Eurostars

Overview

Eurostars is a joint EUREKA and European Commission programme specifically designed to support innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that wish to lead international collaborative research and development projects. Co-funded by the EU's Horizon Europe programme and participating national funding agencies in over 40 countries, Eurostars provides market-oriented SMEs with access to funding through their national agencies. The programme supports applied R&D projects with a clear commercialisation path, enabling SMEs to work with partners from multiple countries and access larger combined resources than they could obtain nationally.

What You Can Find Here

• Collaborative R&D project grants for SME-led projects with at least two partners from two different Eurostars participating countries
• Funding covering up to 50-60% of eligible project costs, provided by national funding agencies
• Projects in any technology area or sector - Eurostars is thematically open
• Two annual cut-off dates for application in each calendar year
• International partner search tools through the EUREKA network
• Access to national project officers and EUREKA secretariat support during application preparation

Who Should Use This

• Innovative SMEs (under 250 employees) that conduct R&D and want to develop market-ready products or processes
• Technology companies seeking international partnerships to access complementary expertise for their R&D project
• Startups with a clear innovation project needing to collaborate with European or global partners
• SMEs in any sector including manufacturing, software, health, cleantech, agri-food, or materials
• Companies that have been unsuccessful with national-only grants and want to leverage international collaboration

How to Get Started

1. Step 1: Check if your country is a Eurostars participating country at eureka.network/eurostars
2. Step 2: Find international project partners using the EUREKA Partner Search tool or by networking at EUREKA events
3. Step 3: Define the R&D project scope, roles of each partner, and the commercialisation plan
4. Step 4: Contact your national Eurostars project officer for pre-application advice and country-specific eligibility rules
5. Step 5: Submit the joint international application through the Eurostars application portal before the cut-off date
6. Step 6: After international evaluation, each national partner receives funding decisions and contracts from their national agency

Things to Check Before Applying

• The lead partner (prime contractor) must be an SME based in a Eurostars participating country
• Projects must involve at least two independent partners from two different participating countries
• Funding rates and maximum grant amounts vary by country - check with your national project officer
• Projects must have a clear commercialisation target within 2 years of project completion
• Each national partner is evaluated and funded by their own national agency - approval of all partners is needed for the project to proceed

Frequently Asked Questions