New Sessions Added | Free Online Workshops | August 18, 25 & September 1
Europe offers thousands of funding opportunities for startups, SMEs, researchers, and innovators. From Horizon Europe and the European Innovation Council (EIC) to sector-specific programmes and national funding schemes, there is no shortage of opportunities available.
Yet many founders still struggle to access them.
Many founders underestimate the scale of available public funding. If you're new to the ecosystem, our article How Big Are EU Grants? provides an overview of the funding landscape and typical grant sizes available across Europe.
The challenge is often not awareness, but navigation. Understanding which programmes are relevant, whether a company is eligible, how consortium projects work, and where to begin can feel overwhelming, particularly for first-time applicants.
Funding options also extend beyond grants. For example, soft loans remain one of the most overlooked funding instruments among early-stage companies despite offering attractive terms for innovation projects.
This challenge is reflected in conversations we regularly have with founders and innovation teams, as well as in our recent founder survey. While many respondents had already applied for grants, they often relied on startup communities, personal networks, and accelerators to discover opportunities. The findings suggest that the biggest challenge is not access to funding itself, but knowing where to find relevant opportunities and how to navigate an increasingly complex funding ecosystem.
To help address these challenges, we are launching the Grantia Startup Funding Series - a free online workshop series designed to help founders better understand EU funding opportunities and take practical next steps.
Why We Created These Workshops
Over the past months, we have spoken with founders, startups, researchers, and innovators across different sectors.
The same questions come up repeatedly:
- Which funding programmes are relevant for my company?
- Are we eligible?
- How do consortium projects work?
- Where can we find reliable funding opportunities?
- How should we prepare before applying?
The European funding ecosystem offers significant opportunities for innovation, but navigating it can be challenging without the right guidance.
Through this workshop series, we are bringing experienced funding professionals together to share practical knowledge, answer common questions, and help participants better understand the opportunities available to them.
For founders preparing for future investment rounds, understanding how grants and non-dilutive funding contribute to validation and traction can also be valuable. Our article Why Fundraising Gets Easier After Proof explores this topic in more detail.
Workshop 1
How Startups Can Get Started with EU Funding
📅 June 16, 2026 10:30 CET
This introductory session is designed for founders and startups that are exploring EU funding for the first time and want to better understand where to start.
Topics covered
- what EU funding calls are available for startups
- which funding opportunities and programmes may be suitable for different startups
- what initial steps founders need to take
- how EU consortia work
- how startups can build or become part of consortia
- where to register and get started
Speaker
Tulip Gonsalves is an EU Grant Writer and Project Coordinator with experience in proposal development and project coordination across Erasmus+, Digital Europe, Horizon Europe, CREA, and AMIF programmes.
She has supported multi-partner projects focused on innovation, digitalisation, sustainability, and education, with expertise in consortium building, proposal structuring, and project development.
👉 Register here: https://luma.com/pa5v2qbr (now closed)
Workshop 2
Funding Opportunities for Circular Economy & Clean-Tech Startups
📅 June 19, 2026 10:30 CET
This session focuses on funding opportunities available for startups developing solutions in sustainability, circular economy, climate innovation, and low-carbon technologies.
Topics covered
- circular economy funding landscape
- waste-to-energy opportunities
- low-carbon innovation funding
- sustainability-focused EU programmes
- clean-tech funding trends in Europe
- Horizon Europe and Innovation Fund opportunities
Speaker
Edesio Miranda-Barbosa is an R&I Funding Strategist specializing in sustainability, climate innovation, and European funding programmes.
He supports organizations in identifying funding opportunities, developing funding strategies, and building competitive projects in areas such as circular economy, clean technologies, and innovation-driven sustainability.
👉 Register here: https://luma.com/isv9oydl (now closed)
Workshop 3
From Research to Story: Tips for Great Science Communication
📅 August 18, 2026 10:30 CET
Science communication plays a large role in the success of technological startups. In this workshop, Nicolás Palanca-Castán will share practical ways to improve your science communication across audiences and contexts — from internal updates to marketing, investor pitches, and grant applications.
Topics covered
- why science communication is hard, and what makes audiences disengage
- finding your story and knowing your audience
- practical techniques: attention as a resource, using the appendix, avoiding jargon, ordering information for clarity
- how to "red team" your communication before it goes out
Speaker
Nicolás Palanca-Castán is a biologist and research specialist with over 10 years of experience across academia and the life sciences industry. Experienced in grant proposals, scientific publications, research project management, and science communication for both technical and non-technical audiences.
