The STEP Digital and Biotechnology R&D&I call, MPr-2026-9, and Energy R&D&I call, COMPETE2030-2026-11, support integrated consortium projects. Research and development must connect with productive investment and market introduction. The strength of that connection is central to preparation.
What makes a complete consortium?
A company must lead the consortium, with business participation in critical value-chain phases. Companies must be included that will adopt the technology and take it to market. Eligible research organisations may contribute research capabilities under the applicable conditions.
The reference limit is 10 beneficiaries, with justified exceptions possible. Companies should account for the majority of proposed investment, unless an exception is accepted. Each partner needs a necessary function, with identified activities, resources, deliverables and responsibilities.
R&D and Productive Innovation must connect
The calls do not accept projects comprising only R&D or only productive investment. R&D investment should normally be the majority, subject to justified exceptions based on project objectives and activities. Productive investment must complement R&D and incorporate its results into economic activity.
Work predominantly targets higher technology-readiness levels, with lower levels possible where justified and accepted. The plan should explain the starting point, technical uncertainties, validation and route to commercial production. Every partner need not carry out every phase individually, but together they must form a coherent operation.
What should partners agree?
- Each entity's activities, investment, resources and deliverables. - Governance, monitoring, decision-making and problem resolution. - Access to background knowledge and rights to results. - Commercial exploitation, dissemination and intellectual property. - Financial contributions and capacity to meet commitments.
The application requires a draft consortium agreement. Developing it alongside the work plan reveals dependencies and disagreements that could weaken the application or implementation.
How should expenditure and support be structured?
Reference eligible expenditure is at least €5m and less than €25m, under the calls' conditions and exceptions. Following appraisal, corrected eligible expenditure below €5m is not supported. Normal duration is 36 months, except duly justified cases.
R&D base rates are up to 50% for industrial research and 25% for experimental development. Applicable increases may raise business aid intensity to 80%. Eligible research organisations may reach 85% under specific conditions. Productive investment follows the applicable regional aid map and framework. Budgets should therefore be calculated by entity and activity category.
The technical annex needs evidence
The mandatory annex is in English, follows the official template and is limited to 45 pages. It should explain the critical technology, selected STEP condition, economic potential or contribution to reducing strategic dependencies, activities, partners and exploitation of results. Generic innovation claims do little to explain the project's choices.
A consistency matrix can connect each objective with its activity, owner, cost, expected result and evidence. This helps align the annex and application form while identifying unsupported costs or results with no allocated resources.
Plan liquidity for each partner
Adding estimated grants does not establish financing capacity. Each entity should assess own funding, expenditure timing, non-eligible costs and the interval before support is paid. A financially weak partner can jeopardise activities on which the whole consortium depends.
Fenix Capital can support economic and financial structuring, investment planning, the application and financing sources. The initial assessment should bring together technology, proposed partners, expenditure and timetable to determine whether the operation is executable.