Poland: PARP’s SMART 2.0 R&D call for SMEs opens on 29 October 2026, with up to PLN 50 million per project

Poland: PARP’s SMART 2.0 R&D call for SMEs opens on 29 October 2026, with up to PLN 50 million per project

2 October 2026 — Poland's Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) will open the Ścieżka SMART 2.0 (SMART path) call for research and development projects by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises on 29 October 2026, closing on 29 December 2026, the Polish IT outlet ITwiz reported on 2 October.

Not yet independently verified. This rests on ITwiz’s report alone: PARP’s own call page refused our reader. The closing time of day is not stated. We will update this from PARP’s call documents when they can be read. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

The terms reported

According to ITwiz:

• Who: micro, small and medium-sized enterprises doing business in Poland.
• Size: minimum qualified R&D costs of PLN 3 million; maximum support of PLN 50 million per project.
• Rates: industrial research supported at a basic rate of up to 50% of costs and experimental development up to 25%, rising to 80% and 60% when conditions are met.
• Scope: projects must fit at least one of Poland's National Smart Specialisations, which include digital technologies and automation.
• How: applications go through PARP's own application system.

ITwiz also reports that the previous edition drew 566 applications against a budget well below the amount requested, so competition is strong.

Who should look at it

Polish software, AI, automation and deep-tech SMEs with an R&D project of at least PLN 3 million, and foreign groups with a Polish SME subsidiary. Larger firms cannot apply on their own under this track.

What to do

• Check fit with a smart specialisation early; it is an eligibility condition.
• Prepare the R&D plan and budget now: two months is short for a project of this size.
• Read PARP's call documents when they are published for the selection criteria, the exact closing time and any required preliminary steps.

Sources

• ITwiz: PARP uruchamia nabór na B+R, firmy mogą dostać do 50 mln zł — 2 October 2026