French Tech Grant (Bourse French Tech)

French Tech Grant (Bourse French Tech)

Backs French deep-tech organizations with support for health and life science solutions.

The Bourse French Tech is a direct non-repayable grant administered by Bpifrance to support French SMEs (European definition) in the maturation and technico-economic feasibility phase of a high-risk technology innovation or next-generation project. The programme is continuously open — no published closing date — making it a rolling instrument suited to companies ready to move forward at any point in the calendar year. Aid is disbursed in two tranches: the first at contract signing (after any suspensive clauses are lifted) and the balance on project completion following submission of a final report and certified statement of expenditure. No application fees or instruction fees apply, and no costs incurred before the date of application submission are eligible.

The grant covers up to 50% of eligible internal and external R&D expenditure, rising to up to 70% depending on the size category of the applicant company. The absolute ceiling is 30,000 €, and programme duration may not exceed 24 months. Eligible applicants are limited to PMEs as defined under the EU SME definition; sole proprietors, universities, and non-profit research organisations are not eligible. The scope of fundable innovation spans any sector involving elevated technological risk, including but not limited to digital technologies, industrial hardware, materials, medtech, and cleantech.

The Bourse French Tech occupies the earliest rung of Bpifrance's deeptech-to-scale ladder, sitting below the Bourse French Tech Emergence (which targets sub-one-year deeptech companies at up to 90,000 €) and well below the Aide au Développement Deeptech at up to 2 M€. Its rolling nature and low administrative burden make it a practical first public funding touchpoint for established SMEs beginning a new innovation cycle, particularly those not yet ready for competitive call-based programmes. Success depends on demonstrating a credible technological risk, a clear maturation need, and a realistic 24-month work plan grounded in internal capacity.