Grant support for incubation and acceleration programmes in universities

The programme aims to develop incubation and acceleration programmes, support startups, technology transfer, investment readiness and innovation ecosystem development. Implemented under EU4Innovation East funded by the EU and co-funded by the French Government.

Who can apply:

• Ukrainian legal entities, including:
  • higher education institutions;
  • research organisations;
  • startup schools, incubators, and accelerators;
  • NGOs;
  • consortia.

Programme focus:

• The call focuses on supporting universities and innovation ecosystems;
• The selected organisation will implement a national incubation programme.

Implementation requirements:

• The programme must run for a minimum of 6 months;
• Cover at least 10 regions of Ukraine;
• Support at least 50 early-stage startups or innovators.

Priority sectors:

• AI, DeepTech, GreenTech, BioTech, MedTech, EdTech, Aerospace.

Within the grant programme, a limited but targeted financial envelope is предусмотрено.

Key parameters:

• The total available funding amounts to €150,000;
• One grant is expected to be awarded;
• Applicants must ensure at least 10% co-financing from non-EU sources.

Funding structure:

• Part of the budget may be allocated as sub-grants of up to €10,000 to support the most promising startups;
• The project duration must not exceed 12 months.

Purpose of funding:

• The funding is intended to support incubation programmes and startup development;
• Eligible beneficiaries include Ukrainian legal entities such as universities, incubators, accelerators, NGOs, public institutions, and consortia.

Core activities:

• Mentoring and startup support;
• Partnership development and matchmaking activities;
• Technology transfer support;
• Investment readiness preparation;
• Intellectual property guidance.

Mentor composition requirements:

• At least 50% of mentors must come from universities;
• At least 30% must be local or international experts with market-oriented experience.

Inclusiveness:

• The programme must ensure inclusive participation;
• Particular focus is placed on engaging:
  • women;
  • youth;
  • veterans;
  • internally displaced persons.

Main dates and stages:

• Online information session — 26 March 2026;
• Application deadline — 13 May 2026 (15:00, Paris time);
• Results notification — expected in early June 2026;
• Grant agreement signature — approximately 22 June 2026.

Implementation phase:

• The selected organisation will be responsible for delivering the national incubation programme;
• It will also ensure visibility and communication of support from the EU, the French Government, Expertise France, and EU4Innovation East throughout the project.

You can submit your application via the link.

The evaluation of applications within the programme follows a structured, multi-stage approach.

Evaluation stages:

• The process consists of two stages: concept note evaluation and full application assessment;
• Both documents must be submitted simultaneously, but the concept note is assessed first;
• Only proposals scoring at least 30 out of 50 points proceed to the next stage.

Final assessment:

• The maximum total score is 100 points;
• The final decision is based on the following criteria:
  • project relevance;
  • feasibility;
  • impact;
  • cost-effectiveness;
  • sustainability.

Information Session access link: https://zoom.us/j/94871106089?pwd=1yJlduP39VPX6P76Igv9ng3RWYdIjE.1

Key provisions:

• To ensure equal treatment of applicants, any clarifications provided during meetings may be summarised and published on the relevant platform;
• In case of discrepancies between information shared during meetings and official call documents, the Call for Project documents shall prevail.

Important:

• Official programme documents serve as the primary and authoritative source of rules and requirements;
• Applicants are expected to rely on the written conditions published within the call.