New EU Grants: Cybersecurity and Climate + Subsdy Updates

I just posted the newest EU grant additions to Subsdy (AI grant discovery platform), so here is a short summary of what's new (added between October 23rd and 28th)!

SME Cybersecurity Solutions

This EU grant supports developing cybersecurity tools specifically for small and medium enterprises. The program provides €3 million per project (5 grants total) to create comprehensive cyber toolkits including risk assessment, vulnerability alerts, and incident reporting services. Eligible applicants include technology companies, cybersecurity firms, and public entities.

Cybersecurity Preparedness Testing

This EU grant strengthens cybersecurity preparedness across critical sectors like energy, transport, and healthcare. The program offers €1.5 million per project (6 grants total) for vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and digital security tools. Eligible applicants include government agencies, CSIRTs, critical infrastructure operators, and cybersecurity SMEs.

Undersea Cable Security Hubs

This EU grant establishes four regional cybersecurity hubs to protect critical undersea cables across European sea basins. The program provides €3 million per hub (4 grants total) for threat detection, information sharing, and incident management systems. Eligible applicants include public authorities, national cybersecurity agencies, and cable operators, with consortium participation required.

AI-Powered Cybersecurity Tools

This EU grant develops AI-based cybersecurity tools for Cyber Hubs and CSIRTs across Europe. The program offers €3-5 million per project (4 grants total) for AI solutions that improve threat detection, vulnerability management, and incident response. Eligible applicants include tool providers, Cyber Hubs, national authorities, and research institutions, with consortium participation required.

Climate Transition Framework Loans

This EU grant provides blended financing (grants + EIB loans) for public sector climate transition projects. The program offers grants covering 15-25% of loan value for renewable energy, green mobility, and digitalization projects. Eligible applicants include local and regional authorities, with minimum loan requirements of €12.5 million.

Climate Transition Standalone Projects

This EU grant supports individual sustainable projects in regions transitioning to climate neutrality. The program offers €0.75-7.18 million per project for renewable energy, sustainable mobility, and digital infrastructure initiatives. Eligible applicants include municipalities, regional authorities, and state-owned enterprises.

Regional Innovation Capacity Building

This EU grant strengthens innovation ecosystems in less developed regions through coordinated investments and capacity building. The program offers grants covering 70% of project costs for digital transformation, green initiatives, and smart manufacturing projects. Eligible applicants include public authorities, companies, and SMEs, with consortium participation required (3-5 partners from different EU states).

The new post can be found here with all the details: Subsdy News

Updates to Subsdy

I've been working on improving Subsdy over the last few weeks and will continue to do so in the following months. There are a few things in the pipeline that I think are really going to help applicants find good grants, such as a chat-based agent mode and also support for proposal writing. These are not live yet, but are going to come soon.

Last week, I made improvements that are already live on Subsdy:

• Reasoning: Advanced reasoning for all AI Grant matches that has dramatically improved the quality of the matches and the scoring.
• Filters: You can now filter by the time when the matching occurred. So, if you match again today, then you can just filter by the last 24 hours and it will only show you the newest matches, instead of showing you all your existing matches.
• Details: The information pages for every grant now allow you to copy everything as markdown, in case you want to use it for an LLM. There is also an "open" or "closed" indicator for each grant and you can find the update log at the bottom to check if this grant has recently been updated by the EU.

Tip: Always create a draft early!

One extremely underrated tip that I keep reminding applicants of is to always create a draft in the funding and tenders portal once you're interested in a grant. You should do this as soon as you set your eyes on the grant, even if you have not prepared anything yet, because as soon as you create a draft, you will receive notifications from the EU if anything changes. If a deadline changes, then you'll receive an email, but you do not receive an email if you wait until the last minute to do the submission.

Prepare the submission on day one, so that you are notified of everything.

