MAT4EU - Advanced Materials Innovation Open Call (Strand 1)
Funding for manufacturing SMEs to develop and adopt innovative advanced materials solutions through R&D and industrial uptake projects supporting green, digital and strategic autonomy objectives.
About
The MAT4EU Innovation Open Call provides financial and support services to manufacturing SMEs developing advanced materials solutions. It aims to strengthen innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness across European industrial ecosystems.
TYPE OF PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED: Projects focused on advanced materials development, testing, validation, or industrial adoption, including R&D activities, process optimisation, scaling, recycling technologies, AI-based tools, and integration into industrial value chains.
SECTORS / DOMAIN: Advanced materials (metals, ceramics, composites, polymers) applied in aerospace and defence, agri-food including packaging, renewable energy, construction, health, and mobility.
INDIVIDUAL OR CONSORTIUM: Applications must be submitted by a single SME. Collaboration with other entities is allowed only as service providers.
SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must be manufacturing SMEs established in EU Member States or countries associated with the Single Market Programme, working with at least one targeted material (metals, polymers, ceramics or composites) and sector (aerospace & defence, agri-food packaging, renewable energy, construction, health or mobility), and applying individually.
SPECIFIC TOPICS OR CHALLENGES: There aren't any specific challenges that must be adressed; however, emphasis may be placed on development of sustainable materials that substitute critical raw materials; technologies for the identification and characterisation of materials; development and upscaling of advanced recycling technologies; safe and sustainable by design materials; optimisation of materials for high value applications; use of AI tools for design and traceability; and pilot-scale testing, validation and industrial upscaling.
PROJECTS DURATION: 12 months (1 September 2026-31 August 2027).
BUDGET, FUNDING RATES AND PAYMENT CONDITIONS:
Funding rate: 75%
Budget conditions / limitations: fixed lump sum grant of 60,000€ with minimum project budget of 80,000€; minimum 25% private co-financing required (from debt or own financial resources, it cannot come from in-kind contributions or other public funding sources).
Payments: 40% pre-financing after contract signature and 60% after approval of final report.