Erasmus For Young Entrepreneurs
SMP Grants for Financial Support
Basic Information
- Identifier
- SMP-COSME-2026-EYE
- Programme
- Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- February 5, 2026
- Deadline
- April 21, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €30,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- –
- Max Grant Amount
- –
- Expected Number of Grants
- –
- Keywords
- SMP-COSME-2026-EYESMP-COSME-2026-EYE
Description
Expected Outcome:
The expected results are:
a) Circa 7,000 individual entrepreneurs matched;
b) Circa 10,000 entrepreneurs registered;
c) Circa 100 Intermediary Organisations involved in the implementation of the programme;
d) Circa 35 countries covered;
e) Rate of successful exchanges above 90% (entrepreneurs’ feedback).
Scope:
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a mobility scheme that allows potential or newly established entrepreneurs to spend a period of time collaborating with an experienced entrepreneur in another participating country. These mobility actions aim to help the entrepreneurs enrich their business knowledge and experiences as well as learn and network with entrepreneurs in other programme participating countries. This measure will expand and strengthen the existing network of Intermediary Organisations (IOs) which act as local contact points in participating countries.
The IOs are in charge of recruiting and matching the entrepreneurs and facilitating the mobility actions. They also promote the programme and its benefits at local and national level and collect feedback from participants. This action also aims at offering opportunities to entrepreneurs from SMP participating countries to foster an exchange of business knowledge and expertise in new destinations beyond SMP countries.
The specific objectives are:
a) Enhancing entrepreneurship and supporting creation of start-ups.
b) Helping new entrepreneurs acquire and build managerial skills and further develop their business plan/activity by learning from experienced entrepreneurs.
c) Learning on the job by the new entrepreneurs by working with the host entrepreneur on concrete business projects.
d) Supporting the host entrepreneur in researching, developing and testing or piloting new business concepts, products or services by the new entrepreneurs bringing in fresh ideas from another environment (in national, academic, market etc. terms).
e) Raising entrepreneurs awareness for the benefits from going international and, in particular, from exploiting the potential of the European market.
f) Intensifying the networking and business relationship between entrepreneurs from different participating countries, especially laying the ground for further internationalisation of SMEs' businesses and for further spreading of innovative methods or products.
g) Promote the participation of entrepreneurs from the EU outermost regions referred to in article 349 TFEU and from their neighbouring third countries.
Eligibility & Conditions
Conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in the call document.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible countries
described in the call document.
3. Other eligibility conditions
n/a
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
n/a
5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
n/a
5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
Evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold and process are described in the call document.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
n/a
Call document and annexes:
Application form templates
Standard proposal template (COSME) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Detailed budget template (COSME GFS 75%)
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Additional documents:
SMP Regulation 2021/690: Single Market Programme establishment act
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Erasmus For Young Entrepreneurs
Support & Resources
For help related to this call, please contact [email protected]
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals.
IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and submission to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.
Enterprise Europe Network – Contact your Network national contact for advice to business with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on EU research funding.
Intellectual Property Helpdesk – Contact the IP Helpdesk for advice on the IP elements of your grant agreement.
Latest Updates
An online info session, tailored to this call for proposals, will take place on 26 February 2026, 9:00-11:30 CET. Learn more & register here