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EU grants for advanced manufacturing companies

Open-call snapshot checked 2026-04-18

Advanced manufacturing companies can access EU funding through Horizon Europe (for industrial research and innovation), Eurostars (for SME-led international development projects), and the Innovation Fund (for clean, low-carbon industrial demonstration).

Best-fit programmes

These are the EU programmes most relevant to advanced manufacturing companies. Each guide explains eligibility, funding rates, and the calls open now.

Horizon Europe Horizon Europe is the European Union's main research and innovation funding programme for 2021-2027, with a budget of around €93.5 billion. Eurostars Eurostars is a funding programme for research-and-development-performing SMEs that lead international collaborative innovation projects. Innovation Fund The Innovation Fund is one of the world's largest funding programmes for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies.

Where manufacturing funding sits

Horizon Europe's digital and industry cluster funds research and innovation in advanced manufacturing — new processes, materials, automation, and digital-twin and Industry-5.0 approaches. Eurostars suits SME-led projects that develop a specific manufacturing innovation with an international partner. The Innovation Fund supports first-of-a-kind clean and low-carbon industrial installations.

Many manufacturers also have decarbonisation projects that fit climate-focused funding as the technology matures.

What evaluators look for

Manufacturing proposals are strongest when they quantify the gain — productivity, resource efficiency, emissions, or cost — and show how the result transfers beyond a single factory. Demonstration in a realistic industrial setting carries more weight than a lab result.

Projects that combine an industrial process improvement with a clear sustainability outcome tend to map well onto current call priorities.

Choosing the right route

Collaborative industrial research and innovation point to Horizon Europe. A focused SME development project with an international partner points to Eurostars. A clean, low-carbon industrial demonstration close to commercial scale points to the Innovation Fund. A specialist can help match a manufacturer's roadmap to the right programme and timing.

Open calls relevant to advanced manufacturing companies

These open EU calls in the current index snapshot mention themes relevant to advanced manufacturing companies. Keyword filtering is a starting point, not an eligibility check — run a free match for a proper fit assessment.

Frequently asked questions

What EU grants are there for manufacturing companies?

Manufacturing companies can access Horizon Europe for industrial research and innovation, Eurostars for SME-led international development projects, and the Innovation Fund for clean, low-carbon industrial demonstration. The right route depends on project type and technology maturity.

Can the EU fund factory decarbonisation?

Yes. Industrial decarbonisation can be funded through Horizon Europe for research and innovation and through the Innovation Fund for first-of-a-kind demonstration of clean industrial technology at scale.

Is Eurostars suitable for a manufacturing SME?

Often, yes. Eurostars suits an R&D-performing manufacturing SME with a concrete development project and an international partner, because it is bottom-up, faster to set up, and lighter to apply for than a large consortium.

Grants for other sectors

EU grants for AI companies AI companies in Europe can access EU grant funding mainly through Horizon Europe (for research and innovation), the Digital Europe Programme (for AI deployment and testing facilities), and the EIC Accelerator (for breakthrough single-company innovation). EU grants for healthtech companies Healthtech and digital-health companies can access EU funding through Horizon Europe's health cluster (for research and innovation), the EIC Accelerator (for breakthrough products), and EU4Health (for health-system deployment and prevention). EU grants for climate & energy companies Climate and clean-energy companies can access EU funding through Horizon Europe (for research and innovation), the Innovation Fund (for first-of-a-kind clean-tech demonstration), and the LIFE Programme (for environment and climate-action projects). EU grants for deeptech companies Deeptech companies can access EU grant funding mainly through the EIC Accelerator (for single-company breakthrough innovation), Horizon Europe (for collaborative research and innovation), and Eurostars (for SME-led international R&D projects). EU grants for medtech companies Medtech and medical-device companies can access EU funding mainly through Horizon Europe's health cluster (for clinical research and innovation) and the EIC Accelerator (for breakthrough single-company innovation with a route to market). EU grants for dual-use & defence companies Dual-use and defence-technology companies can access EU funding through the European Defence Fund (for collaborative defence research and capability development) and, for civil applications of the same technology, through Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme.