Call for Participants : Fashion Adaptor Programme 2025

Description

The SME Fashion Adaptor 2025 is a structured programme built around four key pillars - Capital, Quality, Globality, and Material Innovation - providing practical frameworks, case studies, and interactive exercises. It will guide fashion brands through the transition from conventional production models and design processes to circular, resource-conscious operations, combining 7 strategic mentoring and coaching, peer to peer collaborations and use of a digital circular tool which will be a central component of the programme. A maximum number of 30 SMEs will be admitted in 2025 for a 10-weeks training programme followed by a Demo Day which will be scheduled at a later stage. Through hands-on exercises, the selected participants will input their real data into the tool to visualize their impact and set measurable improvement goals. The tool will provide the SMEs with insightful benchmarks, industry comparisons, and scenario planning, helping brands understand how small shifts in production, material choices, and supply chain strategies can lead to significant change. Upon completing the Fashion Adaptor 2025, participating SMEs will develop: A clear strategy for circular transformation, respecting planetary boundaries that covers: Moving from a linear to a circular design process and business model o A structured approach to minimizing waste and overproduction Tangible data-driven goals for recycled and regenerative materials and supply chain resilience A roadmap for transitioning toward long-lasting, repairable products The ability to communicate impact transparently, building trust with consumers and regulators Showcase their social impact and for just transformation along the fashion value chain. By integrating sustainability into core business models, selected SMEs will establish measurable progress, ensuring that change is both actionable and scalable. This programme is a unique chance for SMEs to meet and learn from peers but also discover the EIT Culture & Creativity Partnership and unlock future opportunities.

Beneficiary & submission

Step 1. Submission of the application Applicants must submit their applications no later than 29th of August 18:00 CET. Applications must be submitted in English and include: Completed online form through the designated platform provided by EIT CC. All supporting documents and annexes. Step 2 Admissibility and eligibility check All applications will be checked to make sure they meet the following criteria: All applicant organisations must be legal entities established in an EU Member State or a third country associated with Horizon Europe. Applicant organisations must also meet the company type criteria in compliance with the European Commission’s SME definition. The company should be developing circular solutions that align with the challenges identified by EIT Culture & Creativity. Financial and operational stage of development: Retail availability through stockists or DTC (Direct to Customer), with a sound financial plan for 2026/2027. Number of participants per applicant: A maximum of 2 people per SME are invited to join the different coaching, mentoring and peer-to-peer sessions. Step 3 Evaluation process Eligible proposals will be assessed by independent experts across three main criteria: Excellence - The clarity, feasibility, and innovation of the business idea, and how well it responds to a market or sector-specific needs. Impact - The expected contribution to the innovation ecosystem, market readiness, and alignment with EIT CC’s strategic objectives. Quality and Efficiency of Implementation - The applicant’s ability to implement and scale the business, based on team structure, capabilities, and planning. Each criterion is scored based on assessment sub criteria, from 1 to 5 points, with a maximum total score of 25 points. Only whole points will be awarded (no fractional scores). The minimum threshold for an application to be considered for the ranking is 13 out of 25 points. Each application is reviewed by two external experts and one internal expert from the EIT CC. The evaluation focuses on strategic alignment to the programme's mission, business viability, and resilience transformation potential of the applicant SME Step 4 Ranking and final selection Applications will be ranked in descending order according to their final score. The top-ranked applications will be selected until the maximum number of participants for this programme is reached, ie 30 SMEs.

Further information

Call_for_Participant_Fashion_Adaptor_July_2025.pdf