Proof of Concept call 2023 (NPOO): grants for TRL 3-4

Note, 30 October 2026. This article describes the second Proof of Concept call under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO.C3.2.R3-I1.05). Applications were accepted from 1 October 2023, the deadline was extended to 31 January 2024, and the call is closed. The first Proof of Concept call under the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme (PK.1.1.17), with grants of EUR 26,500 to 70,000, closed on 15 September 2026, and a second call had not been published by 30 October 2026. The current status is in our Proof of Concept grants guide, and other open calls are in EU grants for businesses 2026 and Business incentives and upcoming calls 2026.

A new Proof of Concept call, PoC (Dokazivanje inovativnog koncepta), for innovations at technology readiness level TRL 3-4, was open from 1 October 2023 to 1 December 2023.

Subject of the call

Award of grants (non-repayable funding) to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and to research organisations to co-finance pre-commercial activities in the early stage of developing new products, services and technological processes, in order to establish the commercialisation potential, guide further development and reduce the investment risk.

Objective of the call

Increased readiness for the development of new products and processes thanks to improved research, development and innovation capacities of companies and scientific organisations.

Application deadline

from 1 October 2023 to 1 December 2023.

Grant amount

minimum EUR 26,500.00, maximum EUR 66,000.00.

Total available funds

EUR 4,799,920.37.

Eligible applicants

a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise, or
a research organisation, or
a natural person who is not an entrepreneur at the time of applying to the call; after the project evaluation and the ranking list have been completed, and before the Funding Decision, a company must be set up that is 100% owned by the natural person who applied and that meets the definition of a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise

Partnership: Applicants that are companies or natural persons implement the project independently. Applicants that are research organisations may implement the project independently or in partnership with a Recognised Centre (Prepoznati centar). Applicants that themselves have the status of a Recognised Centre implement the project independently.

The role of the project partner is to use its expertise to help the beneficiary manage the innovation cycle and to take part in implementing the project with its own capacities. The Ministry of Science and Education and HAMAG-BICRO (Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments) have selected the eligible Recognised Centres. The list of selected Recognised Centres that will implement the Proof of Concept programme together with the beneficiary is available at this link (Excel document).

The project will primarily finance research activities at technology readiness level TRL 3-4, which can be classified as industrial research. Industrial research means planned research or critical investigation aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services, or for bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services. It comprises the creation of component parts of complex systems and may include the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment with simulated interfaces to existing systems, as well as pilot lines, where necessary for industrial research, notably for generic technology validation.

Eligible activities that can be financed under this call

1) Research (TRL 3-4):

1.1) Building a prototype;

1.2) Demonstration of technical feasibility.

2.) Innovation cycle management activities.

The innovation cycle management activity is mandatory for all projects, regardless of whether the project proves feasible or not. Innovation cycle management covers activities such as advice on the management and protection of intellectual property and a preliminary search of patent databases, testing assumptions and analysis of the intended use, users and market for the solutions developed in the project, and identifying the next key milestones in development and commercialisation, together with a plan for reaching them if the concept is confirmed.

If the applicant implements the project in partnership with a Recognised Centre, the innovation cycle management activity must be carried out by the Recognised Centre. The role of the project partner is to use its expertise to help the beneficiary manage the innovation cycle, that is, to support it in developing and commercialising technologies and innovations. If the applicant implements the project independently, it may carry out these activities using its own staff (if the applicant has adequate capacities) or by subcontracting external services from Recognised Centres.

3) Preparation of documents for the commercialisation of the innovation:

3.1) Market analysis;

3.2) Preparation of a feasibility study;

3.3) Preparation of a concept and/or strategy for the development and/or commercialisation of the product (study or commercialisation plan);

3.4) Verification and protection of intellectual property,

3.5) Patent search

3.6) Validation of the idea, i.e. the market need, and analysis of the intellectual property protection strategy

If it turns out during implementation that the project is not feasible for technical and technological reasons, the applicant is not obliged to carry out the proposed activities.

4) Administrative project management:

4.1) Fulfilling administrative contractual obligations in project implementation, such as reporting, preparing payment requests, and preparing and conducting procurement procedures.

The complete and official documentation for call C3.2.R3-I1.05 Proof of Concept, Second Call (Dokazivanje inovativnog koncepta – Drugi Poziv) is available at this link.

Technology readiness levels 3 and 4 are explained in our article TRL levels 1 to 9, and what a proof of concept is in Proof of Concept (PoC) and who funds it. Companies of young researchers should also follow the announced call Start-up/spin-off companies of young researchers.

For more information, an eligibility check for this call and help in preparing the project proposal, contact us at: info@omniasolutions.hr.