This event is dedicated to Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) - a key mechanism in Horizon Europe that enables consortia to distribute funding to start-ups, SMEs, and other innovators through cascade funding calls.

A significant share of Horizon Europe funding across Pillar II clusters is distributed through this mechanism, which plays a crucial role in supporting innovation and broadening access to financial support. Moreover, the European Commission is allocating around 36% of the Horizon Europe budget to digitization, reflecting the strategic importance of digital transformation across Europe. In light of these developments, Euresearch and APRE, with the support of the Idealist project, have co-organized this event to provide a deep dive into the FSTP process from both the funders’ and beneficiaries’ perspectives, with a particular focus on digital topics. This is especially relevant given the large-scale FSTP opportunities anticipated in the 2027 Cluster 4 Digital Work Programme.