5 “Evaluation and selection process” of the Call Manual.

Eligibility & conditions+

Further information can be found here: Strategic Innovation Open Call - EIT Urban Mobility

Note: The toal budget of this call is 60,000,000 EUR. The first 3 cut-offs with a total budget of 42,000,000 EUR were published under BP23-25: EU Funding & Tenders Portal

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

Strategic Innovation Open Call

The project running this call: EITUM-BP26-28

Who runs it: the consortium

Other open calls from EITUM-BP26-28

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.

Strategic Innovation Open Call

The project running this call: EITUM-BP26-28

Who runs it: the consortium

Other open calls from EITUM-BP26-28

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.