Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery

Applications must be submitted via the EUSurvey platform and must include a Declaration of Honour signed using a qualified electronic signature. Each applicant may submit only one application per challenge within a given open call. Each application will be evaluated by two independent experts; for each challenge, the highest-ranked application achieving at least 70/100 points will proceed to the grant / implementation phase.

A reserve list will be established, comprising 3 next highest-ranked applications. If no agreement between the selected applicant and the Challenge Owner is reached within 30 calendar days, the opportunity will be offered to the next highest-ranked applicant on the reserve list. If no suitable applicant is available on the reserve list, the challenge may be reintroduced in a subsequent Open Call, subject to availability and feasibility.

Growth Box invites SMEs to apply and propose innovative solutions addressing one of the predefined challenges identified by industry partners in the fields of energy systems, grid flexibility, renewable integration, and digitalisation. The aim is to foster collaboration between technology providers and challenge owners, enabling the validation and scaling of impactful solutions in real industrial environments.

Through Growth Box, selected SMEs will work directly with challenge owners (such as TSOs, DSOs, industrial companies, or public entities) to demonstrate the feasibility, performance, and scalability of their solutions. The focus is on advancing technologies beyond the pilot stage towards real market uptake and industrial deployment.

The first Growth Box Open Call will award 10 grants of up to €50,000 each to support SMEs in validating, testing, and scaling their solutions in cooperation with challenge owners, including activities such as integration, demonstration, performance evaluation, and preparation for commercial deployment.

Open Call information available at https://greengridcluster.eu