The European Commission (EC), through the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), will host the EU–UAE Matchmaking Event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 1 – 3 October 2025. This event will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Energy of UAE . It will take place in the context of the WETEX exhibition.

The EU – UAE Matchmaking Event will bring together cluster organisations and SMEs from the European Union (EU), non-EU countries participating in the Single Market Programme/COSME Strand, and UAE-based institutions and companies. The objective is to stimulate Cluster to Cluster (C2C), Cluster to Business (C2B), and Business to Business (B2B) cooperation across sectors aligned with the green and digital transitions.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

This invitation is addressed to SMEs interested in collaborating with UAE counterparts in the following sectors:

• Clean & Renewable Energy (solar, hydrogen, wind, energy storage, sustainable fuel for maritime and aviation)

• Energy Efficiency

• Water & Waste Management

• Green Mobility (EVs, charging infrastructure, hydrogen transport)

• Smart Cities & Infrastructure (IoT, automation, smart grids)

• Agrifood (A dedicated programme tailored to participants from the Agrifood sector is available in the Agenda section under Extended Value for Agrifood Sector Participants.)

DEADLINE:

This Call for Expression of Interest has three cut-off dates (deadlines):

• 25 June (Wednesday) 2025, 23:59 Brussels time – first cut-off date
• 15 July (Tuesday) 2025, 23:59 Brussels time – second cut-off date (the second cut-off date will be available only in case of still available places after the first round of evaluation after the first cut-off date).
•  3 September (Wednesday) 2025, 23.59 Brussels time - third cut-off date - (the third cut-off date will be available only in case of still available places after the first and second rounds of evaluation after the first cut-off date).

The organisers reserve the right to close the application process once the maximum participant capacity is reached.

First cut-off

Applicants will receive a notification whether their application is selected, put on the reserve list or rejected within one week after the first cut-off date. 

Applications on the reserve list may be edited and resubmitted for the next cut-off date(s) – the last submitted application will be considered in the evaluation. 

Applications that have been rejected can be improved and re-submitted for the next cut-off date(s).

Second cut-off (only available if places are left)

Applicants will receive a notification whether their application is selected or rejected within one week after the second cut-off date.

Applications on the reserve list may be edited and resubmitted at the latest before the deadline of the third cut-off – the last submitted application will be considered in the evaluation.

Applications that have been rejected can be improved and re-submitted for the next cut-off date.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply and submit your expression of interest as an SME here until 15 July (Tuesday), 23:59 (second cut-off date) Brussels Time.

The call for expressions of interest is being launched to identify a European delegation made up of representatives from SMEs organisations who are willing and committed to participate in the EU-UAE Matchmaking Event.

By submitting an expression of interest in response to this call, you are indicating your acceptance of the call's terms.

Further details about the event, the eligibility requirements, and how to submit an expression of interest can be found here.

This call is targeting only SMEs organisations and business network organisations. A separate call exists for SMEs. So if you are an cluster you should respond to the call that is available here.