He holds a PhD in Sensory Neuroscience from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, and a Master's Degree in Science Communication from Pompeu Fabra University, Spain, and has led grant-funded research projects in Chile.
👉 Register here: https://luma.com/jqk7cqel Open now
Workshop 4
EIC Accelerator & Pre-Accelerator for Deep-Tech Startups
📅 August 25, 2026 10:30 CET
The EIC Accelerator and EIC Pre-Accelerator are among the most valuable funding instruments for deep-tech startups in Europe. In this workshop, Ayşegül Gündüz will break down how both programmes work and how to prepare a strong application.
Topics covered
- what EIC Accelerator and EIC Pre-Accelerator are, and how they differ
- who is eligible for each programme (including "Widening countries" criteria for Pre-Accelerator)
- funding formats: grant-only, equity-only, and blended finance
- the 3-step selection process — short proposal, full proposal, interview
- using Pre-Accelerator as a stepping stone toward the full Accelerator
- what evaluators actually look for at the interview stage
- common pitfalls for deep-tech startups applying
Speaker
Ayşegül Gündüz is an Innovation and Management Consultant with over 15 years of experience in innovation strategy, R&D project development, and technology commercialization. She holds a PhD in Bioengineering and has an interdisciplinary background spanning bioengineering, nanotechnology, textile engineering, environmental technologies, and sustainable energy and clean technologies.
She supports startups, SMEs, and technology-driven companies in developing high-impact innovation projects and securing national and international funding, with particular expertise in the EIC Accelerator and Eurostars programmes.
👉 Register here: https://luma.com/oihsiqih Open now
Workshop 5
Common Mistakes in Grant Applications (and How to Avoid Them)
📅 September 1, 2026 10:30 CET
Closing out our Startup Funding Series, this session focuses on grant applications for European tech and innovation-driven startups. Kathreena Dimaya will share the most common reasons grant applications get rejected, and how to fix them before you submit.
Topics covered
- the most common reasons grant applications get rejected
- mismatches between project scope and call requirements
- weak or vague impact narratives
- budget and eligibility errors that trip up first-time applicants
- structuring a proposal for clarity and evaluator ease
- sector-specific nuances for tech and deep-tech grant applications
- building a pre-submission checklist you can reuse
Speaker
Kathreena Dimaya is a grant writer and project management professional based in Madrid, with more than five years of experience supporting nonprofits, social enterprises, and public-serving organizations across Europe, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
She has written and managed over 20 competitive grant applications across public and foundation funding programmes in areas including education, healthcare, community development, youth programmes, and social impact, contributing to more than $150,000 in awarded funding.
She holds a Master's degree in Project Management in International Cooperation, with expertise in project cycle management, proposal development, partnership building, and EU-oriented project design.
👉 Register here: https://luma.com/4ikquima Open now
Who Should Attend?
These workshops are designed for:
- startup founders
- SMEs
- innovators
- research teams
- spin-outs and scale-ups
- organizations exploring EU funding opportunities
Whether you are exploring grants for the first time or looking to better understand a specific funding landscape, these sessions will provide practical guidance and actionable insights.
Participation is free, but registration is required.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Grantia Startup Funding Series.
Stay Updated
Want to know about future sessions as soon as they're announced? Follow our Luma calendar to get notified about new workshops in the series.
⚠️ Please note: if you followed our calendar before June 2026, that calendar has changed. Make sure you're following our current, official calendar linked below, otherwise you may miss updates about upcoming sessions.
👉 Follow our calendar here: https://luma.com/calendar/cal-fv2HCduSaHi5M5A
Related Resources
If you're exploring startup funding opportunities, you may also find these resources useful:
- How Big Are EU Grants? — An overview of the scale of European funding opportunities available to startups, researchers, and innovators.
- Why Founders Ignore Soft Loans (and Why They Shouldn't) — A closer look at one of the most overlooked forms of non-dilutive funding.
- Why Fundraising Gets Easier After Proof — Understanding the relationship between traction, validation, and successful fundraising.
- Open Funding Opportunities — Browse current grants, calls, and funding programmes available through Grantia.