NEWS: GREENSMES Pilot Activities Launched: Voucher Calls Open in Greece and North Macedonia

Pilot activities of the GREENSMES project have officially started with the launch of public calls for voucher schemes by project partners KEPA from Greece and NCDIEL from North Macedonia.

Business and Cultural Development Centre KEPA published its call on 1 April 2026, while project partners from North Macedonia launched their call on 9 April 2026. Both calls are open for 30 days from the date of publication.

The calls target MSMEs and support a harmonised set of “soft” green innovation activities, including:

  • Building capacity for innovation management through tailored workshops and training programmes aimed at raising awareness and empowering employees to drive green and sustainable initiatives
  • Developing programmes and concepts for innovation challenges (e.g. hackathons and case study competitions) in collaboration with educational institutions, with the aim of generating external ideas and strengthening partnerships
  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), analysing the environmental impact of products or services throughout their entire lifecycle
  • Development of energy efficiency projects, including preparation of project applications, access to funding opportunities, and adoption of sustainability practices
  • Support for green innovation products and services, including idea evaluation, intellectual property rights (IPR) strategy, product development services, and business development support

Through the scheme, selected MSMEs will receive vouchers for expert services—up to €3,000 in Greece and up to €2,000 in North Macedonia—to be implemented with certified experts from the GREENSMES network.

Interested applicants from Greece can find more information here: Greece_Open Call for Vouchers,
while interested applicants from North Macedonia can find more information here: North Macedonia_Open Call for Vouchers

Further calls from other project partners are expected to open in the coming period, expanding opportunities for MSMEs across the GREENSMES partnership to participate in the pilot activities.