Horizon StartUP and ScaleUP EIE - 2026 - 02 CONNECT BID

We have prepared the draft text for the opportunity and would very much welcome you joining the Consortium

https://eismea.ec.europa.eu/funding-opportunities/calls-proposals/european-startup-and-scaleup-hubs-pilot-horizon-eie-2026-02-connect-01_en

Abstract of Proposal: 

Europe faces escalating water challenges—scarcity, pollution, flooding and climate-driven variability—requiring rapid, reliable and scalable solutions. Circular water economy innovations offer a viable pathway, yet despite world-class research and strong early-stage (TRL1–TRL3) output, Europe still struggles to commercialise and scale water technologies in real markets.

This gap is not due to a shortage of ideas, scientific capacity or entrepreneurial ambition. It reflects structural weaknesses in Europe’s innovation and investment system, including: fragmented investment ecosystems; risk-averse procurement environments; regulatory fragmentation across Member States; misaligned investment and due-diligence criteria; weak or inconsistent pilot evidence; limited market clarity and shared evaluation frameworks; systemic exclusion of non-academic innovators, women founders and minority-led ventures; and the absence of coordinated pathways from prototype to procurement-ready solutions. As a result, promising innovations struggle to secure investment, access pilot sites, meet procurement expectations or progress along regulatory pathways—slowing progress toward EU water, climate and circularity objectives.

The overarching objective of CONNECT-WATER is to expand, strengthen and coordinate Europe’s investment ecosystems for circular water innovation, enabling innovators—particularly at TRL4–TRL9—to access investment, pilots, regulatory clarity and procurement pathways for real-world deployment and scaling.