Stage 6 · Startup, innovation and deeptech
Financing a demonstrator or pilot
Testing innovation under real-world conditions before industrializing it: demonstrators, pilots and experiments.
- 8
open schemes - 2
closed schemes (history) - 5 national
3 local or regional - 1
funding families
A demonstrator proves that an innovation works outside the lab, at a customer's site, on a facility or in a given area. It is often the last step before industrialization, and the hardest to finance: the amounts involved are high, the risk remains significant, and there is no revenue yet.
The catalog lists {{ouvertes}} open schemes for this stage: national calls for projects, a regulatory experimentation scheme, funding for studies and demonstrators abroad, and regional experimentation programs.
What needs to be financed for a demonstrator?
A demonstrator draws on three types of resources.
The installation
Equipment, construction or adaptation of a pilot site, integration at the customer's premises.
Test operation
Operation during the trial period, measurements, maintenance, on-site teams.
The regulatory framework
Authorizations, exemptions or adaptation of the rule when the innovation does not fit within existing law.
What are you looking for?
Key schemes
Schemes dedicated to real-world demonstration.
Développement de briques technologiques et démonstrateurs - Réalisations de premières industrielles associant l'offre et la demande (DEMIBaC)
ADEME
Closes on 9 Mar 2027
ADEME: demonstrators and first industrial implementations of low-carbon solutions.
France 2030 - Appel à projets 'Démontrer la valeur des innovations en vie réelle'
Bpifrance
Up to €100,000
Closes on 28 Sept 2027
Health and prevention: mixed support, up to 60% grant and 40% repayable advance.
Dispositif France Expérimentation
Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté Industrielle, Energétique et Numérique
Free support for innovative projects blocked by a legal rule.
FASEP - Fonds d'études et d'aide au secteur privé
Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté Industrielle, Energétique et Numérique
Up to €800,000
Studies or demonstrators abroad: from €100,000 to €800,000 in grant or repayable advance.
Which calls for projects for a demonstrator?
Demonstrators are mainly financed through calls for projects. In industrial decarbonization, ADEME's DEMIBaC call covers demonstrations and first industrial implementations. In healthcare, the France 2030 call "Demonstrating the real-world value of innovations" supports prevention projects incorporating health technologies; for businesses, the support is mixed (up to 60% grant, 40% repayable advance), and the next announced deadline is September 28, 2027.
When the legal rule blocks experimentation
Some innovations cannot be tested because no rule provides for them. The France Expérimentation scheme provides free support for these projects to obtain an exemption or an adaptation of the framework. It is not funding, but it is sometimes the precondition for a demonstrator to exist.
Demonstrating abroad with FASEP
The Fonds d'études et d'aide au secteur privé (FASEP), run by the Direction générale du Trésor, finances studies or demonstrators of French solutions in eligible countries, upstream of infrastructure or development projects. The catalog indicates a grant or repayable advance of €100,000 to €800,000, depending on the procedure in force.
All schemes for this stage
8 schemes open
FASEP - Fonds d'études et d'aide au secteur privé
Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté Industrielle, Energétique et Numérique
Up to €800,000
Appel à projets 'Innovation et expérimentations territoriales'
Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Up to €500,000
Innov'up Expérimentation - Transition écologique des territoires
Bpifrance, Région Ile-de-France
Up to €500,000
Innov’up Expérimentation Silver Économie/Bien vieillir
Bpifrance, Région Ile-de-France
Up to €500,000
France 2030 - Appel à projets 'Démontrer la valeur des innovations en vie réelle'
Bpifrance
Up to €100,000
Closes on 28 Sept 2027
Développement de briques technologiques et services par des PME pour la décarbonation de l’industrie (IBaC PME)
ADEME
Closes on 9 Feb 2027
Développement de briques technologiques et démonstrateurs - Réalisations de premières industrielles associant l'offre et la demande (DEMIBaC)
ADEME
Closes on 9 Mar 2027
Dispositif France Expérimentation
Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté Industrielle, Energétique et Numérique
Closed schemes (history)
These schemes are no longer open to applications; they stay listed for reference and in case they reopen.
Appel à projets FASEP 'Solutions innovantes pour le développement et la modernisation des systèmes de santé'
Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté Industrielle, Energétique et Numérique
Closed on 30 Sept 2026
Innovation et démonstration Hydrogène
ADEME
Closed on 25 Sept 2026
Schemes linked to this stage after individual review (unreviewed proposals are never shown). Scope is "national" or "local" based on the territory declared by the scheme; 0 scheme(s) with no territory on record are counted in neither.
Steps to secure funding
- 1Find the site and the partnerA pilot customer, local authority or industrial site ready to host the test.
- 2Define the protocolWhat the demonstration needs to prove, duration and indicators.
- 3Check the regulatory frameworkAnd contact France Expérimentation if a rule is blocking progress.
- 4Respond to the call for projectsDepending on the sector: ADEME, France 2030, the region, or FASEP.
Useful resources
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a demonstrator and a prototype?
A prototype proves that the technology works; a demonstrator proves that it works under real operating conditions, at a customer's site or facility, at a scale close to full operation.
Is a repayable advance due if the demonstrator fails?
Repayment terms are set by the agreement: repayment generally depends on the commercial success of the project.
Will closed calls reopen?
Many calls run in successive rounds. Closed calls remain listed as historical records to anticipate a reopening.
Official sources
- DEMIBaC — ADEME — fiche Capital OS relue en octobre 2026 (source officielle citée)
- France Expérimentation — Ministère de l'Économie — fiche Capital OS relue en octobre 2026 (source officielle citée)
- Le FASEP — Direction générale du Trésor — fiche Capital OS relue en octobre 2026 (source officielle citée)
Your situation is unique
Finance your demonstrator
Enter your SIRET or describe your project: the report cross-references your technological maturity, your location and your financing plan to keep only the schemes you can access.