IN Brief:
- HARD2SCALE has opened its first 2026 call for EU-based digital and deep-tech start-ups and SMEs in construction and other hard-to-abate sectors.
- The first cohort targets near-market solutions for areas including cement, steel, logistics, transport infrastructure, retrofit, and emissions monitoring.
- Selected participants receive technical and commercial support, pilot access, investor links, and public funding routes without equity exchange.
HARD2SCALE has opened its first 2026 call for start-ups and SMEs developing digital and deep-tech solutions for hard-to-abate industries, with construction, cement, steel, logistics, and transport infrastructure among the priority areas.
The first cohort opened on 18 February and closes on 15 March 2026. It is aimed at EU-based businesses with near-market technologies that can reduce emissions, improve efficiency, or support industrial transformation in sectors where decarbonisation remains technically difficult and capital intensive. For the construction side of the brief, the eligible domains include transport infrastructure construction, retrofit-compatible systems, infrastructure planning tools, emissions measurement, and solutions that integrate with existing operational and IT environments rather than requiring full asset replacement.
The programme is more structured than a standard start-up competition. HARD2SCALE says selected participants will receive tailored business and technical guidance, open innovation workshops, investor and corporate matchmaking, and access to regional, national, and EU public funding opportunities. Pilot projects, technical validation, and cross-border industrial collaboration are also part of the offer, and the first call is being promoted as equity-free support.
That makes the initiative particularly relevant to construction technology businesses working around heavy materials and infrastructure systems. Cement, steel, heavy transport, and industrial logistics are all included within the wider hard-to-abate brief, and the project is explicitly looking for solutions that can operate inside existing plants, fleets, and infrastructure rather than outside them. Fuel-switching support, modular retrofit technologies, compliance-by-design monitoring, AI-led optimisation, and phased deployment tools all sit within the programme’s target challenges.
CORDIS describes HARD2SCALE as an EU-funded project running from July 2025 to December 2027, with a target of supporting 40 start-ups through a cross-border accelerator linked to leading ecosystems in Finland and France. Four calls are planned during 2026. With the first application window already live and the next call scheduled for April to May, the programme is moving quickly into selection, testing, and industrial deployment.
