Deadline Date: February 27, 2026
The Standards & Awards Grant Scheme is currently accepting applications to help SMEs prepare for and achieve recognized standards or awards, enhancing competitiveness, credibility, and operational excellence.
The focus areas, include promoting entrepreneurship and the economic exploitation of new ideas, fostering the creation of new firms including through business incubators, enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs, facilitating job creation in SMEs, promoting innovative and smart economic transformation, strengthening alignment with industry standards and best practices, promoting quality, efficiency, sustainability, and innovation within business operations, facilitating entry into new markets, and encouraging a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
This scheme supports SMEs in improving internal management frameworks and operational structures rather than fulfilling regulatory requirements or obtaining product-specific certifications. The program is designed to operate until 31st December 2026, with an initial budget of €500,000. Grants cover part of the eligible costs, with a maximum of €15,000 per application, which can increase to €20,000 for applicants seeking to achieve more than two standards or awards through the same service provider in a single application.
Eligible participants are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises actively trading for at least one year, irrespective of legal form, and registered under the applicable legal framework if not vested with a legal personality. This scheme aims to strengthen SMEs’ capacity for growth, innovation, and international competitiveness.
For more information, visit FONDI.eu.
