Sector 08
Business, Industry & Innovation
Strengthening European businesses, accelerating innovation and building competitive industries.
Explore our servicesThe sector
European competitiveness depends on the capacity of businesses to innovate, adapt to technological change, develop new products and services, access international markets and invest in sustainable growth. European funding offers significant opportunities for SMEs, start-ups, industrial companies and research-driven businesses to develop innovative technologies, modernise operations, strengthen research and development capabilities, establish international partnerships and accelerate commercialisation.
Particular emphasis is placed on advanced technologies, industrial transformation, digitalisation, clean production, new business models and the development of competitive European value chains.
What makes this sector different?
Innovation and competitive advantage
Applications must demonstrate a clearly defined innovation, its differentiation from existing solutions and its potential to address an identifiable market need.
Financial and commercial viability
Business models, market analysis, financial projections, intellectual property considerations and exploitation strategies must support the proposed development pathway.
Technology maturity and scaling
Projects must present realistic development plans, appropriate validation activities, clear milestones and credible routes towards commercialisation and market uptake.
European industrial relevance
Strong proposals demonstrate how the innovation contributes to European competitiveness, industrial resilience, technological sovereignty or the green and digital transitions.
Funding
Key funding opportunities include
European Innovation Council (EIC)
Breakthrough innovation, deep-tech development and SME scale-up.
Eurostars
International R&D projects led by innovative SMEs.
Horizon Europe
Industrial research, technological innovation and European collaborative development.
Digital Europe Programme
Deployment and adoption of advanced digital technologies.
Single Market Programme (SMP)
SME competitiveness, business development and access to the single market.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Business innovation, industrial modernisation and regional competitiveness.
At Authentic European Consulting
We help SMEs, start-ups, industrial companies and research-driven businesses identify appropriate funding opportunities and develop investment-ready innovation projects.
Our support covers funding strategy, concept development, business case structuring, market positioning, consortium building, technical work plans, financial modelling, exploitation strategies and proposal preparation.
All eight sectors