Until 13 November 2025, it is possible to submit a project proposal under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) programme.

The objective of the call is to support projects starting from a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, by financing interregional innovation investments and providing the necessary support to bring innovations to a level of maturity suitable for commercialisation and scaling up.

The call is divided into two strands:

Strand 1 aims to:

1. Facilitate the development of existing or the creation of new interregional and cross-border value chains, by improving the connection between regional innovation ecosystems;

2. Promote collaboration between innovation actors—particularly SMEs—from less developed regions and those from more developed regions, contributing to the objectives of cohesion policy.

Strand 2a aims to:

1. Support innovation actors with investment ideas ready to be developed into mature business cases;

2. Identify new regional technological domains and market opportunities in line with EU priorities, bridging the gap between supply and demand to help innovation ecosystems overcome market failures;

3. Create new value chains in less developed regions and integrate them into interregional and cross-border value chains with more developed regions;

4. Promote the application and implementation of innovative technologies and solutions in less developed regions;

5. Foster collaboration between SMEs in less developed regions and innovation actors in more developed regions within interregional or multinational value chains.

For both strands, proposals must address one of the following thematic priorities:

• Digital transition

• Green transition

• Smart manufacturing

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) composed of:

• At least five independent legal entities, each established in a different region from at least three eligible countries;

• At least two legal entities established in two different less developed regions.

In addition, the consortium coordinator must be: a public body, or an entity designated by national or regional governments to develop or implement innovation and investment support actions for SMEs (e.g. cluster organisations, development agencies, innovation agencies).Total budget is €23,000,000 for Strand 1, and €24,000,000 for Strand 2a;

Total budget is  €23,000,000 for Strand 1, and €24,000,000 for Strand 2a; The funding per project ranges between €2 million and €10 million (proposals with other amounts are also eligible). The EU contribution is set at 70% of eligible costs, regardless of the type of beneficiary or cost category.