Guide updated 11 July 2026
European funds that an SME can apply for on its own
Besides Spanish grants, the European Commission grants money directly to companies, without going through the BDNS. Many people dismiss it thinking it is only for consortia. That is not always so.
What directly managed European money is
It is the money the European Commission grants without the State as intermediary: programmes such as Horizon Europe (research and innovation), LIFE (environment and climate), Digital Europe or the European Defence Fund.
It is published on the Commission's Funding & Tenders portal, in English and with its own jargon.
The question that decides it: do you need partners?
Before reading anything else, answer one question: can I apply alone? The answer is usually in the type of action of each call.
Horizon Europe's collaborative actions (research and innovation, and innovation) generally ask for at least three independent entities from three different countries, one of them in a Member State. An SME alone cannot submit them.
The EIC Accelerator: designed for a single company
The European Innovation Council's EIC Accelerator funds startups and SMEs with innovations capable of creating new markets, and it is applied for as a company, without a consortium.
It offers up to 2.5 million euros in grant, which can come with an equity investment of 0.5 to 10 million. Its 2026 work programme allocates 634 million euros to it, with cut-off dates every two months. The bar is high, but no partners are needed.
CSAs and prizes
Coordination and support actions (CSAs) fund coordination, networks, standardisation, dissemination or support for public policy. Many admit a single entity: each call says so.
Prizes recognise a result already achieved instead of funding a project: whoever meets the rules applies, without a consortium.
If a consortium is required
If you are already in a cluster, an industry association or a European network, that is where you fit, normally as an industrial partner. Building a three-country consortium from scratch a few weeks before the deadline rarely works out.
And there are programmes whose regulation sets no general consortium rule (LIFE, the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Defence Fund…): the condition is in the text of each call.
How to follow it
Keep what you can apply for without partners, choose two or three calls and note their cut-off dates. Before applying, read the conditions of participation in the official document: they always prevail.
Keep going
Frequently asked questions
Can an SME alone apply for the EIC Accelerator?
Yes: it is an instrument for a company, not for consortia. It is aimed at startups and SMEs with a high-potential innovation.
How much does the EIC Accelerator give?
Up to 2.5 million euros in grant and, in addition, a possible equity investment of 0.5 to 10 million.