Bulgarian innovative small and medium-sized enterprises can apply until 1 December 2026 for €60,000 in grant funding to explore and validate their innovative solutions in markets beyond Europe.
The fifth call for proposals under Innowwide is now open. The programme is funded by the European Union under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and implemented through the Eureka Network.
Innowwide supports innovative SMEs in assessing the market potential, technical feasibility and international commercialisation prospects of new products, processes and services.
The programme funds six-month Market Feasibility Projects targeting countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, in collaboration with local partners.
Funding Opportunities
The fifth call has a total budget of €4.2 million, with funding available for 70 projects.
Each successful project receives a fixed grant of €60,000, covering up to 70% of eligible project costs. The minimum total eligible project budget is €86,000.
Funding is disbursed in two instalments:
- €42,000 (70%) - pre-financing at the start of project implementation;
- €18,000 (30%) - final payment following project completion and acceptance of the final report.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants are innovative SMEs legally established in Bulgaria or another eligible country, subject to the call’s eligibility requirements.
Key conditions include:
- The SME must have been legally established for at least two years before the submission deadline - on or before 1 December 2024.
- The applicant must not have received funding under a previous Innowwide call.
- The project must involve an independent local partner in the target country acting as the main subcontractor.
- The innovation must have reached at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4, without exceeding TRL 8 in the target market.
- Projects must have a duration of six months and focus exclusively on civilian applications.
The call is open to all technological fields and industry sectors, without predefined thematic priorities.
What Activities Are Supported?
Innowwide enables SMEs to assess the commercial potential of their innovations in a specific international market through activities such as:
- market demand and competitive landscape analysis;
- assessment of technical, regulatory and legal conditions;
- adaptation and validation of innovative solutions to local market needs;
- evaluation of opportunities for future technological cooperation and commercialisation.
Application Deadline and Procedure
Deadline: 1 December 2026, 14:00 CET (15:00 Bulgarian time).
Applications must be submitted in English, electronically through Eureka’s SmartSimple platform. Applicants should carefully review the official guidelines and secure the required commitment from their local partner before submission.
Useful links:
The Bulgarian National Innovation Fund encourages innovative SMEs to explore the opportunities for international growth, technological cooperation and market expansion offered through Eureka initiatives.
Innowwide is centrally funded under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. Funding under this call is not provided from the National Innovation Fund’s budget.
The National Innovation Fund (NIF) is part of the Ministry of Innovation and Digital Transformation, which brings together technology, capital and a strategic vision for a modern, secure and competitive ecosystem for citizens and businesses