Deadline Date: November 26, 2025
The INSPIRES Project has launched a new Call for Applicants to support collaborative initiatives led by tourism small and medium-sized enterprises aiming to strengthen sustainability, digitalization, and resilience within the tourism sector.
This effort aligns with the European Union’s Transition Pathway for Tourism and the broader objectives of the Single Market Programme, recognizing the need to transform tourism models to be more environmentally responsible, technologically adaptive, and resilient to economic and climate-related stresses.
The call seeks proposals from groups of two to five independent partners, of which at least half must be tourism SMEs. Each partnership should work together to develop and test solutions that reduce environmental impact, enhance operational efficiency, improve visitor experiences, and strengthen community value. Projects may focus on areas such as reducing emissions and waste, integrating digital booking and customer systems, improving energy efficiency, or building management strategies that help tourism businesses withstand future disruptions. Collaboration is encouraged to broaden expertise, share resources, and generate solutions that can serve as models for sustainable tourism across the region.
Under this call, up to ten collaborative projects will be selected in each participating country. Two funding tracks are available: PIONEER projects, which will receive €15,000 each, and INSPIRER projects, which will receive €25,000 each. These grants are intended to support tourism SMEs in Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Poland, and Spain in developing practical innovations that strengthen environmental responsibility and business performance. The funding is designed not only to support the implementation of new practices and tools but also to help SMEs build the capacity needed to continue advancing sustainability and digital readiness over time.
To be eligible, tourism SMEs must be legally established in one of the six participating countries and meet the EU definition of an SME: fewer than 250 employees and either an annual turnover of no more than €50 million or a balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million. Applicants must have completed at least one full financial year and demonstrate that their business contributes directly or indirectly to the tourism ecosystem. Partner organizations may include non-tourism entities, provided they bring relevant expertise and are legally independent from other partners in the consortium. Each organization may only participate in one project.
This call offers tourism SMEs the opportunity to take meaningful steps toward sustainability, adapt to current digital expectations, and strengthen their resilience for the future—while doing so collaboratively, in a way that supports shared learning and sector-wide transformation.
For more information, visit INSPIRES Tourism.
