The EU4Innovation East Call for Projects aims to support the development of incubation and acceleration programmes within academic environments in Ukraine. The initiative is part of the broader EU4Innovation East regional project, funded by the European Union, co-funded by the French Government, and implemented by Expertise France. The programme seeks to strengthen the startup ecosystem across the Eastern Partnership region and contribute specifically to Ukraine’s economic resilience and innovation capacity during recovery.
The call focuses on supporting universities and academia-based innovation ecosystems through the development of a national incubation programme. The selected beneficiary will implement a structured programme targeting students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs, helping them transform innovative ideas into scalable startups. The incubation programme must run for a minimum of six months, operate in at least ten regions of Ukraine, and support a minimum of 50 early-stage startups or innovators working in strategic sectors such as AI, DeepTech, GreenTech, BioTech, MedTech, EdTech, and Aerospace.
The total funding available for the call is €150,000, with one grant expected to be awarded. Applicants must provide at least 10% co-financing from non-EU sources. The project duration may not exceed 12 months, and part of the funding may be redistributed as sub-grants (up to €10,000 per beneficiary) to support the most promising startups emerging from the incubation programme. Eligible applicants include Ukrainian legal entities such as universities, incubators, accelerators, startup schools, NGOs, public institutions, and relevant consortiums.
The programme must include activities such as mentoring, matchmaking, technology transfer support, investment readiness, and intellectual property guidance. At least 50% of mentors should come from participating universities, while at least 30% should be local or international experts with market-oriented experience. The project should also ensure inclusive participation, particularly encouraging involvement of women, youth, veterans, and internally displaced persons.
The application process consists of two evaluation stages. Applicants must submit both a concept note and a full application simultaneously, although the concept note will be evaluated first. Proposals scoring at least 30 points out of 50 at the concept note stage will proceed to the full application evaluation. The final assessment will consider project relevance, feasibility, sustainability, impact, and cost-effectiveness, with a maximum score of 100 points.
Key dates for the call include an online information session on 26 March 2026, while the deadline for submitting applications is 13 May 2026 at 15:00 (Paris time). After evaluation, Expertise France plans to notify applicants of the results by early June 2026, with the grant contract expected to be signed around 22 June 2026. The selected organization will be responsible for implementing the national incubation programme and ensuring visibility of the EU, the French Government, Expertise France, and EU4Innovation East throughout the project.
Information Session access link: https://zoom.us/j/94871106089?pwd=1yJlduP39VPX6P76Igv9ng3RWYdIjE.1
Please note that, in order to ensure equal treatment of all applicants, any relevant clarifications arising from the meeting may be summarised and published on the POPs platform. In case of any discrepancy between the information provided during the meeting and the Call for Project documents, the Call for Project documents shall prevail.