Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Xjenza Malta is pleased to announce the opening of the Second Malta PECS Call under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS). This call provides opportunities for companies and organisations based in Malta to submit proposals for a variety of space-related research and development activities.

How to Apply

All applicants must register on the ESA Star Platform to submit their proposals:
Create an ESA Star account

Available Funding Types:

Type A – Research and preparatory activity such as feasibility studies/demonstrators, conceptual design work, competitive landscape survey, user requirements and breadboard demonstrators aimed at preparation for participation in ESA optional programmes or the initial steps of a product development for Space.

Potential Applicants are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 125,000 Euro;

• TRL Requirement: Minimum start TRL 1 and Maximum end TRL 3;
• Prime Contractorship: may be led by either industry, universities/research organisations or other national entities depending on the context;
• Expected Duration of the activity: 9-15 months.

Type B – Flight and Ground segment related research and development activities in the form of equipment (including ground communication or space science payload) to build competences and capabilities centred on products or generic technology development with potential for re-use on ESA or commercial missions. Ground equipment and mission operation systems (EGSE, MSC, OGSE, ground stations or test equipment related) may also be considered if it is clearly demonstrated that it would lead to a recurring product/ service.  This includes mid-TRL downstream application developments as ‘non-hardware’ developments.

• Potential Applicants are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 350,000 Euro for hardware development activities, for all other activities 250,000 Euro;
• TRL Requirement: Minimum start TRL 3 and Maximum end TRL 5;
• Prime Contractorship: should preferably be led by Industry and preferably include a potential end customer. Cooperation with Academia is encouraged;
• Expected Duration of the activity: 15-24 months.

Type D – Space science activities – Supporting the involvement of Maltese researchers in ESA Space Projects leading to potential of future involvement in ESA science mission core team and publication of peer reviewed scientific papers.

• Potential Applicants are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 75,000 Euro;
• Prime Contractorship: must be led by Academia and must include a non-Maltese entity with ESA core science team experience;
• Expected Duration of the activity: 36 months;

Type F – Space (downstream) applications – Products and services making use of ESA/European space infrastructure that is already existing or scheduled for operation in the near term. The goal is to ensure the introduction of a product to a first customer and to enter into customers supply chain.

• Potential Applicants are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 200,000 Euro;
• TRL Requirement:  End TRL must be TRL 8;
• Prime Contractorship: must be led by Industry with the capability to commercialise the service. Must include an end user customer as subcontractor. May include academia for technical support; must be co-funded to a minimum level of 25% of the total cost of the activity (e.g. if ESA pays 150k EUR, the total cost is at least 200k EUR). No profit is allowed. Cannot be used for repetitive product uptake scenarios only first customer.
• Expected Duration of the activity: 15-24 months.

Type G – Education activities

G1. University courses (development of additional modules to an existing BSc or MSc degree) leading to a qualification in space-related topics that correspond to the needs of Maltese space industry and to encourage career in space and answer to national space industry needs.

• Tenderers are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 70,000 Euro;
• TRL Requirement: not applicable;
• Prime Contractorship: must be led by Academia.
• Expected Duration of the activity: maximum of 36 months;

G2. PhD Thesis that corresponds to a clear need from the Maltese Space Industry and would lead to a new industrial product or service being able to be developed. Industry is required to present a letter of intent for the PhD Thesis to ensure the future commercial uptake of the funded work.

Tenderers are invited to submit Proposals for the following maximum price: a price not higher than 75,000 Euro for each PhD. A maximum number of 5 proposals shall be funded.

• TRL Requirement: not applicable;
• Prime Contractorship: must be led by Academia. Industry must be involved as a partner in the definition of the courses, practical lessors and/or topics.
• Expected Duration of the activity: maximum of 36 months;

Important Notice

• Proposals are open to companies or organisations based in Malta. Non-Maltese entities may be involved, but their tasks must not exceed 20% of the total project price.
• Each proposal must meet the required TRL (Technology Readiness Level) and other criteria as outlined for each type.

Visit the below link to read further.

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

The Go To Market Accelerator Programme is designed to support the final stages of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) advancements, helping innovators deploy their product or service into operational environments. This grant facilitates optimization, verification, and validation activities, ensuring that prototype-stage innovations are ready for real-world applications.

