i-Démo Call — Support for Structuring R&D&I Projects (Appel à projets i-Démo)

i-Démo Generic Call No. 5 — September Round (AAP Générique, relève septembre)

Funds large industrial initiatives with shared public and repayable financing for technology scale-up.

i-Démo Generic Call n°5 is a large-scale R&D and innovation support program under France 2030, operated by Bpifrance, aimed at strengthening French industrial competitiveness on strategic markets and supporting energy, ecological, and digital transitions. The program targets the development of highly innovative products and services with strong added value. Solo projects must be carried by a single PME (small or medium enterprise) registered in France, with total eligible project costs exceeding €2,000,000; ETIs (intermediate-size enterprises) and large enterprises cannot lead solo projects. Collaborative projects — consortia of up to six partners combining industrial companies and research partners, and optionally end-users — require minimum eligible costs of €4,000,000 and must include at least one PME or ETI. Projects tied to European institutional partnerships (EURO HPC and CHIPS JU) are eligible under separate provisions in the specifications and must also submit at the September 2026 relay.

Public aid is generally structured as 50% grant and 50% recoverable advance (the recoverable advance is repayable over time and is not traditional co-funding). Eligible expenditure covers industrial research and experimental development; industrialization and commercialization costs are excluded. The call operates on four relay deadlines: 24 November 2025 and 24 February 2026 (both passed), 19 May 2026 (passed), and 9 September 2026 (open and final). Applications are submitted exclusively via the Bpifrance platform. Contact for queries: idemo@bpifrance.fr.

Organizations preparing for the September 2026 relay should note that the consortium composition, partner balance, and detailed aid intensity rules are governed by the cahier des charges (specifications document), which should be downloaded and reviewed carefully before preparing a submission. PMEs with validated R&D results seeking to scale up a strategic industrial product, or research-industry consortia targeting energy transition, AI infrastructure, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing, represent the primary intended applicant profile.