The Hard2Scale Macro-Regional Accelerator is opening its second call for applications, inviting ambitious startups and SMEs to scale breakthrough solutions for some of Europe’s most challenging sectors. Designed specifically for innovators tackling hard-to-abate and energy-intensive industries, the programme offers tailored support, industry connections, and investment readiness services to help high-potential technologies reach real-world deployment.

Calling Startups in Materials & Resource Industries

We’re inviting ambitious startups working across the Materials & Resource Industries sector — covering Cement, Steel, Advanced Materials, Aluminium, Pulp & Paper, Glass, and Metals — to apply and take their solutions to the next level. If you’re building technology that can transform these material- and resource-intensive sectors, this is your opportunity to scale faster, connect with industry leaders, and bring your innovation closer to market.

This cohort is specifically designed for startups developing solutions with strong potential to reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency, and enable industrial transformation across these domains. We are looking for technologies that tackle the real challenges of decarbonising heavy materials production — whether that means cutting process emissions, enabling circular use of resources, integrating cleaner energy inputs into existing plants, or supporting the shift to low-carbon materials at industrial scale.

What Selected Startups Will Gain

Participants in the programme benefit from a comprehensive support package designed to accelerate growth and market entry:

• Tailored business and technical guidance to refine strategy and scale-up roadmaps.
• Open Innovation Workshops to develop collaborations with industrial partners and test solutions through pilots or demonstrators.
• Matchmaking with investors, corporates, and stakeholders interested in disruptive technologies.
• Access to public funding opportunities at regional, national, and EU levels.
• Investor readiness and fundraising support, including pitch preparation and financial strategy refinement.

Participation is free of charge, no equity is taken, and selected startups receive travel support of up to €600 for immersive ecosystem visits to Finland and France.

Focus Areas and Innovation Challenges

Drawing on the outcomes of national and macro-regional focus group workshops and the SWOT analyses carried out across the project’s countries, this cohort targets a set of shared priority challenges that stakeholders identified as critical for accelerating scale-up in materials and resource industries. We are looking for startups whose solutions address one or more of the following areas:

• Energy cost & competitiveness pressure
• Raw material dependency & circularity gaps
• Customer traction & commercial readiness
• Data visibility & emissions measurement
• Workforce skills & industrial knowledge gaps
• Regulatory complexity & permitting delays

Across these areas, we particularly welcome solutions covering cost-competitive low-carbon energy supply and demand response, drop-in or retrofit-compatible heat solutions (high-temperature electric furnaces, plasma technologies, hydrogen-ready burners, CCUS integration), bio-based or recycled alternative feedstocks, digital tools for secondary material sourcing and supply chain transparency, and regulatory-grade MRV aligned with CBAM, EU ETS, CSRD, and the EU Taxonomy.

Who Should Apply

The programme targets EU-based startups and SMEs that:

• Are legally established as a small company in the EU
• Are developing deep-tech solutions at TRL 5–8
• Clearly address hard-to-abate or energy-intensive industries
• Demonstrate strong potential for industrial scale-up and market deployment
• Are willing to actively participate in all programme activities (workshops, mentoring, pitch events)

A particular focus is placed on startups from moderate and emerging EU innovation ecosystems, which are expected to make up 60–70% of the final selected cohort.

Ready to Scale Your Solution?

Explore the guidelines and timeline here: https://hard2scale.eu/acceleration-programme/

Applications are open from 22 May to 21 June 2026. Join the next generation of industrial innovators shaping a cleaner, more competitive future.