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Tech and Infrastructure Grants in the EU

Currently 10 active tech and infrastructure grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the EU. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.

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Open calls

  1. Stimuleringsfonds: Digital Culture Grant Scheme 2026 (final round)

    Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Creative Industries Fund NL) · Netherlands. Requires Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) registration. · Deadline: 19 Aug 2026 · Award: EUR 10,000-25,000 for solo projects; EUR 10,000-50,000 for collaborative projects with partners. At least 20 percent of total project costs must be covered by co-financing. No application fee.

    The Stimuleringsfonds Digital Culture Grant Scheme (Deelregeling Digitale cultuur) supports projects by makers, researchers, design studios and cultural institutions positioned professionally in digital culture. Solo projects can receive EUR 10,000-25,000; collaborative projects with partners can receive up to EUR 50,000. At least 20 percent of total project costs must be covered by co-financing. Applicants must be registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK). The 2026 application window for this round runs 12-19 August 2026 (opens 12 August 15:00, closes 19 August 16:00 CEST); in 2026 the scheme runs only two rounds and this is the last. No application fee. Apply via the official scheme page.

  2. Eurostars Call 11 2026 (Eureka / Eurostars-3)

    Eureka / Eurostars-3 (Dutch participation via RVO) · International consortia from at least two Eurostars countries, led by an innovative SME. Dutch funding administered by RVO. · Deadline: 10 Sep 2026 · Award: Co-funds collaborative international R&D; national funding varies by country. For the Dutch project share: up to EUR 500,000 per project at 50 percent reimbursement of eligible R&D costs. No application fee.

    Eurostars (part of the Eureka network, the Eurostars-3 programme co-funded by Horizon Europe) supports collaborative international R&D projects led by innovative SMEs. Each country funds its own participants, so amounts vary; for the Dutch share, RVO funds up to EUR 500,000 per project at a 50 percent reimbursement rate on eligible R&D costs. Projects require an international consortium of at least two independent organisations from at least two Eurostars countries, led by an innovative SME, with the SME budget at least 50 percent of the total and no single participant exceeding 70 percent. Projects must run no longer than 36 months and be civil (non-defence) in purpose. Call 11 opens 9 July 2026 and closes 10 September 2026, 14:00 CEST. No application fee. Submit via the Eureka project platform (myeurekaproject.org); Dutch national information at RVO.

  3. MIT R&D Collaboration Projects 2026 (MKB Innovatiestimulering Topsectoren)

    Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) · Netherlands. SME consortia (minimum two collaborating SMEs). · Deadline: 15 Sep 2026 · Award: Grant covering 35 percent of eligible costs. Small projects EUR 50,000-200,000; large projects EUR 200,000-350,000 per project (EUR 25,000-100,000 or EUR 25,000-175,000 per participant). No application fee.

    The MIT R&D Collaboration Projects scheme (MIT R&D-samenwerkingsprojecten, part of MKB Innovatiestimulering Topsectoren) funds joint R&D projects by Dutch SMEs within the national Top Sectors and Mission-driven Innovation policy. The grant covers 35 percent of eligible costs: small projects of EUR 50,000-200,000 and large projects of EUR 200,000-350,000 (with per-participant ranges of EUR 25,000-100,000 for small and EUR 25,000-175,000 for large). Eligible applicants are consortia of at least two collaborating SMEs, with no single participant carrying more than 70 percent of costs. The national RVO round runs 9 June to 15 September 2026 (closes 17:00) and is a ranked tender, not first-come-first-served; some provinces run separate regional MIT windows. No application fee. Apply via RVO.

  4. Cultuurloket DigitALL: Implementation Contribution (Implementatiebijdrage, 2026)

    Cultuurloket DigitALL · Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. No city or region restriction. · Deadline: 01 Nov 2026 · Award: Up to EUR 30,000. Covers technical modification, system integration, production and deployment costs. Hardware purchase alone is ineligible unless clearly essential to the public experience. No stated co-financing percentage. No application fee.

    A one-off 2026 call letting Dutch cultural institutions reuse and adapt digital technology that other institutions have already built and published in the open DigitALL Toolkit, for example translation software shared between theatres or a streaming platform adapted for a new venue. Grants run up to EUR 30,000 and cover technical modification, integration, production and deployment costs. Eligible applicants are museums, theatres, music venues, festivals, film theatres and professional performing arts producers. Applications are submitted online and assessed in order of receipt rather than comparatively, with a decision within ten weeks. The deadline was extended from 31 May 2026 to 1 November 2026 after high demand. IMPORTANT RESTRICTION: this route cannot be used to further develop your own pilot internally; it exists specifically to spread another institution's working technology across the sector. For developing something new, use the DigitALL pilot contribution instead.

  5. Prototype Fund Class 03 (Open-Source Software)

    Prototype Fund (Open Knowledge Foundation Germany) · Germany / EU (lead must be based in Germany; funded members must reside in the EU) · Deadline: 30 Nov 2026 · Award: Up to EUR 95,000 over 6 months, or up to EUR 158,000 over 10 months, plus coaching. No application fee.

    Prototype Fund supports the development of socially relevant open-source software, offering low-threshold funding and coaching to individual developers and small teams. ELIGIBILITY: individual developers or teams of up to four; funded members must reside in the EU and the lead entity must be based in Germany. Application window 1 October to 30 November 2026. Apply via the Prototype Fund application page.

