Funding Tuesday – BayFOR Workshop Series on EU and National Funding for SMEs, Start-ups and Scale-ups

With the online workshop series “Funding Tuesday”, BayFOR is offering three compact sessions in July 2026 focusing on EU funding opportunities, German national funding programmes and innovation funding for SMEs.

What to expect

The workshop series provides practical insights into current funding programmes for innovative companies and highlights concrete pathways towards successful proposal applications.

Session 1 – National Funding Programmes for Innovative Companies

Tuesday, 7 July 2026 | 13:00 – 14:30 CET
The first session introduces national funding programmes such as ZIM, EXIST, KMU-innovativ and Eurostars. Participants will learn about the key features of these programmes, understand their differences, and discover how they can strategically secure funding for their research and innovation projects.

Session 2 – European Innovation Council (EIC)

Tuesday, 14 July 2026 | 13:00 – 14:30 CET
The second session focuses on the European Innovation Council (EIC), the EU’s flagship funding instrument for breakthrough innovation. The session will cover the programmes EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator, as well as key success factors for strong proposals. The session will be complemented by practical insights into the EIC Accelerator from the perspective of the National Contact Point.

Session 3 – Additional EU Funding Opportunities

Tuesday, 21 July 2026 | 13:00 – 14:30 CET
The third session highlights additional relevant European funding opportunities for research and innovation. These include, among others, funding opportunities for collaborative projects under Horizon Europe, Cascade Funding and the European Defence Fund (EDF). Companies will receive an overview of alternative funding pathways and international cooperation opportunities.

Target Group

The workshop series is aimed at innovative SMEs, start-ups, and scale-ups with international ambitions that seek to advance highly innovative ideas as well as research and innovation projects at the national or European level.

Organised by BayFOR as a partner in the Enterprise Europe Network

For many years, the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) has been supporting companies and research institutions in acquiring European and national funding. As a partner in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) – the world’s largest support network for SMEs and innovation in Europe – BayFOR offers the “Funding Tuesday” workshop series as a free service.

Event Date and Time

Tuesday, 7, 14 and 21 July 2026, from 13:00 to 14:30 CEST

Format

Online

Agenda (in German language)

The agenda for Session 1 on 7 July 2026 is available via this link.
The agenda for Session 1 on 14 July 2026 is available via this link.
The agenda for Session 1 on 21 July 2026 is available via this link.

Registration and Participation Fee

You can register for all three sessions or select individual dates via the registration form (in German language). The registration deadline is 6 July 2026.
Participation is free of charge.

Event Language

German

Contact at BayFOR

Natalia García Mozo
Head of unit SME Advisory Services
Phone: +49 89 9901888-171 
Email:  mozo@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org

Nivedita Mahida-Königsdörfer
Scientific Advisor 
SME-Advisory Services
Phone: +49 8999017888 – 175
Email: mahida@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org 

Julia Richter
Scientific Advisor 
SME-Advisory Services
Phone: +49 8999017888 – 173
Email: richter@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org