Call for projects under the Bulgaria-Serbia IPA program: EUR 5.6 million available for small and medium-sized cross-border enterprises

The Bulgaria-Serbia IPA program (2021-2027) has announced a call for project proposals under Priority 1: Competitive border region. The call refers to the specific objective of RSO1.3, which focuses on strengthening the sustainable growth and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as the creation of new workplaces, including productive investments.

Applicants can be small and medium-sized enterprises, legally registered and operating in the border regions of Bulgaria and Serbia. The project must include at least one SME from each country and meet the criteria of the Program.

To this purpose, a total budget of EUR 5.6 million is available, and the grant amount per project is between EUR 200,000 and EUR 400,000, while the amount that can be awarded per SME is between EUR 50,000 and EUR 200,000. The projects will last from 12 to 24 months, with mandatory co-financing of 15% by SMEs from Serbia and 15% of national co-financing for Bulgarian SMEs.

The deadline for submitting proposals is June 11, 2025.