Open Calls

MAT4EU Launches €1.2 Million Funding Call For Manufacturing SMEs

by News Editor

June 24, 2026

Overview

MAT4EU has opened its first Advanced Materials Innovation Open Call, offering financial and support services to European manufacturing SMEs developing or adopting advanced materials solutions. The call focuses on four material groups, metals, polymers, ceramics and composites, with applications across aerospace and defence, agri-food, including packaging, renewable energy, construction, health and mobility.

The call is part of the MAT4EU Euroclusters project, which aims to strengthen Europe’s advanced materials ecosystem, support SME innovation and internationalisation, and help companies develop sustainable solutions across European industrial value chains.

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Benefits

The first open call has a total budget of €1,207,500, divided across two funding strands:

Strand 1: Product Innovations Supporting European Autonomy
Supports the development, testing and validation of innovative advanced materials solutions. MAT4EU aims to support at least 10 SME projects, with a fixed grant of €60,000 per project. Projects must have a minimum total budget of €80,000.
Strand 2: Mastering Green and Digital Transformation
Supports the uptake, scale-up, and integration of advanced materials solutions into industrial environments and value chains. MAT4EU aims to support at least 19 SME projects, with a fixed grant of €33,750 per project. Projects must have a minimum total budget of €45,000.

Funding covers up to 75% of eligible costs, meaning SMEs must provide at least 25% private co-financing through their own resources or private debt financing. In-kind contributions and other public funding cannot be used to cover the co-financing requirement.

Selected SMEs will also receive support services, including mentoring, training, capacity-building, internationalisation support, matchmaking, and ecosystem integration opportunities.

Who Can Apply

The call is open to manufacturing SMEs located in an EU Member State or another country participating in the Single Market Programme/COSME strand. This makes Cypriot manufacturing SMEs eligible, provided they meet the programme’s criteria.

Applicants must work with at least one of the four target material groups, metals, polymers, ceramics or composites, and their product or application must target at least one of the six strategic sectors: aerospace and defence, agri-food including packaging, renewable energy, construction, health or mobility.

Criteria

Applications must be submitted by a single manufacturing SME. Other organisations, such as companies, universities or technical centres, may be involved only as service providers or subcontractors, where relevant. Consortia applications are not part of this call.

Each SME may submit only one application and must choose either Strand 1 or Strand 2. Submitting applications to both strands will make the applicant ineligible. Supported projects will run for 12 months, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027.

Applications are assessed on criteria including business potential, innovation potential, scalability and economic impact, scientific and technical quality, organisational capacity, contribution to European industrial competitiveness, and the proposed networking and dissemination plan.

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted in English through the MAT4EU Grant Platform. The call opened on 6 May 2026 and closes on 6 July 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants must submit the required supporting documents, including a screenshot of their SME self-assessment, a screenshot of the completed financial capacity self-check, and the completed Annex Budget.

Evaluation will take place after the deadline, with notification letters expected between 22 and 29 July 2026. Contracting and eligibility checks are scheduled from 29 July to 28 August 2026, before selected projects begin on 1 September 2026.

About MAT4EU

MAT4EU brings together European cluster partners to support SMEs working with advanced materials. The project combines direct financial support with training, mentoring, internationalisation services and networking to help SMEs build more sustainable, competitive and globally connected advanced materials value chains.

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Keve To Host Round Table On Working Carers And New Care Subsidy Scheme In Nicosia

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 21, 2026

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) will bring together policymakers, employers and social partners in Nicosia on September 29, 2026, for a round-table discussion on one of the workplace’s most pressing but often overlooked challenges: how employees with care responsibilities can remain fully engaged in work while supporting a family member in need.

A Growing Workplace Priority

The discussion will focus on workers who care for an elderly relative, a person with a disability or another family member requiring assistance. As populations age and care needs rise, the pressure on employees to balance professional obligations with informal caregiving is becoming a significant issue for businesses, public authorities and society at large.

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For employers, the question is no longer whether care responsibilities affect the workplace, but how to respond in a way that supports retention, productivity and employee wellbeing.

What The Event Will Cover

Organised as part of Keve’s participation in the European CareDivide project, the round table will provide a forum for information-sharing, discussion and the exchange of practical experience on the realities facing working carers.

A key theme will be the need for a better balance between professional and personal life for employees who provide unpaid care. The event will also examine how employers, public authorities and other relevant organisations can better address the needs of this workforce segment.

Care Subsidy Scheme To Be Presented

Phanos Kouroufexis, senior officer at the Welfare Benefits Administration Service of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, will present the Care Services Subsidy Scheme during the session.

His remarks will outline the support available to people who require care, their families and informal carers. The presentation will be followed by an open discussion and question-and-answer session, allowing participants to raise practical concerns and learn more about available forms of support.

Policy Ideas And Workplace Solutions

The round table will also present policy proposals developed through the CareDivide project and explore concrete ways in which businesses, public administration and social partners can help create more accommodating workplaces for employees with care responsibilities.

That includes approaches that can reduce the strain on workers who must navigate deadlines, schedules and family care obligations simultaneously—an issue that can affect attendance, engagement and long-term labour market participation.

Who Should Attend

The event is aimed at employers, human resources professionals, policymakers, public authorities, social partners, non-governmental organisations and researchers, as well as anyone with an interest in employment, equality and care.

Participation is free. Keve said the session is intended to encourage the exchange of information and practical approaches that could contribute to a more supportive working environment.

Event Details

The discussion will be held in Greek on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Keve building in Nicosia.

Interested participants can register through this registration link until September 25, 2026.

Keve is part of the consortium behind the CareDivide project, which is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. The initiative is being implemented in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain.

The broader significance is clear: workers who provide informal care are increasingly central to the conversation about labour force participation, workplace flexibility and social support. As care demands grow, the ability to combine employment with caregiving will remain a practical test for both employers and policymakers.