Funding Amount

Maximum IHI JU contribution:

• EUR 35,000,000

Additional indicative contributions

• Industry in-kind and financial contribution: EUR 10,696,000
• IHI JU contributing partners (in-kind): EUR 4,328,750

The topic requires that at least 75% of the IHI JU funding, supplemented by industry financial contributions, is allocated as Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) for selected healthcare start-ups.

Through the FSTP mechanism, individual start-ups may receive:

• Initial grant: EUR 100,000–1,000,000
• Follow-on grant: EUR 100,000–1,000,000

Maximum support per start-up:

• EUR 2,000,000

Submission Deadlines

• Stage 1 (Short Proposal): 8 October 2026
• Stage 2 (Full Proposal): 21 April 2027 (invitation only)

Eligible Types of Businesses

The consortium may include organisations eligible under Horizon Europe and IHI Joint Undertaking rules, including:

• SMEs
• Start-ups
• Large companies
• Universities
• Research organisations
• Hospitals
• Healthcare providers
• Public bodies
• Non-profit organisations
• Foundations
• Incubators
• Investors and venture organisations
• Patient organisations
• Other legal entities eligible under Horizon Europe.

The funded project is expected to establish open calls supporting early-stage healthcare companies (TRL 3–5) through cascade funding.

Eligible Countries

Participation follows the Horizon Europe eligibility rules.

Funding is generally available to legal entities established in:

• EU Member States;
• Horizon Europe Associated Countries;
• Low- and Middle-Income Countries where applicable under Horizon Europe rules.

Additional country-specific funding restrictions may apply to entities established in certain associated countries depending on the legal provisions described in the Work Programme.

Submission Conditions

• Research and Innovation Action (RIA).
• Two-stage submission process.
• Only the highest-ranked consortium from Stage 1 is normally invited to develop a full proposal together with the pre-identified industry consortium.
• Full proposals must integrate the pre-identified industry partners identified in the topic.
• Proposals must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• The project must establish a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) scheme, allocating at least 75% of the IHI JU funding to competitive cascade funding for healthcare start-ups.
• The project should develop a sustainable governance model and long-term strategy for the incubator network beyond the funding period.