Get Support

Need help with the EIC Accelerator or other grants? Here are some options:

• Starter Pack (lowest-risk entry with AI writer): The Starter Pack contains all the templates you will need and detailed instructional modules in video and text form. This is a very comprehensive package that will tell you everything you need to know based on previously successful applications. This includes free credits for ChatEIC, the EIC Accelerator AI writer. Learn more about the Starter Pack.
• Advisory (personalized support): You write in-house but receive personal 1-on-1 support from me, templates, instructions, and reviews of all documents. Personal strategy calls and reviews to perfect every section. This also includes an AI tool for Step 1 as well as guidance on using AI for the proposal writing. Strategy calls cover the specific templates as well as the EIC criteria and use of AI tools. Pitch coaching for the interviews and support for all resubmissions are included as well. Learn more about the Advisory service.
• Writing (complete end-to-end service): All proposal sections are written for you and submitted on your behalf with minimum input from your side. Pitch coaching for the interviews and support for all resubmissions are included as well. Learn more about the Writing service.
• Review (personal review): Get a personal review of your grant proposal with detailed comments. Learn more about the Review service.
• Quick Writing (professional Step 1 proposal): 50% off on a professional Step 1 proposal from an expert consultant with the help of AI. Learn more about the Quick Writing service.

Other resources:

• Subsdy: Looking for the perfect grant opportunity in the EU? There are hundreds of active grants and tenders (usually multiple added a day!), so feel free to try out Subsdy, the AI tool for grant discovery.
• Subsdy News: Find the newest Grant Updates here: Subsdy News
• Sharing: Recommend this newsletter to a friend: Newsletter

These tips are not only useful for European startups, professional writers, consultants and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) but are generally recommended when writing a business plan or investor documents.

Deadlines: Post-Horizon 2020, the EIC Accelerator accepts Step 1 submissions now while the deadlines for the full applications (Step 2) under Horizon Europe are listed below. The Step 1 applications must be submitted weeks in advance of Step 2. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off for Step 2 (full proposal) can be found here. After Brexit, UK companies can still apply to the EIC Accelerator under Horizon Europe albeit with non-dilutive grant applications only - thereby excluding equity-financing. Switzerland has resumed its participation in Horizon Europe and is now eligible for the EIC Accelerator.

Contact: You can reach out to us via this contact form to work with a professional consultant.

AI Grant Writer: ChatEIC is a fully automated EIC Accelerator grant proposal writer: Get it here.

EIC Accelerator: EIC Accelerator delivers flexible funding options including blended finance (€2.5M grant + €0.5M-€10M equity), grant-only (up to €2.5M), or equity-only arrangements for scale-up and market deployment of breakthrough innovations. The initiative targets SMEs, start-ups, and small mid-caps with up to 499 employees. Technology areas include Biotech, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Quantum, Aerospace, Advanced Materials, and Semiconductors. Get Started

EIC Pathfinder: EIC Pathfinder delivers up to €3 million for Open calls and up to €4 million for Challenge-based calls to support early-stage research and development with proof-of-principle validation. The initiative requires research consortia with a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different countries, including universities, research organizations, and SMEs. Primary technology focus areas include Health/Medical, Quantum Technologies, AI, Environmental/Energy, and Advanced Materials. Get Started

EIC Transition: EIC Transition delivers up to €2.5 million in funding to overcome the 'valley of death' gap between laboratory research and market deployment, emphasizing technology maturation and validation. The initiative supports single legal entities or small consortia of 2-5 partners including SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs, and research organizations. Key technology domains include Health/Medical Technologies, Green/Environmental Innovation, Digital/Microelectronics, Quantum Technologies, and AI/Robotics. Get Started

EIC STEP Scale-Up: EIC STEP Scale-Up delivers significant equity investments of €10-30 million for established deep-tech companies prepared for hyper-growth and large-scale expansion. The initiative targets SMEs or small mid-caps with up to 499 employees who have obtained pre-commitment from qualified investors. Primary focus areas include Digital & Deep Tech (Semiconductors, AI, Quantum), Clean Technologies for Net-Zero objectives, and Biotechnologies. Get Started

