About MANUFACTergy
The EU-funded MANUFACTergy project launches a cascade funding scheme designed to support SMEs in the furniture manufacturing and construction sectors in their transition towards more sustainable, energy-efficient, and digitalised production processes.
Two-stage support: from diagnosis to implementation
The funding scheme is structured around two open calls. The first call, FACTORY CHECK-IN, focuses on the preparatory phase, in which SMEs assess their current energy and resource consumption, identify inefficiencies, and develop a concrete innovation roadmap. The main output of this stage is the DESIGN STUDY - a personalised, implementation-oriented plan describing which technologies and processes should be adopted and how to deploy them.
Maximum funding and support per SME
- Total call budget: €370,000
- Maximum grant per project: up to €10,000
- The programme aims to fund up to 37 projects.
FACTORY CHECK-IN call objectives and expected results
The overall objective of the FACTORY CHECK-IN open call is to help SMEs prepare for innovation by funding expert consultancy services, in collaboration with a Solution Provider (energy expert, digital provider, research organisation, etc.). Activities must lead to concrete, implementation-oriented outputs; projects concluding only with descriptive reports, without an actionable plan, will not be considered sufficient.
Examples of eligible activities include: energy/resource use assessment, identification of losses and waste flows, definition of monitoring systems and KPIs, and the development of a detailed plan for the adoption of energy-efficient and digital technologies.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants must be SMEs as defined by the EU (fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover ≤ €50 million or balance sheet ≤ €43 million), established in an EU Member State or another eligible Single Market Programme (SMP) country.
SMEs must be active manufacturers in the targeted value chains (furniture or construction-related sectors) and must apply in partnership with an independent Solution Provider, preferably listed in the MANUFACTergy Solution Providers Registry* (registration open until 17 April 2026).
*Applications to the MANUFACTergy SOLUTION PROVIDERS REGISTRY are open until 17 April 2026, on the GO Furniture Networking platform:
https://inevent.uk/en/SmartTransylvania/FurnitureGoInternational/form.php.
For more information about the registry, please refer to the general guide, section 14.
Official timeline
The call follows a single-stage procedure:
- Call opening: 10 February 2026, 10:00 CET
- Deadline: 17 April 2026, 17:00 CET (Brussels time)
- Evaluation results: May 2026
- Sub-Grant Agreement signing: within 4 weeks of the results announcement
- Estimated project start: 1 June 2026
- Project duration: 4–6 months
Applications must be submitted online via the dedicated EUSurvey platform, before the official deadline.
All official information about the FACTORY CHECK-IN call can be found on the EU Funding and Tenders portal or in the official FACTORY CHECK-IN (Guide for Applicants). For questions and support, applicants may contact the helpdesk at: info@hygia.ro.
For updates and official announcements, follow the GO Furniture Meta-Cluster LinkedIn page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/go-furniture-meta-cluster/
Project partners:
- HYGIA SA, representing GO Furniture Meta-Cluster, Romania
- Arredo – Cluster Legno, Arredo e Sistema Casa FVG (Arredo), Italy
- Klastr Českých Nábytnářů (KCN), Czech Republic
- Interior Cluster Sweden (ICS), Sweden
- Bulgarian Furniture Cluster (BFC), Bulgaria
- Smartech Cluster (Smartech), Spain
- Smart Innovation Norway (SIN), Norway
- Transylvania Energy Cluster (TREC), Romania