IH‑MIE Open Call: hydrogen mobility projects
The Challenge
Are you developing innovative solutions in hydrogen mobility? The IH‑MIE Open Call is now open and offers funding and expert support to help SMEs accelerate their innovations and bring them closer to the market.
The Interregional Hydrogen Mobility Initiative for Europe (IHMIE), coordinated by CTAG – Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia, aims to strengthen Europe's hydrogen mobility value chain by supporting up to 30 SME-led innovation projects.
Through a 12-month programme, selected SMEs, particularly those from Less Developed Regions (LDRs), will receive financial support, mentoring, training and technical assistance to validate, integrate and scale hydrogen mobility solutions. The programme is designed to help projects mature from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9, accelerating the deployment of market-ready hydrogen mobility technologies across Europe.
Who can apply?
The Open Call is open exclusively to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that meet the criteria set out in the EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC.
Eligible applicants include:
- Single SMEs or teams of up to three SMEs.
- SMEs established in an EU Member State or an EEA country.
- Projects that are already at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 and can demonstrate a credible pathway to reach the pre-commercial stage (up to TRL 9) by the end of the project.
- Each applicant may submit only one proposal.
- For consortium applications, one SME must act as the Project Leader and serve as the main contact point.
Projects selected under the Open Call will receive:
- Up to €60,000 funding per SME (100% lump-sum funding).
- Tailored technical, business and mentoring support.
Applications open until 25 September 2026.
Background
The Interregional Hydrogen Mobility Initiative for Europe (IH-MIE) is a €6 million project led by CTAG, co-funded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument.
Despite significant progress in hydrogen technologies, several barriers continue to hinder the widespread deployment of hydrogen mobility solutions. IHMIE addresses these challenges through a bottom-up, technology-neutral Open Call, inviting SMEs to develop innovative solutions that tackle one or more of the following strategic bottlenecks:
- Fuel cell cost reduction
- Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
- Hydrogen storage and distribution
- Supply chain and logistics
- Integration of hydrogen with other mobility solutions
The objective is to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative technologies that improve the efficiency, affordability, scalability and interoperability of Europe's hydrogen mobility ecosystem.
