The non-dilutive funding opportunities are updated thanks to the FFund team. Last update: Apr 18,, 2023. If any question, please contact Lorina Gjonaj, Operational Manager – M +316 347 340 00 | lorina.gjonai@ffund.nl
General non-dilutive instruments
Eurostars-3
Eurostars is a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission, co-funded from the national budgets of 36 Eurostars Participating States and Partner Countries and by the European Union. It aims to bring increased value to the economy, higher growth and more job opportunities. Eurostars supports international innovative projects led by research and development- performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (R&D-performing SMEs). With its bottom-up approach, Eurostars supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world. Eurostars has been carefully developed to meet the specific needs of SMEs. It is an ideal first step in international cooperation, enabling small businesses to combine and share expertise and benefit from working beyond national borders.
Funding Name: Eurostars
Funding Organization: Eureka
Amount of funding per project: €500K per partner (varies per country)
Funding versus total project costs: 35-45% of total project costs (varies per country)
Funding type: Subsidy
Close date: 2 deadlines/year (March 9, 2023 and September 2023 – specific date still unknown)
Duration of eligible projects: 36 months
Evaluation results expected: May 2023
Scope and Eligibility criteria:
– Programme supporting R&D performing SMEs and their partners
– The development of new products, processes, and services
– The budget (excluding subcontracting) of the R&D-performing SME is equal to at least 50.00% of the total project budget
– At least 2 different partners from 2 different Eurostars countries
– No organization can be responsible for more than 75% of the total project budget.
– No participants from a given country may be responsible for more than 75% of the total project budget
– The project must be completed in 36M or fewer and the market introduction (or the start of clinical trials for life sciences projects) is planned to occur within 24M of the project’s completion
– Two application submission deadlines annually
To qualify as an R&D-performing SME, an organization must first comply with the EC definition of an SME. In addition, it must also meet the thresholds for dedicated R&D FTEs or turnover set by EUREKA.This and all other eligibility criteria are described in detail in the Guidelines. An explanation of the eligibility criteria imposed by the programme and the method of calculation are provided in detail in the Eligibility Guidelines.
Procedure and application process: For more information click here.
EIC TRANSITION OPEN
EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory. It supports both the maturation and validation of your novel technology from the lab to the relevant application environments (by making use of prototyping, formulation, models, user testing or other validation tests) as well as explorations and development of a sustainable business case and business model towards commercialisation.
Funding Name: EIC Transition
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: Up to €2.5M (total budget €67M)
Funding versus total project costs: 100% of eligible costs
Close date: September 27, 2023
Duration of eligible projects: 3 years
Evaluation results expected: 5 months
Scope: EIC Transition aims at maturing both your technology and business idea thus increasing its technology and market readiness. The expected outcomes of your EIC Transition project are a) a technology that is demonstrated to be effective for its intended application and b) a business model, its initial validation and a business plan for its development to market. It is also expected that the intellectual property generated by your EIC Transition project is formally protected in an adequate way.
Your proposal must build on results (at least experimental proof of concept TRL 3, ideally technology validated in the lab TRL 4) already achieved within an eligible project. EIC Transition is restricted to proposals based on results generated by the following eligible projects:
– EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under EIC pilot Pathfinder, Horizon 2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive) and FET Flagships calls (including ERANET calls under the FET Work Programme).
– European Research Council Proof of Concept projects.
– European Defence Fund (EDF), including the Preparatory Action on Defence Research, research projects, but only for proposals which are exclusively focused on civil applications (including dual use).
Eligibility criteria: You can apply for EIC Transition either as:
– A single legal entity established in a Member State or an Associated Country (‘mono-beneficiary’) if you are a start-up, SME or research performing organisation (university, research or technology organization).
– A small consortium of two independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries, or
– A consortium of minimum three and maximum five independent legal entities.
Procedure and application process: For more information on procedures, click here.
EIC Accelerator OPEN
The EIC Accelerator supports high-risk, high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises and innovators to help them develop and bring onto the market new innovative products, services and business models that could drive economic growth. Selected companies receive funding and optional equity, and are offered business coaching and mentoring services to scale up their innovation idea. In addition, they receive acceleration services to connect with investors, corporates and likeminded entrepreneurs.
