TL;DR: which grant deadlines are coming up in 2026 and 2027?
The last EIC Accelerator cut-off of 2026 is 4 November (grants up to €2.5M plus equity). In early 2027 come Vinnova's Innovative Startups in Sweden (12 January), Women TechEU (14 January, then 1 April and 8 July), Horizon Europe's new Fast Track and Proof of Market grants (2 February), Eurostars Call 12 (4 March) and the Innovation Fund's SME call (end of March and September). Several big programmes, such as EXIST in Germany, FFG in Austria and Business Finland, have no deadline at all. Below: the full calendar, continuous programmes and national calls whose 2027 dates aren't out yet.
👉 Prepare your application in the Fe/male Switch startup game
Most grant applications fail long before evaluation: they start too late. Grant deadlines are fixed, portals slow down in the final hours, and many calls need registrations, partners or letters of support that take weeks to arrange. This calendar lists the confirmed grant dates for startups and SMEs from mid-October 2026 to September 2027, with what each call funds and who can apply.
Dates were checked on official programme pages and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal on 13 October 2026. Calls can be changed or postponed, so always confirm on the call page before you plan. For how to organise your own timeline, see our guide to the grant application timeline. To search for more calls yourself, see our grant finder guide.
Grant deadlines calendar, October 2026 to September 2027
Horizon Europe 2027 topics are marked "forthcoming" and can still change; Innovation Fund dates are indicative months. Topic IDs and full texts are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
The next 90 days: October to December 2026
EIC Accelerator: 4 November 2026
The last full-proposal cut-off of 2026 for the EU's flagship startup programme: a grant of up to €2.5 million and equity investment of €1–10 million for startups and SMEs with breakthrough innovations. You need a positive short application first; short applications can be sent any time and are batched on the first Tuesday of each month, according to the European Innovation Council. The EIC page gives 17:00 Brussels time for the cut-off, while the 2026 call page shows 00:00; submit well before either. 2027 cut-off dates will be set in the 2027 EIC Work Programme. See our EIC Accelerator guide.
EIC Pathfinder Challenges: 28 October 2026
Research grants of up to €4 million for three challenges: energy-harvesting materials, biotechnology for healthy ageing and cognitive AI. Unlike Pathfinder Open, the Challenges accept single applicants and pairs, according to the EIC.
Cascade funding: November 2026
Smaller grants passed on by EU-funded projects are often the easiest way in. NLnet's Restack and CodeSupply calls offer €5,000–50,000 for open-source internet technology, with a 3 November deadline, according to NLnet; the FIERCE project offers up to €50,000 for space-based green solutions until 9 November. More on how this works in cascade funding and sub-grants.
EIC STEP Scale Up and Innowwide: 25 November and 1 December 2026
STEP Scale Up invests €10–30 million of equity in scale-ups in strategic technologies; the EIC call page gives 25 November, while the portal data shows an earlier date, so confirm before planning. Eureka's Innowwide gives €60,000 for a six-month market-feasibility study outside Europe, with a 1 December deadline. See STEP scale-up investments.
January to March 2027
- 12 January: Vinnova Innovative Startups (Sweden). Up to SEK 500,000 for Swedish companies up to ten years old with up to ten employees, according to Vinnova.
- 14 January: Women TechEU. A €75,000 grant for women-led deep-tech startups, with later deadlines on 1 April and 8 July 2027, according to Women TechEU. An eligibility check runs every Tuesday until June 2027.
- 2 February: Horizon Europe Fast Track and Proof of Market. Fast Track funds research on breakthroughs in industrial technologies with up to €2.5 million; Proof of Market gives €200,000 grants. Both are in Cluster 4 of the 2027 work programme.
- 4 March: Eurostars Call 12. Joint R&D projects led by an innovative SME, with partners from at least two Eurostars countries; funding is paid by national agencies at national rates (for example up to 50% for SMEs in Germany), according to Eureka. See our Eurostars guide.
- End of March: Innovation Fund SME call. €200 million for small clean-tech projects with capital costs of €2.5–20 million, SMEs only, with a second round at the end of September, according to the European Commission. See Innovation Fund for climate tech.
April to September 2027
Women TechEU closes on 1 April and 8 July. Horizon Europe Cluster 5 (energy and transport) has deadlines on 31 March and 14 April, Cluster 6 (environment and food) a two-stage call on 8 April, and further single-stage deadlines follow in September. The Innovation Fund's net-zero technologies call is planned to close in April. The LIFE Programme's 2027 calls for standard projects aren't published yet; in 2026 they closed in September. See the LIFE Programme for environment and climate.
Grants with no deadline (continuous programmes)
Continuous programmes reward preparation rather than timing: apply when your project is ready. See German startup grants and EXIST and Austrian FFG and aws grants.
National grants whose 2027 dates aren't published yet
- France, i-Lab: the 2026 edition ran from 25 November 2025 to 3 February 2026; watch for the 2027 edition around the same time. See French startup grants.
- Spain, NEOTEC: the 2026 call ran from 14 April to 14 May; the next is likely in spring 2027. See Spain's NEOTEC.
- Netherlands, MIT feasibility projects: now run by the regions; the 2026 window closed on 15 September.
- France, i-Nov: no new wave dates published.
How to plan around grant deadlines
- Pick two or three calls a year that fit your stage, rather than chasing every deadline.
- Register early. EU calls need an EU Login and a Participant Identification Code (PIC); see required registrations for EU grants.
- Note the time zone. Most EU deadlines are 17:00 Brussels time, and some show different times on different pages.
- Submit a day or two early. Portals slow down and documents get rejected for technical reasons at the last minute.
- Track what you've sent. See tracking your grant application status.
Women founders: don't miss Women TechEU
Three more deadlines in 2027 for €75,000 equity-free grants. For every other route to money, see the 2026 funding playbook for female entrepreneurs.
Conclusion: put the dates in your calendar today
The next twelve months bring the last EIC Accelerator cut-off of 2026 on 4 November, three Women TechEU deadlines, Eurostars on 4 March, the Innovation Fund's SME rounds and a wave of Horizon Europe topics, plus continuous programmes you can apply to any time. Choose the calls that fit your stage, work back from each deadline, register early and submit before the last day.
FAQ: grant dates and deadlines
When is the next EIC Accelerator deadline?
The last full-proposal cut-off of 2026 is 4 November 2026. Short applications can be submitted any time. 2027 cut-off dates will be published in the 2027 EIC Work Programme.
When is the next Eurostars deadline?
Eurostars Call 12 closes on 4 March 2027 at 14:00 CET; the call opens on 17 December 2026.
When are the Women TechEU deadlines?
Full proposals are due on 14 January, 1 April and 8 July 2027, with weekly eligibility checks every Tuesday until 15 June 2027.
Are there grants without deadlines?
Yes: Germany's EXIST start-up grant, Austria's FFG Basisprogramm and Business Finland's R&D funding accept applications continuously, and EIC Accelerator short applications can be sent any time.
What time do EU grant deadlines close?
Usually 17:00 Brussels time, but check each call: some pages show different times, so submit at least a day early.
When does the Innovation Fund SME call close?
Round 1 is planned for the end of March 2027 and round 2 for the end of September 2027; the Commission gives these as indicative dates.
How far ahead should I start a grant application?
For a first application, start about three months before the deadline to allow for registrations, partners and reviews.
Where can I find all EU grant deadlines?
On the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, which lists every Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, LIFE and EIC topic with its deadline.
