Call for Grant Applications for Entrepreneurs from the Croatian-Italian Cross-Border Area Is Now Open
08/10/2026
The Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO), as the lead partner of the SEAS – Sustainable Enterprises Advancing Blue Solutions project, implemented under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Croatia Programme 2021–2027, has launched the Call for Small Project Proposals for cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the Croatian-Italian cross-border area.
Entrepreneurs have access to EUR 2.05 million combined from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national resources for cross-border cooperation projects.
EU funding can co-finance up to 80% of the total eligible project costs. The maximum EU grant amount per project is EUR 125,000.
Eligible activities for funding include the development of business models, joint innovation activities by SMEs, the development of new products, services and technologies in the blue economy, the procurement of new equipment for the joint development of technologies and products, activities related to entering new markets, and external expert assistance.
Each project proposal must include at least two partners, one Croatian and one Italian entrepreneur, while the maximum number of partners is three.
Eligible applicants are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups registered in the eligible cross-border programme area of Croatia (Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Istria County, Karlovac County, Lika-Senj County, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Split-Dalmatia County, Šibenik-Knin County and Zadar County) and Italy (Teramo, Pescara, Chieti – Abruzzo Region; Brindisi, Lecce, Foggia, Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani – Apulia Region; Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini – Emilia-Romagna Region; Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia, Trieste – Friuli Venezia Giulia Region; Pesaro e Urbino, Ancona, Macerata, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo – Marche Region; Campobasso – Molise Region; Venezia, Padova, Rovigo – Veneto Region).
The Call is open from 8 October 2026, with the first cut-off date for submitting project proposals on 9 November 2026. Depending on the number of project proposals received and the availability of the financial allocation, two additional cut-off dates for submitting project proposals will be opened.
The complete Call documentation is available here.
The application requirements, eligible activities and information on the project proposal selection procedure are provided in the Guidelines for Applicants.
Project proposals can be submitted exclusively through the project’s online application platform here.
For further information, interested entrepreneurs can contact us at seas [at] hamagbicro.hr.
Find out more about the Call for Entrepreneurs in the SEAS project video:
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to develop your business, expand into new markets and connect with entrepreneurs from Croatia and Italy – prepare your project proposal and apply to the SEAS Call!
The project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
