Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO), the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth are jointly organising a National Horizon Europe Info Day dedicated to the European Innovation Council (EIC).

The event will take place on 18 February 2026, from 9:00 to 16:00 (CET), and will be held in English, in a hybrid format:

• On-site at the Regional Centre for Entrepreneurial Skills Development for South-East European Countries – SEECEL, Radoslava Cimermana 88, Zagreb (Kajzerica)
• Online via live streaming

The main objective of the National Info Day is to inform, encourage and support new potential applicants from the academic, creative and technological sectors in preparing and submitting project proposals to the European Innovation Council calls, as well as to present the EIC Work Programme and funding opportunities for 2026.

The event will be opened by representatives of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the Croatian Science Foundation and HAMAG-BICRO. Participants will also be addressed by a representative of the European Commission, who will provide an overview of the key features of the European Innovation Council and present the priorities and structure of the EIC Work Programme 2026.

The programme will further include a panel discussion on successful project proposal preparation, featuring members of EIC evaluation panels and EIC grant beneficiaries, who will share practical insights, lessons learned and examples of successful projects. In addition to gaining valuable information, the Info Day will offer an excellent opportunity for networking, exchange of experiences and identification of potential project partners.

Access2EIC Training – 17 February 2026

One day prior to the Info Day, on 17 February 2026, a dedicated training session for entrepreneurs will be organised within the framework of the Access2EIC project. The training will focus on:

• practical guidance and best practices for applying to the EIC Accelerator
• preparation of high-quality project proposals
• pitching to evaluators
• presentation of the EIC Plug-in mechanism, which enables a faster entry into the full EIC application process for projects already supported by national or regional programmes

Registration

The detailed programme and registration for both the Info Day and the training session are expected to be published in the first week of February 2026 on the national Horizon Europe portal:
👉 www.obzoreuropa.hr

Participation is free of charge, however, the number of participants is limited.

10–14 February 2026

HAMAG-BICRO, within the framework of the Enterprise Europe Network Hrvatska, invites Croatian companies to participate in a business delegation to the Kingdom of Morocco, taking place from 10 to 14 February 2026. The delegation is organised by our Enterprise Europe Network partner, Croatian Chamber of Economy.

The visit aims to strengthen economic cooperation between Croatia and Morocco by facilitating direct contacts between companies, institutions, and business support organisations, while opening new opportunities for internationalisation and market expansion beyond the European Union.

Programme highlights

The delegation programme includes a combination of high-level networking and targeted business activities:

• Business Forum bringing together Croatian and Moroccan companies and institutions
• Pre-arranged B2B meetings with Moroccan business partners and public institutions in Rabat
• Visit to Solaire Expo Maroc in Casablanca, one of the leading international trade fairs dedicated to renewable energy and sustainable technologies
• Institutional meetings and networking opportunities with relevant Moroccan stakeholders

This structure enables participating companies to present their products and services, explore partnership and investment opportunities, and gain first-hand insight into the Moroccan business environment.

Target sectors and participants

The delegation is particularly relevant for companies operating in the sectors of:

• energy and renewable energy solutions
• agriculture and agri-business
• tourism
• wood and wood-processing industry

Companies from other sectors with an interest in international cooperation and entering the North African market are also encouraged to apply.

Financial support for SMEs

To support the internationalisation of Croatian small and medium-sized enterprises, HAMAG-BICRO provides vouchers in the amount of EUR 1,000 to eligible SMEs joining the delegation. The voucher can be used to partially cover costs related to participation, travel, and accommodation.

Application deadlines

• Application for participation in the business delegation: by 20 January 2026
• Application for the HAMAG-BICRO voucher: by 21 January 2026

Further information and registration

Detailed information on the programme, participation conditions, and application forms is available on the Enterprise Europe Network Croatia website:

🔗 https://www.een.hr/kalendar/gospodarsko-izaslanstvo-u-kraljevinu-maroko-od-10-do-14-veljace/

This business delegation represents a concrete opportunity for Croatian companies to expand internationally, establish new partnerships, and position themselves in a growing and strategically important market.

On Friday, 5 December 2025, the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) organized a workshop for business consultants.

The Eurostars Train the Trainers session was held at the Regional Centre for the Development of Entrepreneurial Competencies for South-East Europe (SEECEL) in Zagreb.

The training was intended for business advisors and consulting companies working with small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of research, development, and innovation, especially on international projects. Throughout the workshop, participants were able to deepen their knowledge of the Eurostars programme and receive guidance for successful applications from Fabian Käser, a Swiss expert with long-standing experience in mentoring entrepreneurs in EU-funded programmes under Horizon Europe.

Eurostars is an international programme that funds R&D projects led by small and medium-sized enterprises. The primary eligibility criterion is an international partnership. To support Croatian innovators in finding partners, the Enterprise Europe Network — whose activities in Croatia were presented at the workshop — provides assistance.

Through international collaboration, Croatian companies can gain direct access to foreign markets, acquire know-how from international partners, and apply best practices gained during project implementation.

Under the umbrella of the Eureka Network, programmes are coordinated by agencies and ministries from 47 member countries. In addition to Eurostars, innovation-support programmes include Network Projects, Clusters, Innowide, Fast Track to EIC Accelerator, and others.

In Croatia, these programmes are implemented by HAMAG-BICRO. Eurostars is part of the European Partnership for Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

“The purpose of such training is to improve the quality of programme applications. Croatian entrepreneurs could achieve significantly better results—we have exceptional innovators and excellent ideas,” said Sonja Šegvić Smolić, Head of the International Cooperation Department at HAMAG-BICRO. “The Agency aims to encourage solutions emerging from the SME sector, particularly in these highly competitive programmes where the innovative strength of a country can be measured,” she added.

The concept behind train-the-trainers is to equip business advisors who support companies with the competencies and knowledge needed to improve the quality of applications.

With this approach, instead of helping just one company, the impact is broadened—leading to higher overall success rates for applications submitted from Croatia.

The workshop was organized with the support of the Swiss Confederation. Alongside training, a second goal was to strengthen Swiss-Croatian business cooperation. Stela Fišer Marković from the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation presented the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, through which these activities are financed.

Internationally, Switzerland consistently ranks at the top in innovation performance. According to the European Innovation Scoreboard 2025, Switzerland is the most innovative country in Europe.

Although the workshop was limited to the first twenty registered participants, due to exceptionally high interest from the consulting sector, HAMAG-BICRO will organize an additional workshop in January 2026.