Funding Name: EIC Accelerator
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: € 0.5-2.5M (+€0.5-15M equity)
Funding versus total project costs: 70% of eligible costs (grant part)
Close date: 4 deadlines/year (upcoming call: June 7 and October 4, 2023)
Duration of eligible projects: 12-24 months (maximum)
Evaluation results expected: 3-6 weeks later (for 2nd and 3rd phase)
Scope: The EIC Accelerator helps you develop your business concept further into a market-ready product, service or process aligned with your company’s growth strategy. Activities could, for example, include trials, prototyping, validation, demonstration and testing in real-world conditions, and market replication. If the activity concerns a primarily technological innovation, a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6-8 is envisaged for projects requesting grants-only. Projects are able to receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants. They can request a higher or lower amount when applying if justified accordingly. Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases. Since 5 June 2019 the EIC Accelerator offers blended finance in the form of an optional investment in equity in addition to the grant, to single for-profit SMEs. Grants will finance activities from TRL 6-8. Activities above TRL 8 will be funded through equity. The equity part is optionable when applying for the EIC Accelerator. The maximum of investment in the form of equity is € 15 million.
Eligibility criteria: The EIC Accelerator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) with radically new ideas underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with ambitions to scale up. It targets for-profit SMEs only, including young companies and start-ups, from any sector – there are no set topics. Since 5 June 2019 only single companies (as opposed to consortia) can apply for EIC Accelerator. Companies that apply must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon 2020 associated country. Large corporates, research centers or scientists cannot apply directly but they can participate in projects as subcontractors or third parties and don’t need to be established in an EU Member State or associated country.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here. Please note that short application can be submitted any time.
EIC Accelerator challenge: Aerosol and surface decontamination for pandemic management
The EIC Accelerator supports high-risk, high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises and innovators to help them develop and bring onto the market new innovative products, services and business models that could drive economic growth. Selected companies receive funding and optional equity, and are offered business coaching and mentoring services to scale up their innovation idea. In addition, they receive acceleration services to connect with investors, corporates and likeminded entrepreneurs.
Funding Name: EIC Accelerator (€65M)
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: € 0.5-2.5M (+€0.5-15M equity)
Funding versus total project costs: 70% of eligible costs (grant part)
Close date: 4 deadlines/year (upcoming call: June 7 and October 4 2023)
Duration of eligible projects: 12-24 months (maximum)
Evaluation results expected: 3-6 weeks later (for 2nd and 3rd phase)
Scope: The proposals should target the development and commercialisation of technological solutions facilitating social interaction in the context of pandemic emergencies, by means of one or more of the three following approaches:
• Full systems for high-efficiency aerosol capture, pathogen deactivation and air circulation management in closed-environments (e.g., office space, in-flight, retail stores, etc.), including advanced air-filtering architectures and dynamic air circulation optimisation.
• Next-generation face mask technologies with smart filtration materials to exceed N95 performance at low airflow resistance, with improved retention/rejection of sub-micron particles
• Rapid surface decontamination devices beyond state-of-the-art UV-C irradiation systems and biocidal agent dispersion.
By reducing the need for social distancing in the event of infectious pandemics, this Challenge will empower society at large to sustain unaltered economic and social dynamics in the event of pandemic outbreaks.
Eligibility criteria: The EIC Accelerator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) with radically new ideas underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with ambitions to scale up. It targets for-profit SMEs only, including young companies and start-ups, from any sector – there are no set topics. Since 5 June 2019 only single companies (as opposed to consortia) can apply for EIC Accelerator. Companies that apply must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon 2020 associated country. Large corporates, research centers or scientists cannot apply directly but they can participate in projects as subcontractors or third parties and don’t need to be established in an EU Member State or associated country.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here. Please note that short application can be submitted any time.
HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-11-two-stage: Pandemic preparedness and
response: Adaptive platform trials for pandemic preparedness
This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination 3 “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to all of the following expected outcomes:
– A diverse and comprehensive EU landscape of multi-country adaptive platform trials (i.e. able to study multiple interventions in a disease or condition in a perpetual manner, thus allowing modification to the trial after its initiation without undermining its validity and integrity) that assess vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases, and have the capacity to pivot rapidly in the case of epidemic or pandemic health threats.
– Innovative and improved design of clinical studies, suited for pandemic preparedness, is available for the clinical research community, taking into account the high safety standards in the European regulatory environment.
– Trial sites across multiple countries have the capacity to deliver robust clinical evidence in a diverse European population, using harmonised research methods, data collection and analysis.
Funding Name: Pandemic preparedness and response: Adaptive platform trials for pandemic preparedness Research and Innovation Action call
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: € 8-10M (Total budget €30M)
Funding versus total project costs: 100%
Close date: Opening January 12, 2023
19 Sep 2023 (First Stage), 11 Apr 2024 (Second Stage)
Duration of eligible projects: Typically 4-5 years
Evaluation results expected: Typically 5 months
Scope: As shown by the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases remain a major threat to health and health security in the EU and globally. Health threats are expected to arise due to among others, climate change, and thus a need for proactive approaches to ensure timely availability of medical countermeasures during disease outbreaks is anticipated. The conduct of perpetual adaptive platform trials, with the in-built agility to pivot when an epidemic strikes, is key to be prepared for infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
Eligibility criteria: Proposals should address all of the following areas:
– Development of robust clinical evidence that contributes to the knowledge base for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Sex, gender, age, ethnicity and socio-economic factors should be taken into account.
