Eurostars

Eurostars is an international funding programme for collaborative research and development (R&D) projects led by innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As the world’s largest SME R&D funding programme, Eurostars supports the creation of innovative products, processes, and services for commercialisation.

How Eurostars supports you

You can use Eurostars to access public funding for international R&D projects. The programme has some unique features:

• Work with international partners to strengthen your R&D
• Reduce the risk of your R&D
• Develop new business relationships
• Access international markets
• Be guided from idea to commercialisation with advice and support from a network of national project coordinators

How Eurostars works

Eurostars provides funding to international R&D projects. Projects must be led by an SME or startup from a Eurostars country or region, and the project consortium must also include at least one other independent organisation from another Eurostars country. Partners in the consortium can include any type of organisation.

Eurostars funding comes from National Funding Bodies, which are ministries or funding agencies in each Eurostars country or region, and from the European Commission. National Funding Bodies determine how much funding is available, the funding rate per type of company, and which activities are eligible based on national rules.

Who can apply

Your project must meet seven criteria to be eligible for Eurostars funding:

1. The project consortium must be led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
2. The project consortium must be composed of at least two entities that are independent from each other.
3. The project consortium must be composed of entities from at least two Eurostars countries. At least one of those countries must be an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
4. The budget of the SMEs from the Eurostars countries (excluding any subcontracting) is 50% or more of the total project cost.
5. No single participant or country in the project can be responsible for more than 70% of the project’s budget.
6. The project must have a duration of 36 months or less.
7. The project must be exclusively focused on civil applications.

The Eurostars programme uses a decentralised funding methodology. That means that organisations do not receive public funding from the Eureka Network. Instead, they receive funding directly from National Funding Bodies. This funding is granted according to national rules and procedures.

Make sure that you and your project partners contact your National Funding Body to understand what national rules and procedures apply. You can find these rules, and contact details for National Funding bodies, in each call for projects.

Please read all our guidelines before submitting a project application. If you do not meet all our eligibility criteria, your application will be rejected. Detailed guidelines on making an application, and the evaluation process, are available in the resource library.