  6. Cultuurloket DigitALL: Pilot Contribution (Pilotbijdrage, 2026-2027, rolling)

    Cultuurloket DigitALL (successor to Kickstart Cultuurfonds) · Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. No city or region restriction. · Deadline: Rolling / undated · Award: Up to EUR 75,000. Covers pilot development, audience testing, and knowledge development or training via partner organisations if budgeted. Hardware-only purchases are not eligible. No stated co-financing percentage. No application fee. Annual donation budget of EUR 1.9 million in 2026 and 2027.

    Cultuurloket DigitALL funds the digital innovation of the Dutch cultural sector and is the strongest dedicated digital-culture route currently open to Dutch cultural organisations. It is the successor to the discontinued Kickstart Cultuurfonds, backed by the VandenEnde Foundation, VSBfonds, Ammodo, Het Cultuurfonds and others. The pilot contribution of up to EUR 75,000 supports developing and running a first pilot, prototype or live version of a digital tool, which covers a wide range of creative-technology work embedded in festivals, exhibitions and public programmes. Eligible applicants are theatres, music venues, film theatres, museums, festivals and professional performing arts producers, with collaborations between institutions given priority. The pilot must be tested with the intended public audience, not only with experts, and funding cannot be used exclusively for hardware acquisition. Applications go through an online portal with no deadline and are handled in order of receipt. TIMING: a decision follows within ten weeks of submission, so plan roughly three months of lead time between applying and project start. Training and knowledge development through partner organisations is only covered when included in the submitted budget, so build it in from the outset.

  7. UNIIQ: Proof-of-Concept Fund (rolling, Zuid-Holland)

    UNIIQ · Zuid-Holland (South Holland), Netherlands only. Early-stage research-driven startups. · Deadline: Rolling / undated · Award: Around EUR 300,000 per company as a convertible loan (investment, not a grant). Total fund EUR 50 million. No application fee.

    UNIIQ is a proof-of-concept investment fund for the earliest, riskiest phase of company building in Zuid-Holland (South Holland). It invests around EUR 300,000 per company as a convertible loan (for example redeemed over about three years or converted at a follow-on valuation), drawn from a EUR 50 million fund. It is an investment, not a grant. Eligible companies are early-stage, research-driven startups based in Zuid-Holland, typically in life sciences, deep tech and high tech. Intake is continuous via an orientation meeting followed by a funding application. No application fee.

  8. ROM InWest: Startup and Scale-up Financing (rolling, Noord-Holland)

    ROM InWest (Regional Development Company for Noord-Holland) · Noord-Holland (North Holland), Netherlands. Startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs. · Deadline: Rolling / undated · Award: Financing of EUR 300,000 to EUR 5,000,000 as loans, equity participations or a combination (not a gift); cannot exceed 49.9 percent of a financing round. This is investment, not a grant. No application fee.

    ROM InWest is the regional development company for Noord-Holland (North Holland). It finances startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs working on food, energy, healthcare and circular-economy transitions, providing EUR 300,000 to EUR 5,000,000 as loans, equity participations or a combination (explicitly not a gift), and not exceeding 49.9 percent of a financing round. It is an investment, not a grant. Companies must be based in Noord-Holland. Intake is continuous, starting with a quick-scan tool. No application fee.

  9. WBSO: R&D Tax Credit (rolling, Netherlands)

    Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) · Netherlands. Dutch companies and self-employed paying payroll or income tax that conduct qualifying R&D. · Deadline: Rolling / undated · Award: Payroll/income tax reduction for R&D, not a cash grant. 2026: 36 percent of the first EUR 380,000 of R&D wage costs (50 percent for startups), 16 percent above; fixed deduction for self-employed. National budget EUR 1.817 billion for 2026. No application fee.

    The WBSO (Wet Bevordering Speur- en Ontwikkelingswerk) is the Dutch R&D tax credit administered by RVO. It reduces payroll/wage tax for companies with R&D staff and provides an income-tax deduction for self-employed people doing R&D; it is a tax credit, not a cash grant. For 2026 the benefit is 36 percent of the first EUR 380,000 of R&D wage and other costs (50 percent for qualifying startups) and 16 percent above that; self-employed receive a fixed deduction (and need at least 500 R&D hours per year). Eligible applicants are Dutch companies and self-employed people paying payroll or income tax who carry out qualifying R&D in the EU. Applications are made in advance via Mijn RVO and cannot be retroactive; for coverage of the final three months of a year the deadline is 30 September. Time-keeping and project administration are required. No application fee.

  10. SIDN fonds: Pioneer Projects for a Strong Internet (rolling, Netherlands)

    SIDN fonds · Netherlands. Open to natural persons and legal entities for the pioneer track; theme calls require legal entities. · Deadline: Rolling / undated · Award: Up to EUR 10,000 per pioneer project; theme calls (once or twice a year) fund larger projects above EUR 10,000. No application fee.

    SIDN fonds (the foundation behind the .nl domain registry) invests in daring projects with societal added value that contribute to a strong internet and strong internet users. The Pioneers track is continuously open and awards up to EUR 10,000 to develop an innovative idea into a demo, pilot or experimental design; it is open to both individuals and legal entities. Larger projects are funded through theme calls issued once or twice a year (legal entities only). Projects must show innovation and public value and share their results openly; plain website or app building and purely B2B proposals are excluded. No application fee.