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.

Call for Proposals 2026 (EU cascade funding)

On this page · 7 sections→

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

The project running this call: EIT HEI

EIT Higher Education Initiative - Scaling Europe’s Innovation Ecosystems

The EIT Higher Education Initiative is a flagship programme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), implemented jointly by the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, to strengthen innovation capacity in higher education across Europe. Entering its next phase (2026–2028), the initiative builds on a highly successful pilot (2021–2023) and consolidation phase (2024–2025), during which it engaged over 500 higher education institutions and established itself as the only EU programme dedicated exclusively to transforming universities into engines of innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional development. At its core, the EIT Higher Education Initiative provides targeted funding and capacity building to help universities embed innovation and entrepreneurship into their strategies, governance, and education systems. It does so by mobilising the knowledge triangle of…

EU contribution

€130M

Total cost

€130M

Runs

1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2028

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

EIT Raw Materials GmbH · GermanyCoordinator
EIT Culture & Creativity South SRL · ItalyPartner
EIT Culture and Creativity South West SL · SpainPartner
Stichting Climate-Kic International Foundation · NetherlandsPartner
EIT Culture & Creativity GmbH · GermanyPartner
EIT Health eV · GermanyPartner
EIT KIC Urban Mobility SL · Spain · SMEPartner
EIT Manufacturing ASBL · FrancePartner
EIT Food Clc South S.l. · Spain · SMEPartner
EIT Food · BelgiumPartner
28digital · Belgium · SMEPartner

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

Proposals must be submitted via the official EIT HEI application portal, accessible here. The information provided through the portal will constitute the full project plan (IVAP). The application consists of two parts:

· Part A – Technical Information (completed online in the portal)

· Part B – Narrative Content (using a Word template, uploaded online)

Further instructions for the submission of proposals are found in EIT Higher Education Initiative Call for Proposals 2026 text, Section 11.

Eligibility & conditions+

Applications must be submitted through the official EIT HEI application portal (accessible here). Detailed information on the submission and evaluation process is available on the EIT HEI website and in the Call for Proposals 2026 document (accessible here).

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: EIT HEI

EIT Higher Education Initiative - Scaling Europe’s Innovation Ecosystems

EU contribution

€130M

Total cost

€130M

Runs

1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2028

Programme

Horizon Europe

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

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

EIT Raw Materials GmbH · GermanyCoordinator
EIT Culture & Creativity South SRL · ItalyPartner
EIT Culture and Creativity South West SL · SpainPartner
Stichting Climate-Kic International Foundation · NetherlandsPartner
EIT Culture & Creativity GmbH · GermanyPartner
EIT Health eV · GermanyPartner
EIT KIC Urban Mobility SL · Spain · SMEPartner
EIT Manufacturing ASBL · FrancePartner
EIT Food Clc South S.l. · Spain · SMEPartner
EIT Food · BelgiumPartner
28digital · Belgium · SMEPartner

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

· Part A – Technical Information (completed online in the portal)

· Part B – Narrative Content (using a Word template, uploaded online)

Further instructions for the submission of proposals are found in EIT Higher Education Initiative Call for Proposals 2026 text, Section 11.

Eligibility & conditions+

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

Call for Proposals 2026

The project running this call: EIT HEI

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.

Call for Proposals 2026

The project running this call: EIT HEI

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.