– Known hurdles related to ethical, administrative, regulatory, legal and logistical aspects should be anticipated and addressed to the extent possible, in order to avoid such barriers when the trial needs to pivot in response to an epidemic or pandemic.
– Engagement with clinical researchers and biostatisticians, to increase capacity for the design and implementation of adaptive platform trials across Europe.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here.
Long-term engaging institutions and programmes
barda
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, was established to aid in securing our nation from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, as well as from pandemic influenza (PI) and emerging infectious diseases (EID). BARDA supports the transition of medical countermeasures such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics from research through advanced development towards consideration for approval by the FDA and inclusion into the Strategic National Stockpile. BARDA will draw on its extensive experience of successfully advancing promising medical countermeasures through late-stage development and provide $30 million during the project’s first year and up to $250 million during the five-year program.
Funding Name: Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Funding Organization: BARDA
Amount of funding per project: € No maximum
Funding versus total project costs: 100%
Close date: None
Duration of eligible projects: Up to 5 years
Evaluation results expected: Unspecified
Scope: Due to the COVID-19 response, any white papers or full proposal submissions, other than those that are in support of COVID-19, will be put into a queue. Once the response to COVID-19 has subsided, we will resume normal review of submissions for other research areas of interest. BARDA will not be able to meet the timelines highlighted in the Broad Agency Announcement.
COVID-19 response related Areas of Interest includes:
• AOI 7.7.1 Diagnostic Assay for Human Coronaviruses
• AOI 7.7.2 Diagnostic Assay for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus
• AOI 7.7.3 Diagnostic Assay for Detection of COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibodies
• AOI 7.7.5 Screening Tests at Point of Care (2-minute Time to Result)
• AOI 9.2 COVID-19 Therapeutics
• AOI 17 Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
Eligibility:
Applicants can be from any country.
Applicants may include single entities or teams from private sector organizations, government laboratories, and academic institutions.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here.
carb-x
Co-founded by BARDA, CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership funding new antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics, and other products to prevent, diagnose and treat life-threatening bacterial infections. CARB-X’s Global Accelerator Network provides business, scientific, and technical expertise to CARB-X-funded product developers to support their antibacterial research projects focused on the most serious drug-resistant bacteria identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Funding Name: CARB-X
Funding Organization: CARB-X
Amount of funding per project: Total budget €480M
Funding versus total project costs: Unspecified
Close date: Unspecified
Duration of eligible projects: Unspecified
Evaluation results expected: Unspecified
Scope: The scope of CARB-X is to target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the ‘Antibiotic Resistant Threats in the United States’ report published by the CDC in 2013 or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO in 2017 – with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list.
Eligibility:
There are currently no new funding rounds scheduled at the moment.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here.
InnovFin Infectious Diseases
The InnovFin Infectious Diseases Finance Facility (IDFF) provides financial products ranging from standard debt to equity-type financing for amounts typically between €7.5 million and €75 million, to innovative players active in developing innovative vaccines, drugs, medical and diagnostic devices or novel research infrastructures for combatting infectious diseases.
Funding Name: InnovFin Infectious Disease
Funding Organization: European Investment Bank
Amount of funding per project: €7.5-75M
Funding versus total project costs: Unspecified
Close date: Unspecified
Duration of eligible projects: Unspecified
Evaluation results expected: Unspecified
Scope: Project costs may include clinical trial costs, set-up of commercialisation such as market access, development of prototypes or industrial roll-out of novel equipment, pre-clinical R&D costs and working capital requirement.
The product is being made available directly through the European Investment Bank.In addition, it should have passed successfully through the pre-clinical stage or through the proof-of-concept stage (in the case of medical and diagnostic devices). Funding can be invested in research infrastructure that provides facilities, resources and related services for use by the scientific community to conduct top-level research in the ID field.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for InnovFin Infectious Diseases Finance Facility (IDFF) funding, counterparties must comply with the following criteria:
The promoter should be a large pharmaceutical company, a mid-cap or a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), a research institute/organisation, a university, a non-profit entity or a special-purpose vehicle (SPV). Promoters, sponsors and/or operators must be willing to substantially co-fund the project.
Procedure and application process: For more information, click here.