OP TAK — Inovace (Innovation Deployment)

OP TAK Innovation — Call IV (Inovace)

Supports Czech enterprises moving research outputs toward production through European-backed innovation funding.

OP TAK Inovace výzva IV is the 2026 innovation-deployment call under the Czech Operational Programme Technologies and Applications for Competitiveness (OP TAK), managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) and administered by the Agency for Business and Innovation (API). Unlike the Aplikace track — which funds the conduct of research — Inovace supports the commercialisation of existing R&D outputs, specifically the introduction of new or substantially improved products, processes, and services into production. Eligible cost categories include technology purchases, software licences, certification, intellectual property acquisition, and marketing activities directly connected to bringing an innovation to market. The call is confirmed live in the 2026 OP TAK harmonogram; pool, exact award range, and deadline are contained in full call documentation on optak.gov.cz.

Primary targets are Czech-registered SMEs and mid-cap enterprises; large enterprises may apply but typically receive lower support intensity under EU state aid rules. Sole researchers, individuals, and non-profit entities are ineligible. A scoring threshold of 60 points in the substantive evaluation applies — only projects reaching this threshold receive a grant decision. Applications are submitted through the ISKP21+ portal (MS2014+); API is the decision-making body. The OP TAK programme draws from ERDF funds with Czech national co-financing, and all standard EU audit and reporting obligations attach to awards.

Organisations most likely to succeed are manufacturing, technology, and industrial SMEs that hold completed or near-completed R&D results — whether internally generated or acquired — and require capital to retool production lines, certify new products, acquire enabling software, or enter new markets with an innovation. Applicants should prepare a detailed innovation description, a technology readiness justification, a commercialisation plan with projected revenue, and a budget demonstrating EU additionality. Scoring criteria weight commercial viability and market impact alongside the technical quality of the innovation.