EIC Pre-Accelerator: EIC Pre-Accelerator represents a pilot initiative delivering €300,000-€500,000 in funding for early-stage deep-tech development and preparation for the EIC Accelerator program. This program is exclusively accessible to single SMEs or small mid-caps from 'Widening countries' to foster regional innovation development. The initiative encompasses deep-tech innovations across physical, biological, and digital domains. Get Started

EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges: EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges represents a new pilot initiative delivering €300,000 (Stage 1) and up to €2.5 million (Stage 2) for breakthrough deep-tech innovations through ARPA-style staged funding mechanisms with integrated demand-side engagement. This initiative targets single entities or small consortia (2-3 partners) including SMEs, start-ups, and research organizations. Primary focus areas include Physical AI for autonomous robotics applications and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for animal-free biomedical testing, with TRL 4 entry requirements and demonstrated end-user commitment. Get Started

Eureka Network: The Eureka Network delivers various international collaborative R&D initiatives such as Network Projects, Clusters, Eurostars, Globalstars, and Innowwide, providing funding from €50K to €6.75M per project based on the specific initiative. This network emphasizes market-driven innovation and deep-tech advancement across multiple technology sectors including ICT/Digital, Industrial/Manufacturing, Bio/Medical Technologies, Energy/Environment, Quantum, AI, and Circular Economy. Eligible participants include SMEs, large enterprises, research organizations, universities, and startups, with Eurostars particularly focused on R&D-performing SMEs. Get Started

Eurostars: Eurostars represents a joint EU-Eureka initiative delivering €50K-€500K for international R&D collaboration specifically led by SMEs. The program adopts a bottom-up approach, accepting projects from all technology fields without predefined thematic restrictions. R&D-performing SMEs must lead the consortium and demonstrate significant R&D activities. Get Started

Innovation Partnership: Innovation Partnership enables collaborative innovation between public and private sectors with typical funding of €1-5 million per project. The initiative supports cross-sectoral strategic technologies through public-private partnerships and consortia. Projects concentrate on addressing societal challenges through collaborative innovation approaches. Get Started

Innovation Fund: The EU Innovation Fund delivers substantial funding of €7.5 million to €300 million for large-scale demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. The initiative targets clean energy, carbon capture, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Eligible participants include large companies, consortia, and public entities capable of implementing large-scale demonstration projects. Get Started

Innovate UK: Innovate UK delivers various programs with funding ranging from £25K to £10M depending on the specific initiative, supporting business-led innovation, collaborative R&D, and knowledge transfer. The organization funds projects across all sectors with particular emphasis on emerging technologies and supports UK-based businesses, research organizations, and universities. Programs are designed to drive economic growth through innovation and technology commercialization. Get Started

Industrial Partnership: Industrial Partnership delivers €2-10 million in funding for industrial research and innovation partnerships focusing on manufacturing, industrial technologies, and digital transformation. The initiative supports industrial consortia and research organizations in developing collaborative solutions for industrial challenges. Projects aim to strengthen European industrial competitiveness through strategic partnerships. Get Started

LIFE Programme: The LIFE Programme delivers €1-10 million in funding for environmental protection, climate action, and nature conservation projects across the European Union. The initiative supports environmental technologies, climate adaptation strategies, and biodiversity conservation initiatives. Eligible participants include public authorities, private companies, NGOs, and research institutions working on environmental and climate challenges. Get Started

Neotec: Neotec represents a Spanish initiative delivering €250K-€1M in funding for technology-based business creation and development, supporting the growth of innovative Spanish SMEs and start-ups. The program covers all technology sectors and aims to strengthen Spain's technology ecosystem. Funding is specifically targeted at Spanish technology-based SMEs and start-ups to enhance their competitiveness and market presence. Get Started

Thematic Priorities: EU Thematic Priorities encompass various programs aligned with EU strategic priorities including green transition, digital transformation, health, and security initiatives. Funding amounts vary based on the specific program and call requirements, with projects designed to address key European challenges. Applicant eligibility varies by specific program and call, with different requirements for different thematic areas. Get Started

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