As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to celebrate a year of innovation, equity-free funding, and groundbreaking projects. At Cascade Funding Hub, we’ve been your trusted guide in navigating the world of European cascade funding, and together, we’ve achieved incredible milestones. So, grab a cup of something warm, and let’s unwrap the highlights of 2024, the year we scaled innovation!
Cascade Funding 2024 wrapped
This year, over 260 Open Calls were published on our Cascade Funding Hub search engine, opening doors for innovators across diverse domains, including:
- Health: From advancing medical research to developing cutting-edge treatments, the health sector saw numerous projects funded to improve global well-being.
- Agri-Food: Supporting sustainable farming practices and innovative food systems to ensure a healthier planet.
- Sustainability: Promoting green technologies and circular economy solutions to combat climate change.
- Space Exploration: Encouraging exploration beyond our planet with funding for space technology and research.
- Arts & Culture: Empowering creative minds to bridge the gap between technology and artistic expression.
- Advanced Manufacturing: Driving innovation in production technologies to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.
- ICT & Digital Society: Shaping the future of communication and digital transformation for a connected world.
Each category reflects the diverse opportunities available through cascade funding, enabling innovators to turn bold ideas into reality.
Top Open Calls With Maximum Funding of the Year
Each month brought incredible opportunities to innovators, startups, and SMEs. Here are the open calls that distributed the highest funding each month:
- January: ERA4HEALTH_NUTRIBRAIN (€500K) Supporting innovative solutions to enhance brain health through nutrition research.
- February: 6G SANDBOX (€270K) Paving the way for the next generation of connectivity and digital transformation.
- March: NETZEROCITIES (€1.5M) Driving initiatives to accelerate the transition to net-zero cities across Europe.
- April: AGROECOLOGY (€263K) Promoting sustainable agricultural ecosystems for food security and biodiversity.
- May: OSCARS (€250K) Empowering creative projects that merge art and science for societal impact.
- June: XR2INDUSTRY (€500K) Expanding the use of extended reality technologies in industrial applications.
- July: XR4ED (€230K) Supporting extended reality tools to transform education and learning experiences.
- August: FILOVAX (€10M) Funding critical vaccine development to combat global health crises.
- September: European Data Space for Smart Communities (€1.5M) Facilitating data-driven solutions to create smarter, more connected communities.
- October: CLIMAAX (€300K) Advancing climate action technologies to mitigate environmental challenges.
- November: BIODIVERSA+ (€1.5M) Supporting biodiversity conservation initiatives for a sustainable future.
- December: XR2LEARN (€300K) Enhancing educational experiences through immersive extended reality solutions.
These calls exemplify the breadth of opportunities available through cascade funding, enabling transformative projects to thrive.
SPLORO Cascade Funding 2024 Evolution
We are Sploro, the startup behind Cascade Funding Hub, and these were our personal achievements of the year that we’d like to showcase. Yes, you read right, we distributed €12.36M among innovators, beneficiaries, startups, projects, and SMEs during 2024 through the open calls enabled by our partnerships with EU projects. These efforts not only empowered creative solutions but also helped build a more sustainable, connected future.
We are a proud team, making it our mission to make innovation accessible to all organizations through digital services. We want to make your dreams come true, and so far, we are slowly but steadily accomplishing these goals! Together, we’re fostering an ecosystem where innovation thrives, one call at a time.
Key Stats:
- Total Funding Committed: €12.36M
- Total Beneficiaries Funded: 145 SMEs
- Total Calls Launched: 10 Open Calls
Funding Timeline:
- Women TechEU: 1st Call (March – May), 2nd Call (July – August)
- EmpoWomen: 1st Call (January – March), 2nd Call (October – December)
- PQ React: August – September
- SPADE: April
- NGI Sargasso: 3rd Call (March – May), 4th call (June – August), and 5th Call (September – November)
- FOODITY: 2nd Call (May – July)
Our standout performer? FOODITY’s 2nd Open Call, offering up to €180K per project for six data-driven solutions, showcasing the power of cascade funding to drive innovation.
Efecto Cascada Podcast: 2024 Wrapped
Efecto Cascada, the podcast where we dive into the forefront of innovation, share insights from entrepreneurs, and uncover cascade funding opportunities, brought you the voices of innovation and change, with 215,387 streams across 17 episodes this year.
It is one of the projects we are most proud of in 2024. Starting this summer, our aim has been to raise awareness of what cascade funding is among the innovator community and spread the word about this mechanism so that they can have a reason to make their dreams come true.
Top Episode of 2024:
Cityscapes Reimagined: Aurélie Delater on STARTS in the City – 35,000 streams
Top 5 Episodes:
- STARTS in the City – Aurélie Delater
- CORTEX2 – Raquel Carro
- ReSilence & MindSpaces – Nefeli Georgakopoulou
- MUSAE – Carmen Bruno
- XR2LEARN – Ioannis Chatzigiannakis
Each episode explored the intersection of technology, creativity, and innovation, connecting listeners to the future of European projects.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Dear Splorers,
Thank you for trusting us throughout 2024. Together, we’ve scaled innovation, empowered SMEs, and brought groundbreaking ideas to life.
What’s Next in 2025?
Expect more opportunities, exciting surprises, and an unwavering commitment to fostering innovation through cascade funding. Let’s keep innovating together!
Happy New Year from the Cascade Funding Hub Team!
Explore the latest opportunities at CascadeFunding.eu and make 2025 your year of scaling solutions.