Deadline Date: November 12, 2026
The Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provides support to interregional cooperation in innovation by helping regions scale up and commercialise mature innovations while strengthening European value chains and reducing the innovation divide across the European Union.
The call focuses on Digital transition, Green transition, and Smart manufacturing. It supports the scaling-up and commercialisation of interregional innovation projects in shared or complementary Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) areas. The programme promotes innovation diffusion, industrial deployment, technology transfer, business investment planning, capability building, market uptake, and stronger integration of less developed and transition regions into European value chains. It also aims to reinforce interregional cooperation, strengthen innovation ecosystems, improve SME participation, foster follow-up investment opportunities, and contribute to the EU’s competitiveness, sustainability, resilience, and twin transition goals.
The initiative encourages collaboration between companies, intermediaries, public authorities, and innovation ecosystems across regions. Special emphasis is placed on the participation of enterprises, particularly SMEs, in driving deployment, scale-up, and market uptake activities. Projects should demonstrate balanced participation between regions with varying levels of development and innovation performance.
Projects are also expected to deliver practical and evidence-based policy recommendations for regional, national, and European policymakers. These recommendations should address barriers, enabling conditions, investment needs, and strategies for wider deployment and stronger participation of less developed and transition regions in European value chains.
The total funding available under the I3-2026-INV2a – I3 Project Grants call is €30,200,000. Eligible applicants must be legal entities, either public or private bodies, established in EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories, or in eligible EEA and associated countries participating in the I3 Instrument.
International organisations are eligible to participate, while EU bodies, except the European Commission Joint Research Centre, cannot be part of the consortium. Natural persons are generally not eligible, except self-employed individuals operating as sole traders. Entities without legal personality may participate under specific conditions, and entities from non-EU countries may exceptionally receive funding if their participation is considered essential for the project implementation.
For more information, visit European Commission.
