28DIGITAL Venture Incubation Program

28DIGITAL Venture Incubation Program

Offers European deep-tech startups a competitive incubation route with early cash support and growth-focused follow-up.

Eligibility · EU member states

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital) Venture Incubation Program 2026 is a two-stage competition supporting deep-tech venture creation across Europe and Horizon Europe-associated countries. It targets multidisciplinary teams of at least two members operating within 28DIGITAL's five strategic domains: Digital Industry, Digital Cities, Digital Wellbeing, Digital Tech, and Digital Finance. The most critical eligibility gate is incorporation date — companies must have been incorporated in 2025 or later, making this program exclusively for the earliest-stage ventures. Teams must demonstrate a prototype, proof-of-concept, or near-MVP at the time of application. The application deadline for the 2026 cycle was June 9, 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

The financial structure is a hybrid grant-plus-equity instrument. Stage 1 winners receive a €5,000 cash prize (Growth Package). Stage 2 finalists receive up to an additional €25,000 in financial support, for a cumulative maximum of €30,000 per venture. In exchange for selection and funding, teams are required to provide 28DIGITAL with a 5% equity stake via a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) instrument. This dilutive element distinguishes the program from a clean non-dilutive grant. No co-funding contribution is required from applicants. Eligible geographies include all 27 EU member states plus Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Gender-balanced teams and teams from Regional Innovation Scheme countries are explicitly encouraged.

Application requires completion of the program's application form, a pitch deck, and supporting materials describing the team, business model, technology, and innovation. Only one application per team or startup is permitted — no parallel or amended submissions. The Rules and Regulations PDF governs detailed scoring criteria; applicants should review it before applying. Selection is handled directly by 28DIGITAL. The 5% SAFE stake is the primary consideration for the support received, and terms are activated at the point of selection.