Obtaining an EU grant for an R&D project consists of preparing and submitting an application for funding to the relevant intermediate institution (PARP, NCBR or EISMEA/EIC), and then obtaining a positive decision and signing the funding agreement. The process includes: (1) selecting the appropriate grant program and verifying project eligibility, (2) defining the scope of R&D works with division into TRL levels, schedule and budget, (3) preparing complete application documentation in accordance with the evaluation criteria of the given program, (4) submitting the application in the institution's system and waiting for the results of formal and substantive evaluation, (5) defending the project before the Expert Panel or EIC jury (if the program requires it) and obtaining a funding decision. Funding is non-repayable — the company does not return the received funds provided that the project is correctly implemented and settled in accordance with the agreement.

The process of obtaining a grant for an R&D project consists of three stages. The first is eligibility assessment — verification whether the project meets the criteria of the chosen program and what real chances it has of obtaining funding. The second is developing the application strategy and preparing complete application documentation: description of R&D works divided into TRL levels, innovativeness analysis, financial model and budget. The third is submitting the application to the intermediate institution (PARP, NCBR or EISMEA) and support at the evaluation stage, including preparation for the Expert Panel or interview with the EIC jury. It is recommended to start with an initial project assessment — this allows the optimal program to be selected and costly errors at the documentation preparation stage to be avoided.

1. The applicant's own R&D works – carried out before the project (e.g. in previous SMART or POIR calls) or currently implemented in a separate R&D project
2.  
   Purchased from a scientific unit (university, research institute, research center) - based on a license agreement or assignment of rights
3. Acquired from another entrepreneur or as part of a research consortium - on the market, on the basis of a contract

R&D&I grants in FENG and Horizon Europe are not industry-restricted — what matters is the project's innovativeness. Most frequently funded industries: AI, Life science, CleanTech, Space, IoT, AgriTech, NutriTech, Mobility, Industry 4.0/5.0.

Program selection depends on four parameters: (1) project TRL stage — SMART Path finances works from TRL 2 to TRL 9, EIC Pathfinder from TRL 1 to TRL 4, EIC Accelerator from TRL 5, (2) company size — EIC Accelerator is available only for SMEs and small mid-caps, SMART Path and STEP — for SMEs, large companies and consortia, (3) scale of innovation — national FENG programs require innovation on at least a national scale, EIC programs — breakthrough innovation on a global scale, (4) financing needs — from PLN 1.3 million (SATIM, program 4.1.1 POIR) to PLN 150 million (STEP) or EUR 17.5 million (EIC Accelerator). Innology selects the optimal program at the free initial assessment stage.

Yes. In Ścieżka SMART, large companies can apply independently or in a consortium. Funding for industrial research is up to 65%, for experimental development up to 40%. Maximum amount: PLN 70 million. In EIC Accelerator, large companies have limited access — the programme targets SMEs and mid-caps.

EU project settlement is a continuous process lasting throughout the entire project implementation period (typically 2–4 years) and includes regular submission of documentation to the intermediate institution (PARP or NCBR). The process consists of: team training at project start, periodic submission of payment requests (every 3–6 months), ongoing management of tender procedures in accordance with the competitiveness principle, documenting the progress of R&D works and achievement of milestones, processing project changes requiring institution approval, and submitting the final report after completion of implementation. After the project is completed and the final payment is received, the sustainability period begins — 3 years for SMEs and 5 years for large enterprises.

The competitiveness principle is the obligation for the beneficiary to conduct tender procedures for purchases within the project, above specified amount thresholds. Violation of this principle is one of the most common causes of financial corrections. Innology handles the entire process: preparation of the request for proposals, publication in the Competitiveness Database, analysis and evaluation of offers, contractor selection protocol and documentation archiving.

The beneficiary has four groups of obligations. First — financial: maintaining separate accounting records of project costs, describing financial documents, incurring expenses in accordance with the schedule and budget. Second — procurement: applying the competitiveness principle for purchases above the amount thresholds, documenting and archiving procedures. Third — reporting: regular submission of payment requests with description of substantive progress and reporting of achieved output and result indicators. Fourth — sustainability-related: maintaining project effects for 3–5 years after the final payment, prohibition of disposing of project infrastructure outside Poland and maintaining the business activity to which the project related.

Compensation models include a fixed fee, success fee (percentage of the awarded grant) or a mixed model. Costs depend on project complexity and the programme. Innology uses a transparent model determined individually after initial project assessment.

Innology's success rate is 76%. This means that 76% of projects for which Innology prepared application documentation received funding. This is many times higher than the market average of 10–20% in national programmes and 5–10% in European programmes.

TRL (Technology Readiness Level) is a scale of 1–9 defining technology maturity. TRL 1–3 = basic research, TRL 4–6 = industrial research, TRL 7–9 = demonstration and implementation. Grant programmes require a specific TRL at the start — e.g. Ścieżka SMART: from TRL 2, EIC Accelerator: from TRL 5.

SMART Path is the largest Polish R&D&I grant instrument, operating under the FENG programme. SMEs, large enterprises and consortia with research organizations (max. 3 members) can apply. The R&D module is key — projects with this module have the highest chances of receiving funding.

• Calls for SMEs applying independently,
• Calls for large enterprises applying independently,
• Calls for consortia comprising SMEs/large enterprises with other SMEs/large enterprises or research institutions.a

• The applicant's own R&D works – conducted before the project (e.g. in earlier SMART or POIR calls) or currently carried out in a separate R&D project
• Purchased from a research institution (university, research institute, research center) – on the basis of a license agreement or rights transfer
• Acquired from another entrepreneur or within a research consortium – on a market basis, under a contract

In the consortium call, the research institution is a full-fledged project partner and receives funding up to 100% of its costs, retaining intellectual property rights to the developed results. The company must acquire these rights after the project ends. In the individual call with subcontracting, the company commissions R&D work to the research institution under a subcontracting agreement, finances it (with 40–80% funding) and acquires full IP rights by virtue of this agreement — without the need for subsequent buy-out.

