Strengthening Europe’s Manufacturing Ecosystem: MANTRA and GreenMantis Supporting SMEs on the Path to the Twin Transition

Europe’s manufacturing SMEs are facing unprecedented challenges. Rising energy costs, increasing sustainability requirements, rapid technological change, and global competition are reshaping the industrial landscape. To remain competitive, SMEs need more than isolated solutions. They need access to a strong innovation ecosystem that supports their transformation from multiple perspectives.

European collaborative initiatives such as MANTRA and GreenMantis are working together to address different aspects of industrial transformation; together, they contribute to a broader European ecosystem that helps manufacturing SMEs embrace the twin transition toward a more digital, sustainable, and resilient future.

MANTRA: Empowering SMEs through digital, circular and social innovation

MANTRA supports manufacturing SMEs in accelerating their transformation by combining advanced digital technologies, circular economy principles, and social innovation. The project is designed for traditional manufacturing SMEs with low levels of technology uptake that want to modernise their operations, improve sustainability, and strengthen long-term competitiveness.

Focusing on six manufacturing sectors, namely machinery, food, textiles, plastics, ceramics, and metals, MANTRA connects SMEs with technology providers, innovation experts, and business support organisations capable of guiding their transformation journey. The project promotes the adoption of a broad range of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, blockchain, advanced materials, photonics, nanotechnology, and advanced manufacturing technologies, helping companies identify solutions that best fit their needs.

At the heart of the project is a tailored support pathway that accompanies SMEs through four key stages: assessment, matchmaking, advisory services, and implementation support. Through this process, businesses receive specialised guidance on technology adoption, technology transfer, proof-of-concept development, innovation roadmapping, design management, investment readiness, intellectual property management, lean manufacturing, and market expansion strategies.

However, MANTRA goes beyond digital innovation. The project recognises that the twin transition requires manufacturers to rethink how they create, deliver, and sustain value. Through dedicated advisory services, SMEs can develop circular business models, integrate social innovation practices, and strengthen environmental performance. Companies can benefit from sustainability-focused services such as energy assessments, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculations, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (sLCA), and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), helping them better understand and reduce their environmental impact while improving operational efficiency.

Collaboration is a fundamental pillar of the MANTRA approach. By fostering cooperation between manufacturers, technology providers, researchers, and innovation organisations, the project helps SMEs access expertise, knowledge, and resources that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. This collaborative ecosystem enables businesses to learn from one another, adopt innovative solutions more effectively, and accelerate their transition toward more sustainable and resilient business models.

To support the practical implementation of innovation projects, MANTRA also provides financial support of up to €50,000 per SME. This funding can cover activities such as feasibility studies, prototyping, pilot testing, demonstration activities, specialised consultancy services, coaching, access to testing facilities, and deploying new technological solutions. By combining advisory support with direct financial assistance, MANTRA helps SMEs transform strategic ambitions into tangible results.

GreenMantis: Accelerating the green industrial transition

Complementing these efforts, GreenMantis enables European SMEs to adopt and scale advanced net-zero technologies.

By bringing together six leading European clusters across the manufacturing and energy value chains, GreenMantis creates opportunities for SMEs to develop innovative solutions in areas such as electricity grid improvements, energy system-related energy efficiency, and transformative industrial technologies for decarbonisation:

• Electricity grid technologies are energy network technologies that can automatically monitor energy flows and adjust changes in energy supply and demand accordingly. These technologies can give users better control over energy use and losses, enabling better management throughout the day and improving the resilience of the overall infrastructure.
• Energy system-related energy efficiency technologies are designed to reduce the energy required to run an industrial process by improving energy use.
• Transformative industrial technologies leading to decarbonisation are innovative solutions designed to reduce carbon emissions from industrial processes through carbon avoidance. They aim to transform traditional manufacturing processes by making them more efficient.

To achieve its objectives, GreenMantis has launched an innovation support scheme providing financial support for collaborative projects developing net-zero solutions. In addition, SMEs will benefit from training and internationalisation services designed to strengthen their skills, expand market opportunities, and enhance their long-term sustainability. The first Open Call was open from March 2026 to June 2026. Selected projects received up to 100.000€ in equity-free funding to develop innovative energy-efficiency solutions and adopt new net-zero technologies for the green transition of European industry. To participate, manufacturing SMEs have partnered with energy SMEs and formed a consortium to both provide and adopt net-zero technologies.

Following the success of the first Open Call, GreenMantis plans to launch a second Open Call in the first half of 2027 to fund innovative projects at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to 8 for 9 months. As with the first Open Call, each project will require a consortium of European SMEs and will receive up to 100.000 euros. The funded activities include developing a new product or service: technology development and prototyping (TRL 6–8), Pilot testing and validation in operational environments, Demonstration activities, Integration of Net-Zero technologies into manufacturing processes, and business process innovation directly tied to technological adoption. These activities will relate to at least one of GreenMantis’s 3 objectives: Electricity Grid Technologies, Energy System-Related Energy efficiency technologies, and Transformative industrial technologies leading to decarbonisation.

Beyond project development, GreenMantis’ support for the green transition of European industry will be tied to business process innovation in manufacturing SMEs. By enabling the integration of new organisational methods, operational workflows, and management practices through advanced technologies, SMEs can optimise resource allocation, reduce operational risks, and improve decision-making. These improvements will improve energy efficiency for manufacturing SMEs.

Furthermore, beneficiaries of the innovation support scheme will also participate in training activities on net-zero technologies for SMEs, an in-person matchmaking day, and an international mission in Canada or Japan.

By joining GreenMantis, beneficiary SMEs will have the opportunity to take part in a comprehensive programme that will not only allow them to launch new products, services and processes, but also to liaise with new partners, engage relevant stakeholders and grow their business network, therefore making GreenMantis a concrete opportunity to grow SMEs’ business and advance the decarbonisation of the European industry.

Building a stronger innovation ecosystem for European manufacturing

The challenges facing manufacturing SMEs cannot be addressed by a single initiative. Digitalisation, circularity, social sustainability, energy efficiency, and decarbonisation are deeply interconnected.

Projects like MANTRA and GreenMantis demonstrate the value of European collaboration in building an innovation ecosystem where complementary initiatives work together to support SMEs throughout their transformation journey. While MANTRA helps companies adopt advanced technologies, develop circular business models, improve sustainability performance, and strengthen organisational resilience, GreenMantis supports deploying innovative net-zero solutions that accelerate industrial decarbonisation.

Together, these initiatives connect businesses with expertise, technologies, funding opportunities, training, and international networks, creating the conditions for more competitive and future-ready manufacturing ecosystems across Europe.

As Europe continues advancing toward its industrial and climate ambitions, fostering collaboration between initiatives such as MANTRA and GreenMantis will be essential to ensure that manufacturing SMEs have the knowledge, resources, partnerships, and innovation capacity needed to successfully navigate the twin transition and build a more sustainable future for European industry.