EU-LAC Digital Accelerator Open Call #6

About

Open Call #6 of the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator supports selected corporate-startup partnerships from different EU, Latin American or Caribbean regions with a six-month acceleration programme, expert services and startup grants of up to €10,500 to develop and test digital solutions.

Benefits

• 💶Up to €10,500 in startup grants
  Selected startups can receive up to €10,500, comprising €7,000 for proof-of-concept development, up to €2,000 for travel to the corporate’s premises and up to €1,500 for equipment transportation, subject to grant eligibility and limited availability.
• 🚀Six-month acceleration programme
  Selected corporate-startup partnerships join a tailored six-month acceleration programme with expert support to test, validate and scale digital solutions.
• 🧭Tailored acceleration services
  Selected partnerships can access services across proof of concept, business case, and investment and scaling, with acceleration services valued at up to €30,000 or up to €40,000 when a Caribbean partner is involved.
• 🤝Pilot and scaling support
  Selected partnerships receive support to run pilots and prepare solutions for commercialisation, market expansion and investment readiness.
• 🎟️No entry fee
  The programme is 100% funded by the European Union and there is no entry fee to enter the accelerator.

Eligibility Criteria

• At least two applicants per application, including at least one corporate and at least one startup or SME
• Applying corporate(s) and startup(s) must be based in at least two different regions among the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean and cannot be from the same region
• The corporate must have a digital challenge requiring technological implementation and resources for that implementation
• Eligible corporate generally requires more than 50 employees and more than €10 million annual turnover; a Caribbean corporate may be eligible without meeting the minimum headcount and turnover criteria
• A startup generally requires 2–50 employees and €50,000–€10,000,000 annual turnover; a scaleup or innovative SME requires fewer than 250 employees and less than €50,000,000 annual turnover
• The startup or SME core business must be development or integration of digital technologies and it must have a corporate partner identified
• Startups or SMEs are expected to already have customers and be at TRL 7 or above
• Public entities are not eligible; only private-sector organisations may apply
• Proposals must include proprietary solutions; third-party applications may be integrated but should not be the main component
• For Open Call #6, AI solutions are prioritised, but partnerships from all industries and any digital technology are eligible

Target Region

Applicants must be private-sector organisations based in at least two different eligible regions among the European Union (one of the 27 member states), Latin America and the Caribbean; a partnership cannot consist only of organisations from the same region. For example, a Caribbean startup can only apply with a European or Latin American corporate. EU territories geographically located in Latin America or the Caribbean, such as French Guiana, Curaçao and Martinique, are treated as part of the EU region.

Target Sector

Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other