The FU-TOURISM acceleration programme closes its application with over 350 applications
- Great interest in the programme: over 350 tourism SMEs from six European countries
have applied for FU-TOURISM grants. - Comprehensive support for selected companies: beneficiaries will receive €20,000 in
funding, expert consultancy, and access to EU financing opportunities.
Last Friday, February 21, 2025, the application period for the FU-TOURISM acceleration programme closed. The programme, funded with €4 million by the European Commission through the Single Market Programme (SMP-COSME), received over 350 applications from six European countries: 28 from Poland, 30 from Austria, 41 from Belgium, 46 from Croatia, 83 from Greece, and 123 from Spain.
This high number of applications confirms the strong interest and need for financial and training support in the tourism sector to foster digital innovation and sustainability. FU-TOURISM thus establishes itself as a key initiative for developing a more sustainable and digitized tourism business ecosystem in Europe.
The programme will select a total of 60 SMEs, 10 from each participating country, that are already operating in the tourism sector or wish to enter it with innovative solutions focused on digitalization and sustainability. Selected businesses will receive direct financial support of €20,000 and participate in a hybrid eight-month training and mentoring programme.
Beneficiary companies will have access to specialized business consultancy, online workshops on business models, guidance on sustainable tourism development, and transnational networking webinars. Additionally, they will receive support to access European funds of up to €2 million, with the possibility of transforming their proposals into fundable projects through European programs such as LIFE and HORIZON.
FU-TOURISM is led by a consortium of partners from seven European countries, including the City of Valencia and Valencia Innovation Capital as an affiliated entity, the City of Poreč-Parenzo in Croatia, the Finnova Foundation in Belgium, Envolve in Greece, SYNYO in Austria, Vestbee in Poland, and Open Impact in Italy. The project is coordinated by Eupolis Grupa (Croatia) with CEDRA as an affiliated entity.
As part of its commitment to transforming tourism, FU-TOURISM will also conduct pilot activities in two destinations: Valencia (Spain) and Poreč-Parenzo (Croatia). These cities will serve as best practice examples under the Destination Management Organization (DMO) model, facilitating collaboration between businesses, public administrations, research centres, and civil society to develop innovative solutions.
FU-TOURISM is one of six projects approved under the European Commission’s SMP-COSME-2022-TOURSME call, standing out as the largest in budget and impact.
For further information on how to apply, visit the official FU-TOURISM website.
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office@fu-tourism.eu
