The FU-TOURISM acceleration programme extends application deadline until February 21 giving more SMEs access to grants
- A unique opportunity for tourism SMEs in six European countries – FU-TOURISM offers financial aid, training, and mentoring to foster digital and sustainable innovation.
- Comprehensive support for selected SMEs – beneficiaries receive €20,000 in funding, expert consultancy, and access to EU financing opportunities.
The FU-TOURISM acceleration program, funded with 4 million euros by the European Commission through the Single Market Programme (SMP-COSME), has extended the application deadline until February 21, 2025, at 17:00 CET. This extension allows more tourism SMEs in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Greece, and Poland to access grants of up to 20,000 euros. The initiative, recently presented at the International Tourism Fair in Madrid (FITUR) on January 22, has been highlighted as a key opportunity for companies interested in advancing their digital and sustainable transformation. With this new deadline, FU-TOURISM reinforces its commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability in the European tourism sector, facilitating SMEs’ access to funding, specialized training, and personalized mentoring.
The program will select a total of 60 SMEs, 10 from each participating country, that are already operating or wish to engage in sustainable, green, and digital tourism. To be eligible, companies must belong to the tourism sector or be linked to related sub-sectors and present innovative solutions that can be implemented or scaled in the field of sustainability and digitalization. Selected businesses will receive direct financial support of 20,000 euros and participate in a hybrid eight-month training and mentoring program.
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 euros, with the possibility of transforming their proposals into fundable projects through European programs such as LIFE and HORIZON.
Interested companies can register via the following link: https://app.vestbee.com/org/fu_tourism/aeb6a1c8bb594fc0964addca7d7ffa9a/register-startup
The FU-TOURISM acceleration program is part of a broader European effort to foster a more sustainable and digital tourism business ecosystem. The initiative 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.
In addition to offering training and strategic support, FU-TOURISM will develop pilot activities in two destinations: Valencia (Spain) and Poreč-Parenzo (Croatia). These cities, operating under the Destination Management Organization (DMO) model, will serve as best practice examples and provide support to SMEs through collaboration in the Quadruple Helix Living Labs. This approach enables cooperation among businesses, public administration, research centres, and civil society to develop innovative solutions that strengthen the sustainability and digitalization of European tourism.
FU-TOURISM is one of only six projects approved under the European Commission’s SMP-COSME-2022-TOURSME call, standing out as the largest in budget and impact. As part of its initiative, a second acceleration program in 2025 will provide €30,000 in funding to 42 SME associations.
For further information on how to apply, visit the official FU-TOURISM website.
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