September 2026 brings several funding deadlines relevant to innovative small and medium-sized companies in Czechia.
Foreign ownership does not automatically exclude a Czech company from support. It also does not automatically make it eligible. The applicant, project, location, company size, consortium and type of expenditure must fit the rules of each programme.
For foreign companies already operating in Czechia — or establishing a Czech entity for research, innovation, technology or production — the useful first step is not to chase every grant. It is to identify which planned project would happen anyway and then check whether a suitable programme can improve its scope or timing.
Funding conditions and deadlines can change. Always verify the current call documents with the responsible authority. This overview is not grant, legal or tax advice.
Eurostars 3: international R&D led by innovative SMEs
The September Eurostars call has a deadline of 10 September 2026. Eurostars supports international research and development projects led by innovative SMEs.
This can be relevant to a Czech company working with partners in countries such as South Korea or Singapore, both of which participate in the Eurostars network, as well as partners across Europe and other participating markets.
The programme is not intended for a company acting alone on an ordinary commercial rollout. It requires an international collaborative R&D project and national eligibility checks for each participant.
Foreign groups should clarify which entity will own the research work, costs and resulting intellectual property before preparing the application.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership: connecting companies with research
A Czech Knowledge Transfer Partnership call is reported with a September deadline. The model is designed to connect a company with a research organisation and transfer expertise into a practical innovation project.
This may fit a foreign-owned Czech manufacturer or technology company that needs local academic knowledge, a specialised researcher or a structured route from research to implementation.
The value is not only the grant. A credible Czech research partnership can help a foreign company understand local talent, testing capacity and innovation networks.
IraSME and CORNET: collaborative innovation
IraSME and CORNET calls are relevant to international and collective industrial research. Reported September deadlines fall at the end of the month.
These programmes require the right form of consortium and project. A company should not start with the funding acronym. It should start with a defined technical problem, the partners needed to solve it and a realistic commercial path.
Technology for Local Action Groups II
The Czech programme Technologie pro MAS II is expected to open from 1 September 2026 for eligible SMEs in selected rural areas working through local action groups.
Support is oriented towards technology, automation, robotics and digitalisation. For a foreign-owned company considering a smaller Czech town or rural production location, this is a reminder that support can depend heavily on geography.
The business location must be real and operational. Creating an address only to reach a programme is not a market-entry strategy.
SIGMA and preparation for commercialisation
A new SIGMA call focused on commercialisation and preparation for instruments such as the EIC Accelerator was expected to be announced in September.
Innovative companies should wait for the final call documentation before relying on preliminary parameters. The important questions will include technology-readiness level, eligible applicants, supported costs and the relationship with later European funding.
THÉTA 2: energy research and innovation
The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic opened the fourth public competition under the THÉTA 2 programme on 26 August 2026. Project proposals can be submitted from 27 August until 21 October 2026.
THÉTA 2 supports applied research, development and innovation connected with the transformation and modernisation of the energy sector. It may be relevant to companies with a Czech research presence and a suitable project, including foreign-owned Czech entities, but applicants must verify the full eligibility and consortium rules in the official tender documentation.
The programme has three sub-programmes. The maximum reported aid intensity is 90% in PP1, 60% in PP2 and 85% in PP3. The PP3 rate has fallen from 90%, so companies should build the budget around the current call rather than older programme summaries.
New Energy Savings: interest-free financing
The Czech National Development Bank has reopened the New Energy Savings programme with a new allocation. It offers interest-free loans from CZK 500,000 to CZK 60 million and may finance up to 90% of eligible expenditure. A financial contribution of up to 20% may be available when the planned energy saving is achieved.
The programme is intended for business energy-saving projects in the Central Bohemian, South Bohemian, South Moravian, Plzeň and Vysočina regions. Prague has a separate financing instrument, and companies should verify the current territorial and technical rules before choosing a site or starting expenditure.
For a foreign investor, energy support should be considered together with site selection, technical design and operating costs. Retrofitting a poor location later can be more expensive than including energy performance in the first investment model.
Five checks before spending time on an application
- Applicant: Is the Czech entity eligible by size, ownership and financial condition?
- Project: Is the activity research, implementation, equipment purchase, energy saving or ordinary operation?
- Location: Is the project outside Prague or inside a specifically supported area?
- Timing: Has the company already started, ordered or paid for something that must begin only after application?
- Capacity: Who will prepare, manage, document and audit the project?
A grant can reduce cost, but it also adds deadlines, documentation and obligations. The company needs an owner for both the technical project and the funding process.
What this means for foreign-owned Czech companies
The strongest applications usually come from real projects with clear business logic. Funding should support a decision, not replace one.
Before applying, foreign management and the Czech team should agree on scope, budget, intellectual property, procurement, staffing and long-term use of the result.
How Kodo can help around the project
Kodo does not provide grant or legal advice. We can help a foreign company clarify the Czech market-entry plan around the funded activity: local positioning, partner mapping, Czech communication, web content, analytics and implementation workflows.
For programme eligibility and applications, use the responsible authority or a qualified funding adviser.
If your company is preparing a Czech innovation or technology project and needs help with its market and implementation context, contact Kodo.
Sources
- Enterprise Europe Network Czechia — September 2026 funding opportunities
- Eureka Network — Eurostars September 2026 call
- Technology Agency of the Czech Republic — Eurostars 3
- Technology Agency of the Czech Republic — fourth THÉTA 2 public competition
- Czech National Development Bank — New Energy Savings
Keywords
Czech grants foreign companies 2026, Czech SME funding, Eurostars Czech Republic, Czech innovation grants, foreign-owned Czech company subsidy, OP TAK, SIGMA Czechia, technology funding Czech Republic
