Health Start-ups - Funding Programs
The Health Funding Programs for start-ups: March-May 2026
This is going to be an article dedicated for CEOs/Founders/start-ups teams who are building in the healthcare industry and looking for: increasing their visibility, attracting funds, expanding their network, growing their business.
A start-up can access funds through diverse methods, including bootstrapping, angel investors, venture capital, and government grants. Common options also include crowdfunding, small business loans, accelerators, and revenue-based financing.
As a Business Advisor, I also encounter Founders who do not wish to give ownership for funding, especially in early-stage. Non-dilutive funding allows start-ups to raise capital without surrendering any equity or ownership stakes. I listed below some of the Programs (of course, there is more to come).
The Funding Programs for March-May 2026 are:
1. EIT Health Catapult — 10th Edition
Applications will open: March 2026 (exact date TBA)
Focus: MedTech, BioTech, Digital Health
For: micro/small enterprise (less than 50 employees), involved in life sciences or health tech, innovative and highly promising business concepts, already incorporated and operating in an EU country (not older than 10 years), looking for seed or series A funding of at least €2M; received at least €1M in public or private funding or generated €500k in revenue within the last year.
The 10th edition finalists will pitch in late November at the EIT Health Flagship Event, competing for cash and industry prizes, with the opportunity to be displayed on the New York Nasdaq Tower.
https://eithealth.eu/programmes/catapult/
2. DayOne Accelerator — 2026 Cohort (Basel, Switzerland)
Application window: 31 March – 31 May 2026
Focus: Digital health, medtech, and techbio startups targeting Pharma R&D
For: Pre-Seed to Series A stage, with less than $10M of dilutive funds raised to date; Start-ups aiming to collaborate or partner with pharma companies
The program kicks off with a 2-day in-person bootcamp in Basel and continues online for three months, with cohort sessions and 1:1 mentoring. Up to three selected startups may receive investment post-program.
https://www.dayone.swiss/accelerator/
3. EIT Health Innovation Validation Call 2026
Status: Open now (deadline to be confirmed)
Focus: Digital and AI-powered medical technologies (MDR/IVDR Class II+)
For: Late-stage start-ups at Innovation Maturity Level 6, ready for clinical validation
Selected projects receive funding up to €850,000 (50% co-fund) to run pivotal clinical studies, collect real-world evidence, apply for regulatory approval, and prepare for commercialisation.
https://eithealth.eu/opportunity/innovation-validation/
4. EIC Accelerator — 2026 (EU-wide)
Multiple cut-off dates throughout 2026
Focus: Deep tech and breakthrough innovations including health technologies
For: SMEs and startups across Europe Health Technologies is one of the key focus areas, covering medical devices, digital health, and pharmaceutical innovations. The EIC Accelerator Open has a 2026 budget of €414 million, with no thematic restrictions.
https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en
& More funding opportunities: https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities_en
5. Future of Health Grant 2026
Status: apply by 31 July 2026
Focus: Telemedicine, patient analytics, preventive care, digital therapeutics
For: Early-stage startups, international applicants with European market potential (with a concrete Swiss market entry plan).
The grants ranging from CHF 10,000 to CHF 50,000 across three maturity levels, cumulatively up to CHF 90,000 in equity-free funding, access to mentorship from health-tech experts and investors, media visibility, and pilot opportunities with Swiss healthcare providers.
6. Vest Ventures / RO / Accelerator
Status: Still open — Cohort 1 kicks off March 30
Focus: Industry agnostic (health qualifies), pre-seed capital + acceleration, fundraising readiness
For: Incorporated tech startups with MVP, strong team, and first traction — hybrid format (80% online, 20% in-person in Timișoara), average investment ticket €100K per team.
https://vestventures.vc/en/stages-accelerator
7. LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator — 3rd Edition (Cluj-Napoca)
Status: Applications closed March 24 — next edition likely autumn 2026
Focus: Healthcare & pharma, medical devices, nutrition, senior care, cosmetics & wellness, agri-food tech, dietary supplements
For: Romanian & CEE startups 1–5 years old, equity-free, free program
https://inno.ro/en/levelup-accelerator
8. Super Sapiens Europe 2026
Status: Open now — deadline May 15, 2026
Focus: Deep tech across multiple verticals — HealthTech is one of eight application domains, evaluated against core technologies (AI & software, advanced manufacturing, quantum & photonics, smart materials)
For: European deep tech startups TRL 2–9, incorporated or not, with a health application built on a hard-tech foundation; selected startups receive equity investment, non-dilutive grants, PoC validation with industrial partners, commercial contracts, and access to 4,000+ sqm of lab infrastructure across Italy
https://supersapienseurope.com/
9. Katapult Accelerator (Belgrade, Serbia)
Status: expected in 2026
Focus: Sector-agnostic (tech and innovation-driven), business scaling, fundraising readiness, mentor-led growth
For: Serbian-registered startups only (micro/small company, d.o.o., majority privately owned, under 6 years old, <€5M revenue) — two streams: Ideation (up to €20K grant) and Scale-up (up to €50K grant + co-investment support for rounds of €500K–€2M
https://katapult-akcelerator.rs/en/program/
10. IHI Call 12 — Innovative Health Initiative (EU-wide)
Application: Open now — deadline April 21, 2026
Focus: Digital and AI-powered health innovation across five themes: understanding determinants of health, integrating fragmented R&I efforts, people-centered care solutions, health data exchange and digitalization, and value assessment of integrated healthcare innovations
For: Mature organizations and research consortia — not solo start-ups. Requires a multi-sector coalition (academia, industry, hospitals, regulators) with at least 45% of project costs covered by IHI industry members. Best suited for established HealthTech or MedTech companies ready to lead or anchor a European consortium, rather than early-stage teams applying independently.
https://www.ihi.europa.eu/apply-funding/open-calls
11. The DigiBio Healthtech Innovation Programme 2026 (for individual team members)
Application: Open now — deadline April 30, 2026
Focus: A 10 months full-time postgraduate programme (NQF Level 9); Annual intake of 12 fellows formed into 3 multidisciplinary teams; 8 weeks immersion in a healthcare environment identifying and assessing needs.
Mentorship by clinical, industry, investment, regulatory and technology expertsFor: A mid-career professional in a clinical, commercial, entrepreneurial, technical or innovation management environment, with at least 5 years experience.
Other partnerships:
* Bayer G4A Digital Health Partnerships
Rolling applications (open year-round)
Focus: Digital health across cardiovascular, oncology, women's health
For: health and pharma start-ups
A rolling partnership program with two tiers for start-ups (early and mature). As Europe's first pharma-backed digital health accelerator, G4A has supported 150+ companies with commercial collaborations worldwide. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so submitting in spring gives good lead time.
** Roche HealthCare Lab
Application: watch out for 2026
Focus: diagnostics, digital therapeutics, MS monitoring, and ophthalmology care pathways
For: early-stage digital healthcare ventures across 16 countries in CEE and Southern Europe, powered by Roche and EIT Health
There will be more to come later this year, so keep an eye close on these programs and subscribe to this publication below for new updates.
Feel free to share with your peers and network if you find the information relevant.
Curated by: Alina Draghici • MedTech Advisor & Consultant
The information included above is presented to be accurate as of March 13, the author is not responsible of any changes in the program’s timeline. Always verify on the official websites the dates, application eligibility and other details.
Hi just wanted to understand is this grants specific for eu regions or all across
Non-dilutive funding options like these are invaluable for health start-ups looking to scale while preserving early equity