How Baltic deep tech companies can use EU funding at different growth stages

Baltic deep tech has grown quickly in recent years. The combined enterprise value of Baltic deep-tech startups increased from €2.6 billion in 2021 to €7.5 billion in 2025, while deep tech attracted 49.5% of all Baltic startup funding last year.

Many of the strongest areas in the region, including AI, robotics and energy technologies, also appear across the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme, which has around €14 billion available for research and innovation.

For companies working in these areas, the useful question is where funding fits into the next stage of development.

Early stage: develop and validate the technology

For an early stage company, funding may support activities such as feasibility studies, R&D, technology development and testing.

A robotics company, for example, may already have a prototype but still need to improve technical performance, test components or validate the technology in a controlled environment.

It helps to define the next technical milestone before looking at funding opportunities. A company that knows it needs industrial testing or technical validation can search much more precisely than one simply looking for a “robotics grant”.

Growth stage: pilots, demonstration and partnerships

As the technology matures, the focus often moves towards pilots, demonstration projects, R&D partnerships, market validation and scaleup.

This is where larger Horizon Europe projects can become relevant. A company may join as a technology provider, pilot partner, industry expert or specialist partner within a wider consortium.

For example, an energy technology company could provide the solution used in a European demonstration project, while a manufacturer could provide the environment where that technology is tested.

Understanding your potential role early also makes it easier to approach universities, research organisations and other companies that may be building consortia.

Know what your company can contribute

Before joining a European R&D project, companies should be clear about what they bring to the table.

That could include technology, specialist expertise, data, infrastructure, an industrial use case, access to customers or a place where a solution can be tested.

This is especially relevant for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania because all three are Horizon Europe Widening countries. This gives organisations in the region access to dedicated Widening instruments and can also make Baltic partners relevant in projects where participation from Widening countries is important.

Commercial stage: procurement becomes another route

Once a technology is ready for the market, public procurement can also become part of the company’s growth strategy.

At this stage, public authorities and international organisations can become customers through tenders and contracts. Proposal Peak’s own framework reflects this shift, with procurement becoming increasingly relevant at the commercial stage.

For Baltic companies, this can mean looking at European public procurement, national tenders, World Bank funded projects and other international opportunities alongside grant programmes.

Build a funding roadmap around company development

A practical way to approach the funding landscape is to look at what the company wants to achieve over the next 12 to 24 months and identify which type of support could help at each stage.

If the next priority is technical validation, the company may need R&D or testing funding. If the technology is ready for a real-world environment, pilot and demonstration opportunities become more relevant. Once the solution is commercially ready, procurement can become part of the growth strategy.

For example, a robotics company preparing for industrial testing could look for collaborative R&D or demonstration projects where it can participate as a technology provider. An energy company with a proven commercial solution may already be better placed to follow public tenders and institutional procurement opportunities.

Thinking about funding in this way makes it easier to focus on opportunities that match the company’s actual plans and avoid spending time on calls that look relevant on paper but do not fit the stage of development.

This reads much more naturally and keeps the same educational value without the arrows or “framework language.”

If you’re planning the next stage of your company’s R&D, pilot or market entry, Proposal Peak can help you see which EU funding and procurement routes are actually relevant. Book a demo with Edgars Poga and we’ll walk through the opportunities that could fit your company.

Author: Proposal Peak project manager, Edgars Poga