Programme Overview

• Target TRL: From TRL 5-6 to TRL 7-8
• Funding: Up to €150,000
• Project Duration: 24 months

The programme supports projects that build on previous development efforts to complete the innovation’s development cycle.

Eligibility & Requirements

Applicants must first complete a Feasibility Study under the Commercialisation Voucher Programme (CVP). This includes:

1. Intellectual Property Check: Identifying novel elements of the technology.
2. Commercial Viability Test: Assessing market research and economic impact.

Feasibility Study Details:

• Value: €14,000 (excluding VAT)
• Duration: 16 weeks
• Support: Conducted with Xjenza Malta’s pre-approved service providers.

Important Dates

• Online Information Session:
  Monday, 3rd February 2025 at 10:00 CET
  Register here
• Submission Deadline:
  Friday, 14th March 2025, by 23:59 CET

Visit the below link to download application form and guidelines.

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Source of Funding: Women TechEU

Women TechEU is a 2-year EU-funded project supporting women leading deep tech startup companies from Europe.

Our mission is to create a more gender-balanced entrepreneurship ecosystem. We believe that diversity drives innovation, and we are here to provide women in deep tech with more opportunities, resources, and support to thrive.

The project consortium is launching 4 calls for applications over the span of 2 years which, following a rigorous evaluation process, will result in a total of 160 beneficiaries. Each beneficiary will receive €75k grants (non-dilutive finance) as well as a personalised business development programme which includes mentoring, coaching and targeted training among other options.

Visit the below link to read further:

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Xjenza Malta is receiving proposals under the PRIMA Networking Support Scheme (NET2PRIMA). This initiative is designed to strengthen networking opportunities and foster collaboration in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), and thus to support R&I in the areas of water management, farming systems and agro-food value chain.

PRIMA is a joint EU program uniting 20 Euro-Mediterranean countries, including:

• 12 EU Member States: Croatia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.
• 8 non-EU countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey.

The NET2PRIMA Scheme provides Malta-based stakeholders with financial assistance to participate in PRIMA-related workshops, networking sessions, and brokerage events. These events are hosted by the PRIMA Foundation, National Contact Points, and other key organizations connected to PRIMA.

Key Benefits of NET2PRIMA

• Expand your network: Meet potential collaborators and consortia partners.
• Boost awareness: Gain insights into PRIMA’s mission, ongoing initiatives, and future directions.
• Strategic participation: Position yourself in initiatives like the FUTURE4PRIMA Coordination and Support Action (CSA), aimed at advancing PRIMA’s goals under the upcoming Framework Programme (FP10).

Interested parties are to submit their Application Form electronically to prima.xjenzamalta@gov.mt by not later than 20 working days before the chosen event.

You could check events related to PRIMA and FUTURE4PRIMA via the following links:

• PRIMA website   
• Future4PRIMA website    

Visit the below link to download application forms and guidelines:

Call deadline: ongoing

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Are you seeking funding to enhance your training and mobility activities? The PRIMA Training and Mobility Award 2025 is open for applications, offering an excellent opportunity to establish collaborative links with foreign counterparts from any of the 20 PRIMA Participating States.

Funding Opportunities:

• In-person short training and/or placements for local researchers in foreign entities,
• Strategic and targeted visits by local applicants to foreign entities,
• Knowledge-transfer and/or dissemination seminars or workshops in Malta, on specific PRIMA R&I thematic areas (water management, sustainable farming systems, and agro-food value chain).

Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed activities will:

• Develop effective cross-border collaborations,
• Undertake research and/or training in PRIMA thematic areas,
• Lead to the submission of a proposal to any PRIMA-related calls.

Eligible entities established in Malta can apply for funding up to EUR 8,000.

The Call will be open throughout the year with the following cut offs:

• 17th March 2025 at 23:59 CET
• 16th June 2025 at 23:59 CET
• 6th October 2025 at 23:59 CET (final deadline)

Application forms and guidelines are availabile on the below link:

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Xjenza Malta is receiving proposals under the Horizon Internationalisation Partnership Award Scheme (HIPAS). The Scheme will support Maltese eligible entities intending to submit a Horizon Europe proposal (including Partnerships indicated in the Scheme Rules), as a Coordinator entity to engage a service provider (local or foreign) who will be supporting the applicant entity through proposal writing and submission. The support is limited to € 8,000. More details can be seen the rules.

