A Great Opportunity for Croatian Innovators

The Croatian Agency for Small Business, Innovation and Investment (HAMAG-BICRO) has designed a comprehensive support system within the ACCELERATION PROGRAM for all newly established innovative companies, innovative development teams, and individuals in all regions of Croatia. The program includes support aimed at initial business condition assessment, individual business consulting, mentoring by expert mentors, assistance in communication with investors, internationalization activities, and more.

By applying to the published Public Call, it is possible to obtain non-financial support in the form of services from 9 consortia – accelerators from all regions of Croatia, worth up to a maximum of 4,000 euros in the pre-acceleration phase, up to a maximum of 17,000 euros in the acceleration phase, and up to a maximum of 6,000 euros in the post-acceleration phase.

For those applicants who successfully pass the pre-acceleration phase, HAMAG-BICRO will announce a limited call for the allocation of non-repayable funds of up to 25,000 euros, as well as a call for the allocation of vouchers for the internationalization of businesses participating in the Acceleration Program (for activities related to participation in international events, exhibitions, fairs, workshops, conferences, covering travel expenses, accommodation costs, registration fees, and more).

Applications are accepted via online form until August 7, 2024. Newly established companies that have been founded no more than five years before the submission date of the project proposal; development teams and individuals (natural persons – for the pre-acceleration phase) who are developing an innovative product/service and are currently in TRL stages 5-8 can apply. HAMAG-BICRO, in cooperation with local accelerators, will select up to a maximum of 160 users in the Republic of Croatia who will have the opportunity to develop their business in the business space of one of the accelerators over the next two years.

Learn more about the acceleration program on the official HAMAG-BICRO website or contact the project manager via email at [email protected].

Eurostars 3 – A voucher of 3,350 euros for expert services in preparing project proposals

For companies interested in international collaborative projects under the Eurostars 3 program, HAMAG-BICRO allows them to submit a working version of their application and obtain a voucher worth 3,350 euros, which will be awarded to the best-rated pre-applications for co-financing expert services to assist in project preparation.

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises can apply for the ‘Voucher program for expert services to assist in preparing project proposals for the Eurostars program‘ until July 15, 2024.

Submitting a pre-application is not mandatory for participation in the Eurostars 3 program, but in this way, companies can obtain funding for the expert service of writing project proposals and simultaneously check how well the project aligns with the program’s provisions. The pre-application is written in English and submitted via the link.

Eurostars is a program that encourages small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to collaborate with international partners in launching research and development (R&D) activities. The basic criterion is the participation of at least two member countries in the project. The call and the list of countries participating in the program are available at the link.

More information about the program and the application process can be found at the link.