The consortium model is optimal for projects with high research risk — when technical success cannot be predicted with sufficient certainty. In such a scenario, the research institution takes responsibility for its part of the budget and work, which protects the company from incurring the costs of unfruitful research. This applies to projects at early TRL levels (2–4) and deep tech areas.

Available models are: (1) full transfer of property rights at a market price determined by an independent appraiser, (2) exclusive license — the institution retains IP ownership, the company obtains the exclusive right of exploitation, (3) hybrid model: upfront fee plus royalties from commercialization revenue, (4) joint ownership of rights — rarely used, limits the freedom of exclusive exploitation. Buy-out conditions should be agreed in framework form already at the consortium agreement stage, before submitting the application.

Yes, Innology specializes in obtaining grants in the SMART Path program. We provide comprehensive support: from project potential assessment and program selection, through preparation of application documentation, to settlement of the awarded grant and support during the sustainability period. We have secured over PLN 210 million in the SMART Path program. Sample case studies are available here.

Grant settlement is the process of confirming to the funding institution that funds were spent in accordance with the agreement. It includes: payment requests, R&D work documentation, procurement procedures, deviation reporting. Errors may result in grant repayment. Innology has successfully settled over 100 projects.

EIC Accelerator is a European grant program under Horizon Europe targeted at SMEs and small mid-caps developing breakthrough innovations. It offers blended finance: non-repayable grant up to EUR 2.5 million for R&D works (TRL 5–8) and an investment component from EUR 0.5 to 15 million in exchange for company shares (TRL 9).

SME enterprises (employment below 250 persons, balance sheet assets below EUR 43 million or revenues below EUR 50 million) and small mid-caps (an enterprise that is not an SME, employing below 499 persons — counted for the entire capital group) can apply for funding. Applications are submitted exclusively independently, without a consortium.

Projects qualifying for the program are from companies with breakthrough technology at TRL 5 or higher, which only need solution demonstration (TRL 5–8) consisting of deployment into operational use, followed by market scaling (TRL 9). The technology must have documented potential to disrupt current markets or create new ones.

The investment component finances activities at TRL 9 — the stage at which the final solution is produced in large quantities, with market scaling, marketing and promotion taking place. It takes the form of an EIC Fund equity investment in exchange for company shares (maximum 25%), from EUR 0.5 to 15 million.

EIC Accelerator is a European programme (Horizon Europe) for SMEs at TRL 5–9, offering up to EUR 2.5 million in grants + up to EUR 15 million in equity. Ścieżka SMART is a national programme (FENG) at TRL 2–9, offering up to PLN 50–70 million. EIC is more competitive (5–10% success rate) but provides access to the European market.

Yes. Innology (through the UpSpark brand) has documented experience with the EIC Accelerator — one of the most competitive European programmes. Example: Proteine Resources, with Innology's support, completed the full EIC evaluation process (two application stages + panel interview in Brussels) and secured EUR 9.5 million in total financing (EUR 2.5 million grant + EUR 7 million EIC Fund equity investment). Innology has completed over 50 projects at European level (Horizon Europe / EIC).

STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) is an instrument implemented in Poland under the FENG program, financing research, development and investments in critical technologies for the EU: digital and deep-tech, clean and resource-efficient, biotechnologies. The total budget of the instrument is EUR 901 million.

SMEs and large enterprises can apply for funding (in both schemes), and additionally in the R&D scheme consortia of enterprises with research institutions. Tenure requirements: Investment scheme: min. 36 months of operation and revenues of min. 20% of project costs. R&D scheme: min. 24 months of operation.

STEP finances projects in so-called EU critical technologies: digital technologies and innovations based on deep-tech, clean and resource-efficient solutions (cleantech, circular economy), biotechnologies. Projects from the supply chains for these technologies are also financed — suppliers of machinery, components, raw materials and services.

EIC Pathfinder is a European grant program under Horizon Europe financing early research works (TRL 1–4) with a high degree of breakthrough character and potential to disrupt current markets. The program supports ambitious, risky projects aimed at creating radically new technologies.

Primarily interdisciplinary consortia composed of at least 3 independent entities from at least 3 different countries associated with the Horizon Europe program. The consortium may include all types of entities: SMEs, mid-caps, large companies as well as research institutions and universities. SMEs can apply independently only under the Pathfinder Challenges variant.

Qualifying projects are research projects at TRL 1–4 characterized by a high level of breakthrough character and the possibility of disrupting current markets. The TRL 1 stage covers observation and description of basic phenomena, TRL 2–4 — first prototypes and verification of the concept in the laboratory.

EIC Transition is a European grant program under Horizon Europe financing projects that transform research results (TRL 1–4 from ERC or EIC Pathfinder programs) into innovations with breakthrough potential for the market. It finances works at the TRL 4–5/6 stage.

Qualifying projects are those developing technology from TRL 4 to TRL 5 or 6 — i.e. the transition from demonstration in laboratory conditions to tests and effectiveness evaluation in conditions close to real ones. The project must be based on research results previously financed by ERC, EIC Pathfinder or similar European research programs.

SMEs, research institutions and universities can apply for the grant — independently or in a consortium. The consortium may consist of 2 to 5 partners being independent entities based in different Horizon Europe countries. Large enterprises can apply for a grant only as consortium members.