Innovation Competition i (Concours d'innovation i)
Supports Innovation competition for startups and small businesses grant recoverable advance, costs.
Concours d'innovation i-Nov is a France 2030 innovation competition run by Bpifrance with ADEME for the transport, cities, energy, and resources themes. It is aimed at single-partner projects from startups and SMEs that can turn high-potential R&D into commercial products. The program is active but moves in annual waves rather than a continuous intake. Eligible projects run from 1 to 5 million euros in total costs over 12 to 36 months, with public aid capped at 45% for small companies and 35% for medium companies. The support blend is 60% grant and 40% recoverable advance. Thematic scope covers digital, health, sustainable transport and cities, and energy and resources, and the call is limited to one lead company per proposal. The best fit is a startup or SME with a focused technical roadmap and enough commercial pull to justify a single-lead application. Since the program is explicitly thematic and highly selective, applicants usually need a clean industrial use case, a realistic development plan, and enough internal control to carry the project without a consortium.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.