EU Funding

Innovation ✦ Digital Transformation ✦ Research & Innovation ✦ Sustainability ✦ Project Management ✦ EU Funding ✦ Policy ✦ Communication ✦ Artificial Intelligence ✦ Cybersecurity ✦ Smart Cities ✦ Gen-AI ✦ Quantum ✦ Agentic AI ✦ 

Martel supports you from grant preparation to submission and implementation

With almost 30 years of experience in the European and international research and  innovation scene, Martel has an excellent understanding of many funding programmes and mechanisms with specific focus on EU funding 

Martel experts help elaborate your innovative ideas and plans, elaborate on the core concepts, liaise with relevant partners and initiative, identify the most suitable funding opportunities, and support you in the funding process from grant preparation to submission and consequent implementation of the projects.

€50M
Secured Over Through Projects
30%
Success Rate
50+
Horizon Europe/Digital Europe projects
40+
H2020 Projects
200+
Projects Secured
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Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme, running from 2021-2027 as part of the EU’s long-term MFF with a budget of €95.5 billion. The recently adopted Strategic Plan 2025-2027 steers research and innovation funding to address key global challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, the digital transition and an ageing population, focusing on three strategic orientations:

  • Green transition – accelerating sustainable transformation.
  • Digital transition – advancing technological innovation.
  • A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe – strengthening European sovereignty and social cohesion.

Despite high demand, the current programme has been unable to fund 71% of high-quality proposals due to budget constraints making expert guidance crucial for success. Martel can help you identify the most relevant Horizon Europe calls and funding opportunities and develop winning proposals – our average success rate is ~30%. We leverage our extensive partner network, deep understanding of European Commission policies and regulations, and proven track record in writing and submitting successful grants to maximise your chances of securing funding.

Digital Europe

As part of the MFF 2021-2027, the Digital Europe Programme is focused on building the strategic digital capacities of the EU and facilitating the wide deployment of digital technologies across the economy and society. With an overall budget of over €8.1 billion, the programme has allocated €1.3 billion for 2025-2027 specifically for deploying critical technologies that are strategically important for Europe’s tech sovereignty..

Digital Europe provides funding supporting projects in five key capacity areas:

  • Supercomputing – High-performance computing infrastructure and applications
  • Artificial Intelligence – eployment and innovation across sectors
  • Cybersecurity – Enhanced digital security capabilities and resilience
  • Advanced digital skills – Workforce development for the digital economy
  • Digital technology deployment – Including through European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)

Digital Europe aims to shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy, in line with EU goals defined in the 2030 Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade, bringing benefits to citizens and businesses, with particular focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in their digital transformation journey.

Martel’s experts have mastered the specific Digital Europe mechanisms, templates, and evaluation criteria, successfully securing multiple project awards through strategic partnerships with leading European organisations across all five programme areas.

European Innovation Council Funding

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is Europe’s flagship innovation programme to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations. The EIC 2025 Work Programme opens funding opportunities worth over €1.4 billion, representing a €200 million increase from 2024. Financial support is provided through four main funding schemes:
  • EIC Pathfinder (€262 million) – for multi-disciplinary research teams to undertake visionary research with the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs, with grants up to €4 million.
  • EIC Pathfinder Challenges – focused research on specific technological breakthroughs aligned with EU priorities.
  • EIC Transition (€98 million) – for transforming research results into innovation opportunities and transitioning toward commercialisation.
  • EIC Accelerator – for individual companies to develop and scale up breakthrough innovations with high risk and high potential.
The EIC has established itself as a leading deep-tech investor, mobilizing €2.6 billion of additional investment. All EIC awardees, as well as selected applicants, have access to comprehensive EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) providing tailored coaching, mentoring, matchmaking, and access to leading expertise, corporates, investors, and ecosystem actors. Martel’s specialised EIC expertise spans all funding schemes and application processes. Our deep understanding of EIC evaluation criteria, pitch requirements, and Business Acceleration Services positioning helps clients navigate this highly competitive landscape and maximise their innovation potential.

Connecting European Facility - CEF

The CEF is a key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. With a total budget of €33.71 billion for the 2021-2027 period, it supports the development of high-performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy and digital services. CEF investments fill the missing links in Europe’s energy, transport and digital backbone while promoting decarbonisation and digital transformation. The CEF programme is divided into three sectors with specific budget allocations:
  • Transport (€25.81 billion) – Supporting multimodal networks, sustainable mobility solutions, and cross-border connections
  • Energy (€5.84 billion) – Enabling energy infrastructure modernisation and cross-border renewable energy cooperation
  • Digital (€2.07 billion) – Improving Europe’s digital connectivity infrastructures through the 2024-2027 multiannual work programme
The general objectives include building, developing, modernising and completing trans-European networks while facilitating cross-border cooperation in renewable energy, taking into account long-term decarbonisation commitments. One of CEF’s key priorities is enabling and strengthening synergies between the three sectors through cross-sectoral actions that optimise costs and results by pooling financial, technical, or human resources. Martel’s specialised expertise in CEF funding mechanisms spans all three sectors. We help clients navigate the complex application processes, identify optimal funding opportunities, and develop compelling proposals that align with EU infrastructure priorities and cross-sectoral synergy objectives.
If you want to turn your idea into a research project, check our consulting services

Skyrocketing from Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe