Innovation Projects 2026

Operator: EIT Culture & Creativity. Programme: Horizon Europe – EIT Culture & Creativity, Innovation Projects. Instrument: grant. Who can apply: Polish startups, scale-ups, SMEs and larger companies operating in or directly serving architecture, audiovisual media or fashion may submit stage-one proposals. Intake: Stage 1 deadline: 30 October 2026, 17:00 CET; Stage 2 deadline: 15 March 2027, 17:00 CET.

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Innovation Projects 2026 | EIT Culture & Creativity • • • •

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Innovation Projects

EIT Culture & Creativity invites proposals for high-impact, close-to-market innovations, to receive support in accelerating progression from TRL 7 to full market deployment across the architecture, audio-visual media and fashion sectors.

A two-stage application process is applied to de-risk investment and ensure quality, maturity and scalability, followed by a project implementation phase for the proposals selected for funding.

• Stage 1 – Concept Validation Applicants submit a short proposal presenting their innovation concept, TRL 7 maturity, and preliminary market, IP and regulatory considerations.

• Stage 2 – Feasibility & Commercialisation Planning Selected stage 1 applicants receive a EUR 20 000 lump sum to develop a Business Development Plan covering market validation, IP and regulatory mapping, and a commercialisation strategy. The completed plan is submitted alongside the full project proposal.

• Project Implementation – Selected stage 2 projects may receive up to EUR 900 000 per project over 18 months, focusing on market entry, scaling and revenue generation. Financial sustainability is embedded through Revenue Sharing or SAFE mechanisms.

Learn more through our webinar

• 7 October 2026 | 10:00 CET

Introduction to the call, focus & scope.

Full presentation available here

Watch the recording

Key Dates

Estimated funding

Who can apply?

KPI equirements

Scope and topics

How to apply?

Key documents

Support

Apply to call

KEY DATES

All indicative

Call opening

25 September 2026

Application deadlines

STAGE 1

30 October 2026, 17:00 CET (Berlin time)

STAGE 2

15 March 2027, 17:00 CET (Berlin time)

Evaluation of proposals

STAGE 1

November – December 2026

Stage 2

March – May 2027

Communication of results

Stage 1

Mid-December 2026

Stage 2

Mid-May 2027

Publication of results

Stage 1

Mid-January 2027

Stage 2

Mid-June 2027

Tentative start of projects

STAGE 1

February 2027

STAGE 2

July 2027

Tentative end of projects

STAGE 2

December 2028 (latest 31 December 2028, 18 months from project start)

Total estimated EIT funding allocated to this call

TOTAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT

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€ 600 000

stage 1

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€ 9 900, 000

STAGE 2

PER PROJECT

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€ 20,000

STAGE 1

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€ 900,000

stage 2

• Number of grants: Up to 30 projects in stage 1 and up to 11 projects in stage 2.

• Reimbursement rate (stage two only): EIT Culture & Creativity financial support may reimburse up to 70% of the total eligible project costs. The remaining costs must be covered by the applicant or consortium members through own resources or other eligible non-EU sources. In consortium projects, each project participant's reimbursement rate is set at 70% of their respective eligible costs. Costs already funded by other EU programmes or sources cannot be reimbursed, in order to avoid double funding. Costs alread.y funded by other EU programmes or sources cannot be reimbursed, in order to avoid double funding

Who can apply

This call is open to legal entities established in an eligible country under Horizon Europe – EU Member States (including outermost regions), linked Overseas Countries and Territories, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, or certain low-and middle-income countries – unless otherwise specified in the call guidelines. Third countries associated to Horizon Europe must already be formally associated by the launch time of the calls.

• Stage 1: Proposals may be submitted by a single legal entity (startup, scale-up, SME, or larger company) operating within or in direct service of architecture, audio-visual media, or fashion sectors. Research organisations, universities, and cultural institutions are not eligible as sole applicants. The applicant must demonstrate technical capacity to progress from TRL 7 to TRL 9, hold clear IP ownership or licensing rights, and be capable of managing project delivery and reporting. Stage 1 applicants are strongly encouraged to identify a commercialisation partner early, as stage 2 requires a consortium.

• Stage 2: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of two to three independent legal entities:

• Project coordinator: The stage 1 applicant.

• Commercialisation project partner: A mandatory project partner with demonstrable capacity in market deployment, scaling, or revenue generation – such as distribution, licensing, investor relations, or sector-specific market access. May be a startup, scale-up, SME, larger company, accelerator, business support organisation, or industry association. Research organisations, universities, or cultural institutions may participate only where they can demonstrate a direct contribution to the commercialisation pathway.

• Additional project partner: Optional, providing supplementary project support.

KPI REQUIREMENTS

Stage two participants should achieve the following targets, aligned with EIT Culture & Creativity’s key performance indicators (KPIs)

Mandatory KPIs:

• EITHE01.1 – Intellectual property rights (minimum target: 1)

• EITHE02.1 – Innovations launched on the market (minimum target: 1)

• EITHE02.4 – Innovations launched on the market with sales revenue of at least EUR 10 000 (minimum target: 1) (if applicable)

Optional KPIs:

• EITH04.1 – Startups created (minimum target 1)

• EITH04.4 – Startups created with financial transactions of at least EUR 10 000 (minimum target: 1) (if applicable)

Scope and topics of the call

This call targets high-impact innovations in three sectors: Architecture, Audio-Visual Media, and Fashion. Projects must demonstrate a credible pathway from TRL 7 to full market deployment (TRL 9).

• Architecture – circular construction, climate adaptation, socially inclusive design.

• Audio-Visual Media – responsible AI, IP monetisation, European AVM competitiveness.

• Fashion – circularity, digitalisation, and competitiveness across an SME-dominated sector.

Cross-cutting requirements: All proposals must address structural CCSI challenges (innovation implementation, venture scaling, or IP exploitation), include an IP strategy, regulatory analysis, and commercialisation plan, contribute to the EIT Culture & Creativity Strategic Agenda 2024–2027, and integrate Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) principles.

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How to apply

Admissibility and eligibility criteria:

• For the admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and portfolio selection criteria please see the