• Open call #6 is open until 30 November 2026 for corporate-startup partnerships across the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Eligible partnerships must bring a corporate with a digital challenge and a startup or SME providing a solution, with both organisations based in different eligible regions.
• Selected startups can access up to €10,500 in grants to support proof-of-concept development, travel and equipment transportation.
• Selected partnerships join a tailored six-month acceleration programme, receiving expert support to validate their solution, build the business case and prepare for scaling and investment.

Corporates and startups find each other. Making the partnership work is the harder part. 

After supporting over 80 corporate-startup partnerships across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator has seen a recurring challenge: finding the right innovation partner is only the beginning.

Turning that connection into a successful collaboration requires clear objectives, defined responsibilities, measurable KPIs and a pathway from proof of concept to market.

This is where the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator comes in. Through a dedicated six-month acceleration programme, it supports international corporate-startup partnerships in testing, validating and scaling digital solutions across the three regions.

To access the programme, corporate-startup partnerships can apply through the Accelerator’s open calls.

Open call #6 at a glance

Open call #6 for corporate-startup partnerships is open from 21 September 2026 to 30 November 2026.

Applying partnerships must include:

• A corporate facing a product or process-related challenge.
• A startup or SME providing a digital solution to this challenge.

Applying partnerships must be located in distinct regions (either the European Union, Latin America, or the Caribbean). For example, a Caribbean startup can only apply in partnership with a European or Latin American corporate entity.

“

When we discovered the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, we saw a concrete opportunity to accelerate volvero's internationalisation and move beyond local markets. The combination of expert mentoring, strong corporate and institutional backing, and access to local stakeholders creates the right conditions to test, validate and launch our model in high-potential yet complex markets like the Caribbean.

Marco Filippi, CEO, volvero

To help corporates and startups without a partner find an innovation partner, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator has launched a matching platform.

With over 70 corporate challenges and more than 2,100 startups offering digital solutions, the matching platform has grown into a robust marketplace where corporates and startups can connect and agree on a partnership before applying together to the open call.

Once selected, partnerships receive tailored acceleration services

Taking a close look at the common challenges corporates and startups face when they work together, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator designed a 6-month acceleration programme with over 10 acceleration services around three pillars:

• Proof of concept: Validate the tech feasibility of the solution and ensure it answers a real need.
• Business case: Build a business model that generates revenue and establish a winning international global expansion strategy.
• Investment & Scaling: Produce and sell at scale, and position the partnership to attract investment to improve the newly built solution.

Within months, through a supervised collaboration process, corporate-startup partnerships can bring a solution closer to commercialisation.

Up to €10,500 in grants for startups to support proof-of-concept development and execution

A successful proof of concept can be a decisive step towards long-term collaboration with a corporate partner. It validates technical feasibility at a lower cost before eventually investing in a large-scale implementation.

The proof-of-concept service is the most popular offering for corporate-startup partnerships. For this reason, the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator unlocked grants of up to €10,500 per startup:

• €7,000 for proof-of-concept development.
• Up to €2,000 to travel to the corporate’s premises to run the proof-of-concept experiment.
• Up to €1,500 to transport the necessary equipment to test the solution.

Startups can check their eligibility and apply for the grant by contacting their assigned mentor at the beginning of the programme.

More than 80 corporate-startup partnerships have already joined the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. Interested corporates and startups can review the accelerator’s impact through more than 40 success stories published on the accelerator’s website.

“

EU-LAC gave us access to technologies that are difficult to find in our local market. They helped us develop a robust business case and technology roadmap tailored to the sector's needs. What excites us most is seeing how this technology can create value through cost savings, resource reuse, and efficient energy management within a circular economy process.

Jean Louis Falen, Corporate Head of Innovation, Minas Buenaventura

Partnerships can submit their application form via the open call page, where they can also download the “Guidelines for Applicants,” which detail eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria.

For more information, contact the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator team.