Crafts: The DGE is looking for around twenty innovative solutions to present to the Ministry of Economy and Finance

The Directorate General for Enterprises will select around twenty startups, micro-enterprises, SMEs, mid-sized companies, associations, and public institutions to participate in the event "Craftsmanship: Let's Innovate Together," organized on October 7, 2026, in Paris. Providers developing operational solutions for craftspeople, particularly those in the construction sector, can apply until September 15 at 23:59 p.m.

The Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE) is launching a call for expressions of interest to identify innovations that could facilitate the daily operations of craft businesses. The selected solutions will be presented at the "Crafts: Let's Innovate Together" event, organized on October 7, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Pierre Mendès France Conference Center in Bercy.

Around twenty suppliers will be selected from among start-ups, very small businesses (VSBs), small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), medium-sized businesses (MSBs), associations and public institutions established in France.

The call for applications in brief

The DGE will select around twenty bidders.

Four craft sectors are affected: construction, food, manufacturing and services

The solutions must be operational and already used by at least one customer.

Applications are open until September 15, 2026 at 23:59 PM.

Event on October 7, 2026 at the Pierre Mendès France Conference Center, in Paris-Bercy

Solutions that meet the daily needs of tradespeople

The call for expressions of interest aims to identify concrete solutions that meet the needs of craft businesses in four major sectors: building and public works, food, manufacturing, including crafts, and services.

The proposed innovations could be:

software, particularly in the areas of management, customer relations, accounting, planning or artificial intelligence;
material, with equipment, tools, machines or devices such as exoskeletons;
organizational, through new working methods, training or human resource management;
environmental, in particular to reduce impacts, develop the circular economy or improve energy efficiency.

For construction tradespeople, applications can therefore focus on digital tools for managing quotes and construction sites, equipment reducing physical strain, solutions facilitating the transmission of know-how, or devices improving the environmental performance of activities.

An innovation that has already moved beyond the prototype stage

The DGE (Directorate General for Enterprises) wishes to select solutions that can be immediately implemented by craft businesses. Projects still at the idea or prototype stage are therefore not eligible.

The solution presented must have passed this stage and already be deployed to at least one client or user. This condition should allow the tradespeople attending the event to discover tools that have already undergone initial operational implementation.

Candidates must also meet the following requirements:

have their head office in France;
to be a start-up, a micro-enterprise, a small or medium-sized enterprise, an intermediate-sized enterprise, an association or a public institution;
to offer a solution for craft businesses;
to address at least one sector related to crafts: building, food, manufacturing or services;
to be able to ensure a physical presence at the stand for the entire duration of the event;
submit a complete application before the deadline.

A stand and direct meetings with the artisans

The selected organizations will have an exhibition stand during the morning of October 7th. They will be able to present how their solution works, organize demonstrations and exchange ideas with the craft businesses present.

Speed meetings will also facilitate connections between suppliers and craftspeople. Selected participants will also benefit from increased visibility with the Ministry of Crafts, institutional stakeholders, and professional networks within the sector.

The initiative aims to bring innovative businesses closer to a craft market comprised of structures with highly diverse skills, resources, and needs. It follows on from the actions undertaken by the DGE (Directorate General for Enterprises) to structure sectoral innovation ecosystems.

Accelerating the adoption of innovations in crafts

The event "Craftsmanship: let's innovate together" aims to demonstrate the concrete benefits that innovations can bring to professionals: saving time, reducing hardship, improving profitability, or preserving know-how.

The DGE assigns it three main objectives:

acculturating artisans to innovation through concrete applications;
accelerate the adoption of technical, environmental and organizational solutions;
to enhance the attractiveness of craft professions, particularly through tools that facilitate diversity.

The event will take place on October 7, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Pierre Mendès France Conference Center, located in Bercy. General information is available on the event's official page.

What documents are required to apply?

The application file must include:

the duly completed online form;
a signed letter of intent, corresponding to Annex 1;
a signed confidentiality agreement, corresponding to Annex 2;
a presentation document of the solution in PDF format, limited to 10 pages.

Candidates may also include a demonstration video of up to three minutes, customer testimonials, references, case studies, impact indicators or any additional document that facilitates the evaluation of the project.

Applications must be submitted before September 15th.

Complete applications must be submitted no later than September 15, 2026 at 23:59 p.m. on the Digital Process platform.

The application form and specifications are available on the official application platform . For any questions regarding the call for expressions of interest, applicants can write to artisanat.dge@finances.gouv.fr.