Interested Applicants are to submit their application form electronically to horizon.malta@gov.mt keeping Lili Kankaya lili.vasileva@gov.mt in copy with “HIPAS – Application 2025” as a subject heading. The call will be open throughout the year (until 7th November 2025) with the following cut offs:

• 15 April 2025
• 27 June 2025
• 7 November 2025 (final deadline)

Visit the below link to download application forms and guidelines.

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Source of Funding: Cascade Funding Hub

Visit the below link to view the 21 funding opportunities on Cascade Funding portal, an instrument by the European Commission. 

Please note that these calls have different deadlines within the month of January 2025.

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Xjenza Malta is receiving proposals under the European Innovation Council Support Scheme.  The aim of the scheme is to support applicants applying to Open and Challenges calls and who will apply for the cut-off dates as stated in the Horizon Europe EIC work programme.

The European Innovation Council Programmes are:

• EIC Pathfinder
• Transition and
• Accelerator

The scheme is exclusively available to sole applicants and consortium coordinators.

Applicants may apply for Option A and/or Option B, and/or Option C depending on the EIC programme applied to and the stage of their EIC application. Applicants may apply to:

• Option A – Proposal Development Grant: this grant allows the recipient to be reimbursed up to 10,000 Euros to cover the costs of a grant writing support consultant. The consultant will provide a full and comprehensive support during the whole process of proposal development. This grant is applicable for the following EIC programs: EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition first stage proposals (the Maltese applicant must be project coordinator to qualify for this grant), and  EIC Accelerator stage 2.
• Option B – Business Coach Grant: this grant allows the recipient to be reimbursed up to 5,000 Euros to cover the costs of a business coach. The option is exclusively available for EIC Accelerator stage1 applicants. The coach will provide their services to support the development of a slideshow and preparation for the interview, as well as providing coaching services to improve the quality of the business case and increase chances of success.
• Option C – Pitch Coach Grant: this grant allows the recipient to be reimbursed up to 2,000 Euros to cover the costs of a pitch coach. The pitch coach will support the person(s) who will make the business case pitch to improve their presentation skills and preparedness during the interview. This option is available for EIC Transition 2nd stage and EIC Accelerator 1st stage.

Interested Applicants are to submit their application form electronically to eicscheme.xjenzamalta@gov.mt with “EIC Support Scheme – NAME OF LEGAL ENTITY + Application” as a subject heading.

For further enquiry on the programme please contact jean.pace@gov.mt.

Call deadline: ongoing scheme

Visit the below link to download application forms and guidelines.

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Source of Funding: European Research Council (ERC)

Xjenza Malta is receiving proposals under the ERC Support Scheme. The Scheme aims to strengthen the opportunities for talented researchers to obtain grants from the ERC (European Research Council) for excellent and ground-breaking research based on researchers’ own ideas within all areas of research. The Scheme is divided into two options. Applicants are to fill in the appropriate sections of the form; they may select either Option A or Option B, or both:

• Option A: Mentoring initiative

The mentoring initiative will support potential ERC applicants by helping to identify international experts to provide coaching and advice.

Applicants interested to benefit from the ERC Mentoring Initiative are to indicate their interest and detail the mentoring activities they require. An expected workload and envisaged compensations for the mentors are to be specified.

The maximum cost for Option A should be up to €5000 (inclusive of VAT). The Mentors are to be selected by a list of Mentors which will be provided by Xjenza Malta.

• Option B: Proposal writing trainings.

The objective of this activity is to raise the capabilities of potential ERC candidates to prepare successful ERC grant applications through attending ERC proposal writing trainings.

The training activities may take place in any EU Member State or Associated Country physically or online. The trainers must have extensive experience and proven track record in running ERC workshops and helping successful ERC grantees. The duration of the physical trainings should be of minimum 1 day and maximum 5 days. No restrictions apply for the online trainings.

