The Croatian Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises, Innovation and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) today announced the Second Public Call for submission of project proposals by micro and small enterprises from the cross-border area of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, within the framework of the EmBRACE project.
The EmBRACE project is implemented under the Interreg VI-A IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021–2027, with the aim of promoting continuous growth and improving the competitiveness of micro and small enterprises in the cross-border area of the three countries.
The project is implemented through the Small Project Fund (SPF). The total funds provided from the European Regional Development Fund and the IPA III fund for micro and small enterprises under the EmBRACE project amount to 8,725,324.36 euros.
The Second Call opened on 1 October 2025, and applications are submitted until 15 December 2025. A total of 3,000,000.00 euros of EU grant funds are available under the Second Call.
What can be financed through the project?
Financial support will be allocated for the development and adaptation of business models, products, services, and processes, encouraging the development of local micro and small enterprises, with a strong emphasis on the introduction of product or process innovations, the development of pilot activities and new business solutions, while simultaneously improving their cross-border business cooperation.
EU funds can co-finance up to 85% of the total project value, with the maximum amount of European funds that can be allocated per project being 200,000.00 euros.
For a project to be eligible for funding, cooperation must be established between at least two (2) and at most three (3) project partners, i.e., end beneficiaries from different countries included in the program area (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro). One of the partners must be based in the European Union, i.e., in Croatia. Cooperation of partners from all three (3) countries of the program area will be additionally evaluated with 5 points.
Applications can be submitted exclusively by micro and small enterprises operating in the program cross-border area of:
- The Republic of Croatia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Montenegro
The program area in Montenegro covers the Capital City Podgorica, the Old Royal Capital Cetinje, and the municipalities of Bar, Budva, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kotor, Nikšić, Tivat, Tuzi, Ulcinj, and Zeta.
The EmBRACE project and all details of the public call will be presented in informational workshops to be held during November 2025 in the following cities:
- Sisak
- Vitez
- Podgorica
- Zadar
- Ljubuški
Exact locations and dates of the workshops will be announced later.
Deadlines and details on the application submission procedure are provided in the Guidelines for MSEs as Final Recipients (GfA).
Additional information and documentation regarding the Second Public Call and the EmBRACE project are available here.
Project applications are submitted via the online platform at the link: https://cbchb.eu/application/.