‘Proof of market’ to improve valorisation and commercialisation of Horizon generated R&I results (IA)
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds small startup and SME consortia to assess commercial exploitation of accessible results from Horizon Cluster 4 or predecessor LEIT projects.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, startup.
- Amount
- €200K per projectTotal budget €4,700,000
- Deadline
- 02 Feb 2027 01:00 CETin 101 days
- Status
- Openopened 13 Oct 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
• The commercial potential of Horizon research results is explored;
• Results of Horizon projects are valorised, by ensuring a pathway to commercialisation; and
• Startups and SMEs become involved in valorisation.
Scope:
The EU must do better in translating the knowledge generated by the Framework Programme into innovations with economic and societal value.
The objective of this action is to provide financial support (‘Proof of market’) to small consortia (i.e. spin-offs, startups, SMEs) to explore the exploitation potential, in the EU, of achieved results from ongoing or completed projects funded under Cluster 4 ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ or its predecessor activities under the Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEIT)[1] part of Horizon 2020.
The consortia do not necessarily have to be made of former or current beneficiaries but should own or have access to the knowledge assets of projects, including intellectual property, where relevant.
Proposals should envisage valorisation activities, such as:
• demonstrating a technology (e.g. testing);
• defining a commercialisation process;
• undertaking: • a market and competitiveness analysis;
• a technology assessment and/or certification;
• a verification of innovation potential;
• assessing potential “end users” of the expected innovation;
• testing, piloting with users or potential customers;
• complying with regulatory compliance and standards;
• consolidating IP rights.
Proposals should address achieved results from ongoing or completed Research and Innovation Actions and Innovation Actions (RIA/IA) funded directly under Cluster 4 ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ or its predecessor activities under the Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEIT) part of Horizon 2020.
Applicants can be owners of the achieved results from previous projects or new participants. Proposals should include at least one of the following:
• Confirmation that at least one of the applicants of the current proposal is the owner or holder of the relevant knowledge assets including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and possesses the necessary rights to commercialise the results for the entire duration of the proposed project, or
• Commitment letter from the owner(s) of the relevant result(s) confirming the owner(s)’ willingness to negotiate fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory access to the results, including IPR where relevant, for the purpose of future commercial exploitation.
The proposal should specify the grant number and acronym of the project(s) which generated the results.
Proposals should present a clear vision of the intended pathway to market. Hence, the participation of a business partner should be envisaged.
[1] Information and communication technologies, Nanotechnologies, Advanced materials, Advanced manufacturing and processing, Biotechnology and Space.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Startup
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- —
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Required
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Proof of market
- Research commercialisation
- Horizon research results
- Intellectual property exploitation
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Applicant restriction
- In line with the “restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action.
- Applicant type
- Small consortia such as spin-offs, startups and SMEs should explore exploitation in the EU of results from ongoing/completed Horizon 2020 Cluster 4 or predecessor LEIT projects. The proposal must identify the source grant number and acronym. At least one applicant should own/hold the relevant knowledge assets and commercialisation rights for the project duration, or provide a commitment letter to negotiate FRAND access; a business partner should be envisaged.
- Eligible project scope
- The objective of this action is to provide financial support (‘Proof of market’) to small consortia (i.e. spin-offs, startups, SMEs) to explore the exploitation potential, in the EU, of achieved results from ongoing or completed projects funded under Cluster 4 ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ or its predecessor activities under the Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEIT)
- Other condition
- Innovation Actions.
- Other condition
- Given the scope of this topic, the page limit is exceptionally reduced to 10 pages.
- Other condition
- Horizon Europe General Annexes describe personnel as actual costs unless declared as a unit cost; they separately list SME-owner/natural-person personnel unit costs, subcontracting as actual costs, purchases as actual costs unless unit cost, and FSTP only if provided by the specific call. Therefore these personnel categories do not turn an external service purchase or subcontract into a hire, and no specific FSTP entitlement is asserted for this topic.
- Other condition
- For A.1 employees/equivalent, the HE MGA states annual personnel costs divided by 215 as the daily-rate basis; declared day-equivalents must be identifiable and verifiable. The total declared day-equivalents per person across EU grants in a year cannot exceed 215, minus parental leave time where applicable.
- Other condition
- For proposals meeting quality thresholds, the topic uses score-dependent selection procedures including a first ranked tranche with cumulative requested EU contribution close to EUR 2.35 million and not less than EUR 1.55 million; other tranches use remaining-budget and score criteria. These are cumulative portfolio selection rules, not an individual-project cap or floor.
- Other condition
- 2026–2027 Horizon Europe topic HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-49: ‘Proof of market’ to improve valorisation and commercialisation of Horizon generated R&I results (IA).
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €4,700,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- Directly contracted natural persons (under a non-employment contract) and paid seconded persons may be personnel costs when assigned to the action and meeting general eligibility conditions; they must work under conditions similar to employees, results belong to the beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and actual costs must not be significantly different from employees performing similar tasks.
- Eligible cost
- Employees/equivalent may be charged as personnel costs only if general eligibility conditions are met, the person works for the beneficiary under an employment contract or equivalent appointing act, is assigned to the action, and remuneration-linked amounts arise under national law or the employment terms; this category is based on costs actually incurred.
- Eligible cost
- The HE MGA allows nonsalaried SME owners and natural-person beneficiaries to claim personnel costs as unit costs under Annex 2a, subject to general eligibility conditions; the AGA gives a daily-rate formula of EUR 8,745.4 divided by 18 days, multiplied by the applicable country-specific correction coefficient for calls opened on or after 30 July 2024. This is a unit-cost calculation, not an employee salary cap or rate guaranteed for every country.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €200,000
Approximate expected contribution; both typed endpoints here preserve the source’s “around EUR 0.20 million” indication, not a floor or cap.
- Expected project funding, from
- €200,000
Approximate expected contribution; both typed endpoints here preserve the source’s “around EUR 0.20 million” indication, not a floor or cap.
- Topic allocation
- €4,700,000
Topic-level indicative allocation; not the per-project expected contribution.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category only when the grant conditions and Article 6.2.A.2 apply; assigned to the action, work under conditions similar to an employee, result belongs to beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and actual direct-contract costs are not significantly different from comparable employees. It is a contractor engagement category, not employee payroll; no qualification, headcount, FTE, duration or rate is set by this topic.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category under the applicable Horizon Europe General MGA, conditional on actual action assignment and all eligibility rules. This is not a call-specific required team, named job, or promise of award. Qualification, headcount, FTE, duration and salary are not stated by the topic. Employee remuneration must be actual and linked to national law/employment terms; daily-rate and reporting rules are described in the cited MGA.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential personnel unit-cost category where the applicable grant agreement includes Article 6.2.A.4. Applies only to an SME owner not receiving a salary or a natural-person beneficiary not receiving a salary, with work assigned to the action and general unit-cost conditions met. The daily unit rate is country-adjusted; it is not a salary and this packet does not assert a per-person EUR rate without the recipient country coefficient. No required headcount, FTE, duration or qualification is named in this topic.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category only when the grant conditions and Article 6.2.A.3 apply; assigned to the action, works under conditions similar to an employee and actual costs are not significantly different from comparable beneficiary employees. This is a paid secondment, not a new employment contract with the beneficiary. No call-specific qualification, headcount, FTE, duration or pay rate is stated.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 13 Oct 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 · INDUSTRY
- Types of action
- HORIZON Innovation Actions
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 23 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 14 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.