Interested Applicants are to submit their application form electronically to horizon.malta@gov.mt keeping Lili Kankaya lili.vasileva@gov.mt in copy with “ERC Support Scheme 2025” as a subject heading. The call will be open throughout the year (until 26th September 2025) with the following cut offs:

• 28 March 2025
• 20 June 2025
• 26 September 2025 (final deadline)

Visit the below link to download the application forms and guidelines.

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Source of Funding: EU Emissions Trading System

What will the Innovation Fund 2024 General Call finance?

Budget: 2.4 billion EUR

Small-scale projects call window: budget 100 000 000 EUR

‘small-scale project’ means a project with a total capital expenditure not exceeding EUR 20 000 000 but larger than EUR 2 500 000

Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal | EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Medium-scale projects call window budget: 200 000 000 EUR

‘medium-scale project’ means a project with a total capital expenditure above EUR 20 000 000 and not exceeding 100 000 000

 Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal | EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Large-scale projects call window budget: 1 200 000 000 EUR

‘large-scale project’ refers to a project with a total capital expenditure above 100 000 000 EUR

Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal | EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Clean tech manufacturing call window budget 700 000 000 EUR

The capital expenditure for such projects must be greater than 2 500 000 EUR

Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Pilot projects call window budget 200 000 000 EUR

The capital expenditure for such projects must be greater than 2 500 000 EUR

Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Activities that can be financed under the large-, medium-, and small-scale projects topics:

• activities supporting innovation in low-carbon technologies and processes in sectors listed in Annex I and Annex III to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87 , including environmentally safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that contributes substantially to mitigating climate change, in particular for unavoidable process emissions, as well as products substituting carbon-intensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive
• activities helping stimulate the construction and operation of projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO2 (CCS)
• activities helping the construction and operation of innovative renewable energy and energy storage technologies

The clean-tech manufacturing topic finances the manufacturing of innovative clean-tech components for hydrogen production/consumption, renewable energy and energy storage.

The pilot projects topics financing the construction and operation of pilot projects that focus on validating, testing and optimising highly innovative, deep decarbonisation solutions in all sectors eligible for Innovation Fund support.

 (sectors listed in Annex I and Annex III to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87, including environmentally safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that contributes substantially to mitigating climate change, as well as products substituting carbon-intensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive or construction and operation of innovative energy storage or construction and operation of CO2 storage solutions or construction and operation renewable energy installations (in photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, onshore and offshore wind power, ocean energy, geothermal, solar thermal, and others), including innovative systems aspects such as connection to the electricity/heat grid)

 A 1 billion EUR call has also been dedicated to the manufacturing of batteries for Electric Vehicles (innovation can be in chemicals, life cycle, sustainability, et cetera). The project CAPEX must be greater than 2 500 000 EUR.

 Link: EU Funding & Tenders Portal | EU Funding & Tenders Portal.  

The Innovation Fund grant must not exceed 60% of the relevant costs. Relevant costs refers to the net extra costs, calculated as the difference between the best estimate of (i) the economic costs (covering investment and operation) and (ii) the economic revenues and operational benefits– known as the ‘No Reference Plant Methodology’ (taken as default).

More specifically, the Relevant Costs shall be calculated using the best estimate of the undiscounted total eligible Project capital expenditure (CAPEX) and the Net Present Value (NPV) 1 of the eligible Project Revenues, Operational Benefits, Maintenance CAPEX, and Operational Costs (OPEX), arising over the first ten years of the Project’s operation. This is the default methodology for all Projects

There is also the fall-back option of ‘Reference Plant Methodology’.

 Link: relevant-cost-methodology_innovfund_en.pdf

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• be established in one of the eligible countries: any country in the world

Projects must be located in EU Member States or EEA countries (i.e. Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein).

Projects may also be located in Northern Ireland on the condition that they concern the generation, transmission, distribution or supply of electricity.

For maritime sector project, please refer to the call text.

Examples of Innovation Fund successful projects: Innovation Fund projects per country - European Commission

Funds and Programmes Division (FPD) as the National Contact Point urges interested applicants to thoroughly read the respective call text.

Recordings of information sessions can be found here: Innovation Fund 2024 Call and Battery Info Day - European Commission

Information source: FPD