First Open Call - European Commission
First Open Call supports SMEs and start-ups to test, validate and demonstrate innovative hydrogen solutions, addressing value-chain gaps and helping technologies, components and services reach the market.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: November 12, 2026 (Opening) | January 18, 2027 (NASCHA deadline) | January 19, 2027 (EU portal deadline)
Funding Amounts: €600,000 total; up to €60,000 per SME or €180,000 per consortium; 6–9 months
Summary: Supports SME-led testing, validation and demonstration of innovative hydrogen solutions that fill value-chain gaps and enable market uptake.
Key Information: Applicants must be SMEs established in specified eligible regions; applications must be in English.
Description
The North Adriatic Smart Communities Hydrogen Accelerator (NASCHA) runs this European Commission-supported call through a cascade-funding mechanism, awarding and paying grants directly to eligible SMEs and start-ups. NASCHA is an EU Interregional Innovation Investments project advancing renewable hydrogen technologies in Croatia, Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The call supports innovative hydrogen technologies, components and services that strengthen value-chain integration, address gaps or enable replication in new sectors.
Supported activities include prototyping, system integration, technical optimisation, safety and certification, market analysis and business-model development. Projects must address technological or operational challenges identified in Annex 1 – Technical Specifications, with an emphasis on validating solutions and enabling market uptake.
