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Overview
I3 helps regional innovation networks turn mature technologies into connected investment projects. An SME can join a consortium developing complementary demonstrations and commercialisation activities across regions, or apply to a separately advertised cascade-funding call run by a funded project. Digital technologies, green technologies and smart manufacturing are central themes. Strand 1 strengthens European value chains; Strand 2a concentrates on creating and connecting value chains in less developed regions. Strand 2b builds ecosystem capacity and has different conditions. This is an ERDF instrument managed by EISMEA, with regional development objectives as well as a technology case.
Start with the regional partnership and investment portfolio.
Is this for you?
- Your technology investment case is at TRL 6 or beyond.
- You can join a qualifying consortium with an eligible coordinator and regional S3 alignment.
- The budget can meet co-financing, company-investment and less-developed-region conditions.
- You need a standalone €10M startup grant.
- You are funding basic research without an investment/deployment portfolio.
- You assume an unannounced project-level cascade call is already open.
Investment-strand readiness does not describe the separate ecosystem capacity-building route.
Success rates — the honest picture
Eligibility
- 1Investment calls require a consortium of independent eligible legal entities; a startup cannot apply alone. Business investment cases begin at TRL 6 and must connect shared or complementary regional Smart Specialisation (S3) priorities.
- 2Strand 1: at least five independent beneficiaries from five regions in three eligible countries, including at least two entities in less developed regions. Affiliated entities do not count toward that minimum.
- 3Strand 2a: at least three independent beneficiaries from three regions in two eligible countries, including at least one entity in a more developed region; the project must integrate less developed/transition regions into value chains.
- 4The investment-call coordinator must be a public body, a non-profit, or an entity entrusted by national/regional government with SME innovation and investment actions.
- 5For both 2026 investment calls, at least 70% of total direct eligible costs must support investments in companies, focusing on SMEs, and at least 50% of total eligible costs must be incurred in less developed regions.
- 6EU Member State entities, including eligible overseas countries and territories, are the ordinary funded applicants. The linked I3 country list currently names no participating non-EU country; Horizon Europe association alone does not establish I3 eligibility. The call permits specific exceptional cases.
A technology company can be a beneficiary. It may coordinate only if it meets one of the permitted coordinator categories; being an SME is not sufficient.
The linked participation list remains dated 2021 and names no associated non-EU country. The 2026 call nevertheless provides essential-participation exceptions and other roles for non-EU entities; those require call-specific consideration.
The ordinary third-party recipient ceiling is €100K. The call’s financial section allows a higher amount only where needed for the action and duly justified. Direct recipients must be qualifying SMEs; funded consortia must follow transparent open-call procedures.
CAP2b requires at least two independent legal entities covering two ecosystems in two eligible countries, including a less and a more developed EU region. Its coordinator must be in a less developed or outermost EU region and meet the listed organisation categories.
Consortium funding and SME access
The reimbursement rate is 70% for ordinary costs. Separately, at least 70% of direct eligible costs must support company investments; meeting one rule does not satisfy the other.
The consortium’s eligible costs of providing financial support to third parties are reimbursed at 100%. FSTP may not exceed 30% of total eligible costs. This does not imply every startup receives full financing of its own project.
The grant is based on eligible actual costs with unit/flat-rate elements. Normally 70% prefinancing follows the agreement, subject to conditions and exceptions; there is interim cost reporting and a final balance.
How to apply — step by step
- 1Choose the strand and partnersBefore drafting
Choose Strand 1 or 2a and confirm each organisation’s region, legal status, S3 fit and coordinator eligibility. Check the official regional classification and I3 country list.
- 2Build the investment portfolioPreparation
Agree the linked investment cases, company participation, costs incurred in less developed regions, co-financing and ownership/exploitation of results. If using cascade funding, design its separate open-call procedure.
- 3Assemble the proposal packBefore 12 November 2026
Register participants for PICs and prepare portal Parts A, B and C. Part B has a 70-page limit. Upload the consolidated budget and the coordinator’s S3 alignment self-declaration using the submission-system templates.
- 4Submit and undergo evaluationDeadline: 17:00 CET
Submit one complete proposal to the chosen 2026 investment call by 12 November 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels). This is a single-stage competition.
- 5Validate and signIndicative May–August 2027
If selected, complete validation and grant preparation. The call timetable anticipates results in May 2027 and signature in August 2027; these are indicative, not guaranteed payment dates.
What evaluators look for
Relevance
Regional and S3 fit, value-chain investment logic and contribution to the call objectives.
Quality
Credible work plan, consortium expertise, governance, implementation and risks.
Cost effectiveness
Proportionate and justified costs, allocations and resources.
Impact
Company investment, regional benefits, scale-up, follow-on investment and exploitation.
Overall threshold
Passing makes a proposal eligible for ranking within the available budget; it does not guarantee a grant.
Documents you'll need
Binding INV1 scope, consortium composition, budget, regional investment conditions, criteria and agreement rules.
- Contains:
- Binding INV1 scope, consortium composition, budget, regional investment conditions, criteria and agreement rules.
