PR North-East: €2.35 million for innovation clusters, €300,000–600,000 per project, until 23 Oct.

The call "Innovative development of clusters" under the North-East Regional Programme 2021-2027 has been open since 23 September 2026. Associations that own and manage an innovation cluster can apply. The total budget is 2.35 million euro, and a project can receive between 300,000 and 600,000 euro. Projects must be submitted in MySMIS2021 by 23 October 2026, 13:00.

The call is competitive and stays open for just one month. This means projects are not approved in the order they are submitted, but there is also no time left to build a partnership from scratch. The call is realistic for clusters that already have their members and a project idea.

In brief

• Programme: North-East Regional Programme 2021-2027, Priority 1 – A more competitive, more innovative region, Specific Objective 1.1
• Authority: ADR North-East (Regional Development Agency), the Managing Authority for the PR North-East
• Beneficiaries: associations registered in Romania, established under OG 26/2000, that are both the owner and the operator (EMC) of an innovation cluster
• Total budget: 2,350,000 euro (1,997,500 euro from the ERDF and 352,500 euro from the state budget)
• Value per project / intensity: between 300,000 and 600,000 euro non-refundable; Regio support can cover up to 85% of the eligible value
• Submission period: 23 September 2026, 13:00 – 23 October 2026, 13:00, in MySMIS2021
• Status: competitive call open; the applicant's guide was published on 24 August 2026

Who can apply?

The applicant is the entity that manages the cluster, not the member companies taken individually. According to the guide, associations that act as both owner and operator (EMC) of an innovation cluster are eligible. Associations must be registered in Romania and established under Ordinance No 26/2000.

The ADR North-East press release adds three conditions for the cluster:

• at least 10 member enterprises;
• at least one public research organisation among its members;
• a presence in the North-East Region (head office, branch or subsidiary).

If the association does not yet have a head office in the North-East Region when it submits the project, it can commit through the single declaration to set one up. The head office must exist by the first payment at the latest.

SMEs benefit indirectly, as cluster members, through the shared equipment, consultancy services and collaboration activities financed by the project.

Which activities and costs are eligible?

The guide divides activities into three categories. Some of them are mandatory:

1. Investment in research, development and innovation: building or modernising the cluster's buildings and equipping them with tangible (mandatory) and intangible assets.
2. Operating the cluster: cluster animation, meaning activities that help members collaborate and exchange information, plus specialised support services (mandatory). This also includes promotion, training programmes, conferences and attracting new members.
3. Support activities: tangible or intangible assets for the cluster's competitiveness and innovation consultancy services (mandatory).

ADR North-East states that projects can also finance obtaining the European ESCA quality certification for cluster management. Funding is granted under a state aid and de minimis scheme published on the programme website on 10 August 2026. The exact rules on intensity for each category of costs are set out in this scheme and in the guide.

How are projects assessed and submitted?

The funding application is submitted exclusively in MySMIS2021. To do this, the legal representative needs an account and a qualified electronic signature. The call is competitive, so projects compete on score. For the technical and financial assessment, the minimum threshold is 60 points. The full scoring grid is in the applicant's guide published on regionordest.ro.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: with less than four weeks to the deadline, the call is only realistic for clusters that already meet the membership conditions and have a clear need for a shared investment. For example, a laboratory, a pilot line or testing equipment that members would not buy on their own.

• Check your cluster's structure now: the number of member enterprises, the agreement signed with the public research organisation, and the association's status as owner and operator of the cluster.
• Do not miss the mandatory activities: a project focused only on equipment, without cluster animation and without innovation consultancy, risks being ineligible.
• Plan the co-financing: if support can reach at most 85%, the difference and the ineligible costs must be covered by the association or its members. Agree in good time who contributes and in what proportion.
• Link the project to RIS3 North-East: specific objective 1.1 targets research and innovation capacity and the adoption of advanced technologies. A weak link with the region's smart specialisation lowers the score.

If you are a company in the region and are not part of a cluster, use the eligibility check to see which programmes suit you directly.

Frequently asked questions

Can a company submit a project on its own under the North-East clusters call?

No. The applicant is the association that owns and operates the innovation cluster, established under OG 26/2000. Companies benefit as cluster members, through the shared investments and services that are funded.

How much money can a cluster receive?

Between 300,000 and 600,000 euro per project. Regio support can cover up to 85% of the eligible value. The total budget of the call is 2.35 million euro, so only a few projects will be funded.

Until when can projects be submitted?

By 23 October 2026, 13:00, in MySMIS2021. The submission period began on 23 September 2026, 13:00.

Must the association have its head office in the North-East Region?

The cluster must be present in the region. If the association does not have a head office in the North-East at submission, it can commit through the single declaration to set one up. The head office must exist by the first payment.

What membership conditions must the cluster meet?

According to ADR North-East, the cluster must have at least 10 member enterprises and at least one public research organisation.

Official sources

• PR North-East – call sheet P1 "Innovative development of clusters"
• PR North-East – call page, with the applicant's guide and the state aid scheme
• ADR North-East – press release "2.35 million euro funding for innovation clusters"

Information checked on 28 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.