Get €3M in Non-Dilutive Funding for Your Sensor Company

You build sensors. Maybe LiDAR for autonomous vehicles. Maybe imaging systems for industrial inspection. Maybe environmental monitoring for agriculture. Whatever the application, your sensor technology has a second life in EU-funded projects worth millions. Most sensor founders don't know this.

Why sensors are in such high demand

The EU's push for autonomous systems, border security, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure protection all depend on one thing: sensors. Better sensors, cheaper sensors, sensors that work in rain, dust, darkness, and extreme temperatures. The technology that makes your agricultural drone see at night is the same technology that makes a search-and-rescue drone work in smoke-filled buildings.

What they fund

• LiDAR: ranging, mapping, autonomous navigation
• Radar: small form factor, phased array, synthetic aperture
• Imaging: multispectral, infrared, low-light, hyperspectral
• Environmental: CBRN detection, air quality, underwater acoustics
• Inertial: navigation in GPS-denied environments

EDF specifically has a multidomain sensors demonstrator call. Horizon Europe funds fundamental sensor research. The EIC funds sensor companies scaling their products.

The funding

SME partners in EU consortia typically receive €150K to €500K. SME coordinators can lead projects up to €5M. All EDF grants cover 100% of costs. No equity, no co-financing. Horizon Europe covers 70-100% depending on the action type.

Who qualifies

EU-registered SME with sensor technology at TRL 4 or higher. Your sensors must work. Prototypes count. No need for previous experience in critical infrastructure or security applications. Companies from precision agriculture, automotive, industrial inspection, and environmental monitoring have all successfully entered EU-funded sensor projects.

Next sensor-relevant calls open April 2026. Start your eligibility check now.