- Length:
- 41
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Binding INV2a conditions and its distinct consortium and less-developed-region value-chain requirements.
- Contains:
- Binding INV2a conditions and its distinct consortium and less-developed-region value-chain requirements.
- Length:
- 42
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Closed CAP2b round: eligibility, €500K–€1.5M normal grant request, 100% rate and no cascade funding.
- Contains:
- Closed CAP2b round: eligibility, €500K–€1.5M normal grant request, 100% rate and no cascade funding.
- Length:
- 30
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Multiannual policy and financing framework; €175,352,687 grant envelope is distinct from individual 2026 calls.
- Contains:
- Multiannual policy and financing framework; €175,352,687 grant envelope is distinct from individual 2026 calls.
- Length:
- 7
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Current linked country list: no participating non-EU country; do not substitute the Horizon Europe country list.
- Contains:
- Current linked country list: no participating non-EU country; do not substitute the Horizon Europe country list.
- Length:
- 1
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Legal regional categories for the 2021–2027 cohesion period; check each consortium location.
- Contains:
- Legal regional categories for the 2021–2027 cohesion period; check each consortium location.
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Official EISMEA session on strands, the budget template and financial support to third parties.
- Contains:
- Official EISMEA session on strands, the budget template and financial support to third parties.
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Official project portfolio and regional participation dashboard.
- Contains:
- Official project portfolio and regional participation dashboard.
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Access the current editable Part B, consolidated budget and coordinator S3 declaration in the submission system.
- Contains:
- Access the current editable Part B, consolidated budget and coordinator S3 declaration in the submission system.
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
Separate topic and application package for Strand 2a.
- Contains:
- Separate topic and application package for Strand 2a.
- Why:
- Use the official version relevant to your call year.
- When:
- During preparation and before submission
2026 Deadlines
- 2025-10-232025-10-23CAP2b opening
Historical capacity-building call.
- 2026-03-192026-03-19CAP2b closed
17:00 CET. €9.8M call budget; no longer accepts new applications.
- 2026-05-132026-05-13INV1 and INV2a opened
Two distinct investment topics.
- 2026-05-272026-05-27Investment-call information session
Historical recording and presentation remain useful.
- 2026-11-122026-11-12INV1 and INV2a deadline
17:00 CET (Brussels). €28.2M and €30.2M call budgets respectively.
- 2027-052027-05Investment-call results expected
Indicative timetable, not an application deadline.
- 2027-082027-08Investment grant signatures expected
Indicative, subject to successful grant preparation.
After you're funded
Validate beneficiaries, finalise responsibilities, co-financing, result ownership and the consortium agreement. Selection alone is not a signed grant.
Track eligible expenditure, SME/company support and the regional allocation conditions. Detailed budget reporting remains despite the simpler 2026 application table.
Publish the project’s calls and selection outcomes, handle conflicts fairly and retain selection/recipient evidence. Cascade funding cannot be introduced as an undocumented discretionary distribution.
Demonstrate the exploitation and continuation of the linked business cases and fulfil communication, dissemination and EU-funding visibility obligations.
Practical notes
Test the 50% less-developed-region expenditure condition and the company-investment allocation against the consolidated budget.
The 2026 application budget was simplified, but detailed reporting remains. Download editable forms from the submission system rather than completing public example PDFs.
The I3 Support Facility and Observatory provide ecosystem and funded-project information. Use them to identify complementary capabilities and experience, not as evidence of automatic admission to a consortium.
Key Features
Official links & resources
Frequently Asked Questions
The investment-call amount belongs to the whole consortium. An SME may be a consortium beneficiary or join a project’s separate cascade-funding competition; its share depends on that role and budget.
Strand 1 strengthens interregional value chains and requires the larger five-entity consortium. Strand 2a concentrates on connecting less developed and transition regions, with a three-entity minimum. Both require credible company investment cases and regional benefit.
Not as one central I3 startup round. Funded consortia publish their own competitions, normally open for at least two months. Their eligibility and dates must be checked individually. The parent call sets the ordinary €100K recipient ceiling; it is not an automatic award.
No. I3 has its own participation list. The currently linked official list says Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein do not participate and lists no other associated country. Read the call’s exceptional-funding and other-role provisions for a non-EU partner.
No. The 2026 capacity-building round closed on 19 March. It supports regional ecosystems, normally with €500K–€1.5M consortium grants over 18–24 months at 100%; it does not allow financial support to third parties.
The 2026 investment documents plan evaluation through April 2027, results in May and grant signature in August. These administrative milestones are indicative. Exact 2027 investment-call dates have not yet been published on the programme page.
Related Programmes
Horizon Cluster 4
Topic-specific project grants
View programme →STEP Platform
EIC STEP Scale Up: €10-30m per company (equity only); EIC STEP Defence Scale Up: €10-30m per company (equity only, deadline 28 Oct 2026)
View programme →Eurostars
National grant rates
View programme →EIT & the KICs
Call-specific grants, prizes, services or investment
View programme →Explore Further
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