Open Call: FU-TOURISM Accelerator Programme

The objective of the FU-TOURISM Acceleration Programme is to select and support innovative solutions (projects, processes, services and/or business models) of individual SMEs, advancing sustainability and digitalization within the tourism sector across Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Poland, and Spain. Α total of 60 SMEs will be supported through an 8-month programme which offers a blended approach of funding and comprehensive learning and training support to drive innovation in the tourism industry. Business proposals must present projects involving one or more innovative elements (new processes, products, and/or business models) in the sense of a structured and strategic approach that develops, implements, and enables the scalability of the solutions for a sustainable, digital, and inclusive tourism. These innovations should clearly contribute to enhancing and transforming the tourism sector or its ecosystem and respond to the crucial challenges of tourism and connected sectors defined through the FU-TOURISM project priority mapping process.

FU-TOURISM Accelerator aims to transform promising innovative ideas into marketable and/or replicable and/or scalable products, services, or business models that will be able to contribute to the shaping of the future of sustainable and digital tourism in the target pilot destinations, the 6 pilot countries and beyond.

By combining financial support with expert guidance and a tailored learning path, FU-TOURISM aims to accelerate the growth and impact of these innovative SMEs, fostering a more resilient and forward-thinking tourism ecosystem across the participating countries.

Challenges

• The FU-TOURISM acceleration program supports the EU’s ambitions to address common challenges in the tourism sector through innovative solutions that transform the tourism ecosystem. The selected SMEs will contribute to solving the priority challenges identified in the FU-TOURISM project mapping process, which serve as a reference to define the innovative solutions eligible under this call. These challenges include:
  • Sustainability: Need for responsible tourism practices that minimize ecological impact.
  • Digitalization: Adoption of technologies to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.
  • Inclusiveness: Promoting social and economic inclusion in tourism, ensuring access to opportunities.
  • Adaptation to New Trends: Responding to changes in the expectations and behaviors of post-pandemic consumers.
  • Cross-sectoral Collaboration: Strengthen cooperation between businesses, governments and local communities to create a more resilient tourism.

Benefits

• Tailored business support services (Capacity Building Programme), which include:
  • Interactive training workshops on key tourism innovation topics.
  • 10 hours of free, mandatory, mentoring sessions with industry experts.
  • Networking opportunities with peers and potential partners and/or investors

Funding Information

• Funding of €20,000 (lump sum) to implement their innovative projects. Funding rate: 100%. It is expected that around 8 to 14 proposals will be funded per eligible country.

Eligible Projects

• Business proposals must present projects involving one or more innovative elements (new processes, products, and/or business models) in the sense of a structured and strategic approach that develops, implements, and enables the scalability of the solutions for a sustainable, digital, and inclusive tourism. These innovations should clearly contribute to enhancing and transforming the tourism sector or its ecosystem and respond to the crucial challenges of tourism and connected sectors defined through the FU-TOURISM project priority mapping process.

Eligibility Criteria

• All applications will first undergo a rigorous eligibility check to ensure they meet the basic requirements:
  • The applicant is a legally established SME, registered as a legal entity for at least 6 months prior to the application deadline in one of the eligible countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Poland or Spain).
  • The application is submitted via the online platform before the deadline, along with the required supporting documents.
  • The application is complete and in English.
  • The proposal presents an innovative project, not already funded elsewhere.
  • The applicant is submitting only one proposal per VAT number.
  • No conflicts of interest exist. SMEs that are partners of FU-TOURISM are not eligible.

For more information, visit European Union.