Small and medium businesses (SMEs) play a significant role in the European Economy. They make up the vast majority of existing businesses and are critical contributors to employment and economic development. Small Businesses account for about 99% of all EU enterprises, employ around 100 million people, and contribute half of Europe’s GDP.
European SMEs are innovators bringing solutions to deal with global challenges like climate change. They also play a crucial role in the European twin transition to a more sustainable and digital economy. These funding calls for small businesses can help you start a small business, make it grow and scale-up in the single market and beyond.
6 funding calls for small businesses
Title: SME friendly training for Central Purchasing Bodies (CPBs)
Programme: SMP-COSME-2021-TSMFRIEND-01
Budget: € 2,000,000
Description: The objective of this initiative is to improve the administrative capacity of the staff with key procurement functions in the Member States.
The initiative is expected to generate a significant impact, given the procurement volume of CPBs operating in Europe at national, regional or local level. Increasing the administrative capacity will also facilitate access of SMEs to public procurement and foster the use of strategic procurement (procurement of innovation, green procurement and social procurement).
This initiative follows the successful implementation of the pilot training course in 2018- 2019 and its follow up in 2020-21.
Deadline: 18/05/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, see here.
Title: Information and training measures for workers' organisations
Programme: SOCPL-2022-INFO-WK
Budget: € 6,670,000
Description: This call aims at strengthening the capacity of workers' organisations to address, at EU/transnational level, challenges related to changes in employment and work and social dialogue.
Themes and priorities
Actions that address the following themes will be particularly welcome:
- modernisation of the labour market, job creation and youth employment, employment in SMEs;
- new forms of work and platform work;
- quality of work, health and safety at work, anticipation, preparation and management of change and restructuring;
- the climate neutral and digital transitions;
- skills development including re- and upskilling; skills intelligence;
- intra-EU labour mobility, migration;
- reconciliation of work and family life, gender equality, action in the field of anti-discrimination, active ageing, healthier and longer working lives, active inclusion and decent working conditions, modernisation of social protection systems;
- tackling the employment, social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, and the particular role of workers’ organisations / social partners, in this respect.
Deadline: 01/06/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, check here.
Title: Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
Programme: SMP-COSME-2021-EYE-01
Budget: € 10,000,000
Description: Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a cross-border exchange programme which gives new or aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other Participating Countries, while giving experienced entrepreneurs access to innovative ideas and new partners markets.
The general objective of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme is to enhance entrepreneurship, develop the international outlook and competitiveness of European SMEs and foster potential start-up entrepreneurs and newly-established micro and small enterprises in the Participating Countries.
Deadline: 08/06/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, see here.
Title: EU Prize for Rising Innovators
Programme: HORIZON-EIC-2022-RisingInnovatorsPrize
Budget: € 300,000 & € 150,000
Description: The opportunities created by novel technologies and disruptive innovations promise to deliver the fair and sustainable recovery Europe needs. But Europe risks missing out on these opportunities if half its population is overlooked as a source of innovation and creative talent.
The EU Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind game-changing innovations. In doing so, the EU seeks to raise awareness of the need for more women innovators and create role models for women and girls everywhere.
The Prize is awarded to the women who have created the largest impact on the EU innovation ecosystem by transforming ideas into new and advanced products and services to benefit people and planet.
The Prize is launched and managed by the Agency, and the winners are chosen by an independent expert jury.
There are two prize categories: Women Innovators and Rising Innovators. In the first category, three prizes of EUR 100,000 each are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications. In the second category, three prizes of EUR 50,000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications from promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of 35.
Deadline: 18/08/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, see here.
Title: EU Prize for Women Innovators
Programme: HORIZON-EIC-2022-WomenInnovatorsPrize
Budget: € € 300,000 & € 150,000
Description: The opportunities created by novel technologies and disruptive innovations promise to deliver the fair and sustainable recovery Europe needs. But Europe risks missing out on these opportunities if half its population is overlooked as a source of innovation and creative talent.
The EU Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind game-changing innovations. In doing so, the EU seeks to raise awareness of the need for more women innovators and create role models for women and girls everywhere.
The Prize is awarded to the women who have created the largest impact on the EU innovation ecosystem by transforming ideas into new and advanced products and services to benefit people and planet.
The Prize is launched and managed by the Agency, and the winners are chosen by an independent expert jury.
There are two prize categories: Women Innovators and Rising Innovators. In the first category, three prizes of EUR 100,000 each are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications. In the second category, three prizes of EUR 50,000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked applications from promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of 35.
Deadline: 18/08/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, see here.
Title: Facing Societal Challenges category
Programme: HORIZON-EIC-2022-InnovationProcurementAwardsPrize2
Budget: € 300,000
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global context and created an opportunity for the EU to redefine and affirm its role as a leader to achieve the necessary transformations ahead. Innovation procurement should play a key role to supporting the European priorities set up in the Green Deal and to securing the European technological sovereignty.
Innovation procurement boosts the process of transforming research results and ideas into innovative solutions. It represents an untapped potential to stimulate the demand for innovation. By using innovation procurement, the public and private sectors can provide state-of-the-art services and goods to the society and, at the same time, offer new growth and commercialisation opportunities for suppliers of disruptive solutions, particularly start-ups and SMEs.
The European Innovation Procurement Awards aim to recognise public and private buyers, natural persons and those legal entities supporting these practices across Europe in their efforts to promote and stimulate innovation procurement and the innovative ways the solutions are procured.
The Awards also aims to demonstrate how innovation procurement positively transforms the economy by not only creating new and sustainable markets, but also by tackling societal challenges such as climate change.
These Awards complement other EIC initiatives aimed at supporting and fostering innovation procurement in the European Union.
Deadline: 22/06/2022
For more information on this funding call for small businesses, see here.
The above calls are only some of the EU funding calls for small businesses that are currently open. To find more funding calls for SMEs you can register to the EUcalls platform for free. As an EUcalls member, you can explore more funding opportunities for SMEs and a community of thousands of experienced EU project partners to collaborate with.
