Inclusive Incubation and Finance for More Entrepreneurs

This call aims to support inclusive entrepreneurship across the EU by funding incubation models and financing solutions for new and aspiring entrepreneurs from under-represented groups. It aims to increase participation, improve access to tailored incubation and financing, enhance entrepreneurial skills and business readiness, strengthen cooperation between relevant stakeholders, and generate innovative approaches and evidence. Ultimately, it seeks to promote more inclusive labour markets, job creation, stronger social economy ecosystems, and better access to entrepreneurship opportunities within the European Union.

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Agency	ESF (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	28 May 2026
End date	2 Sep 2026
Max funding	Details to be provided in the call document
Budget	1,500,000 EUR for the year 2026
Coverage	See call details for specific co-financing rates and eligible cost coverage.

Grant application conditions

Admissibility	Proposals must follow the page limit and layout described in the call document (maximum 70 pages). Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System before the deadline. Paper submissions are not accepted. All proposals must use the official forms (Part A, Part B, Annexes, and supporting documents) provided within the Submission System and include all required annexes as PDFs.
Applicant Mandate	At proposal submission, the lead applicant confirms mandate to act for all applicants, that all information is correct and complete, and that participants comply with eligibility and capacity conditions.
Declaration of Honour	Before grant signature, each beneficiary and affiliated entity must sign a Declaration of Honour confirming compliance with all requirements.
Eligible Countries	EU Member States (and their overseas countries and territories) EEA countries (in accordance with EEA Agreement) EU acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries, per relevant agreements Third countries with a signed agreement for this strand or listed in the EaSI work programme if necessary for action objectives
Financial & Operational Capacity and Exclusion	Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as set out in the call document.
Consortium/Applicant Type	See detailed eligibility per topic in the call document. The action is open to a wide range of legal entities including public, private, and non-profit organizations active in the field of incubation, finance, or social economy.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/ESF-2026-SE-INCUBATION

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements