Eurostars is a funding instrument, part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, designed to support innovative SMEs and their project partners, including large companies, universities, and research organisations. The program facilitates international collaborative R&D and innovation projects across all fields, providing access to public funding. The core objectives are to foster international collaboration, share expertise, and develop products, processes, or services with strong commercialization potential.
Program Overview
• Program Focus: International collaborative R&D and innovation projects.
• Key Objective: To develop products, processes, or services that can be easily commercialised.
• Collaboration: Projects must involve international partners sharing expertise.
• Project Scope: The program has an exclusive focus on civil applications.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for Eurostars funding, project applications must meet seven international criteria:
• The project consortium must be led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
• The consortium must be composed of at least two entities that are independent of one another.
• The consortium must include entities from at least two Eurostars countries, with at least one organisation from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• The budget of the SMEs from Eurostars countries (excluding subcontracting) must be 50% or more of the total project cost.
• No single participant or country can be responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.
• The project duration must be 36 months or less.
• The project must have an exclusive focus on civil applications.
Application Timeline
• Application Period Opens: 16 January 2026
• Application Deadline: 19 March 2026, at 14:00 CET
Application and Evaluation Process
• Step 1: Contact your national or regional funding body to discuss your project idea and eligibility.
• Step 2: Create an account and complete the application form in English on the Eurostars project platform.
• Step 3: Upload required annexes, including a signed commitment form, an SME declaration (if applicable), and any country-specific financial documents.
• Step 4: Submit the completed application before the deadline.
• Evaluation Criteria: Applications are scored by independent evaluators based on Quality and efficiency of implementation, Impact, and Excellence.
• Evaluation Timeline: Results are communicated at each stage, including an eligibility check (within one week of the deadline), a legal and financial viability check (end of April 2026), expert evaluation (end of April 2026), and final ranking by an Independent Evaluation Panel (mid-June 2026).
• Funding Notification: Applicants will be informed if their project will receive funding in late June 2026.
Participating Countries
National Funding Bodies from the following countries have allocated funding for organisations collaborating on international R&D projects: Austria, Belgium (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia), Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.
General Funding Details
The amount of funding an organisation receives is determined and managed by its National Funding Body. Funding rules, including which organisations and activities are eligible and the specific funding rates, vary by country. It is essential to contact your national or regional funding body for detailed information. Organisations from non-Eurostars countries are permitted to participate in projects by self-funding their costs.
Country-Specific Funding Information
Austria
• Funding Body: Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Small-sized SMEs receive up to 60% of project costs; medium-sized SMEs up to 50%; large companies up to 30%; and research organisations or universities up to 40%.
• Additional Steps: Austrian participants must submit national documentation via FFG’s online system within two weeks of the Eurostars deadline.
Belgium (Brussels)
• Funding Body: Innoviris.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Small-sized SMEs receive 55-80%; medium-sized SMEs 45-70%; large companies 35-60%; universities 50-100%; and research organisations 50-75%. The exact rate depends on collaboration and research type. SMEs may also apply for funding for project preparation.
• National Criteria: Projects involving clinical trials are not eligible.
• Additional Steps: Participants must fill in Innoviris’ application form within five working days of the Eurostars deadline.
Belgium (Flanders)
• Funding Body: Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large companies. Research organisations and universities can participate as subcontractors.
• Funding Rates: Small-sized SMEs receive 60-70%; medium-sized SMEs 50-70%; and large companies 40-65%. The maximum funding is 500,000 euro for the Flemish part of the consortium.
• Additional Steps: Flemish participants must submit a VLAIO application.
Belgium (Wallonia)
• Funding Body: Service Public de Wallonie (SPW)-Research.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large companies. Universities and research organisations may participate as subcontracted partners.
• Funding Rates: Small-sized SMEs receive 55-80%; medium-sized SMEs 45-70%; and large companies 35-60%.
Bulgaria
• Funding Body: Bulgarian National Innovation Fund (NIF).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large companies.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 80% of eligible costs; large companies up to 55%.
• National Criteria: Applicants must be a Bulgarian company, and project work must not have started before the grant application.
• Additional Steps: NIF opens a national evaluation session for approved applicants after the Eureka evaluation is complete.
Canada
• Funding Body: National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies, universities, and research organisations are not currently supported.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50% of project costs, with a maximum of 500,000 Canadian dollars per SME.
• National Criteria: Applicants must register with NRC IRAP at least 4 weeks before the Eurostars deadline and be eligible as an NRC IRAP client.
• Additional Steps: All Canadian participants must submit an NRC IRAP project proposal and may undergo an additional assessment.
Croatia
• Funding Body: Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies are not funded, and universities/research organisations must be subcontracted.
• Funding Rates: Micro/small companies receive up to 60% of costs; medium-sized companies up to 50%. The maximum grant is 200,000 euro per project, split among Croatian partners if there are multiple.
• Additional Steps: Participants must send additional national documentation to HAMAG-BICRO.
Cyprus
• Cyprus currently has no allocated budget for the next Eurostars calls (9-13). Organisations may participate on a self-funding basis or explore other funding opportunities with their national funding body.
Czech Republic
• Funding Body: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, research organisations, and universities. Large companies may participate but are not eligible for funding.
• Funding Rates: Small companies receive up to 80% of eligible costs; medium-sized companies up to 75%; and research organisations/universities up to 100%.
• National Criteria: The main applicant must be an SME, and only applied research is supported.
Denmark
• Funding Body: Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Maximum funding is 300,000 euro per participant, or 500,000 euro for all Danish participants in a project. Minimum funding is 50,000 euro.
• National Criteria: Projects must include a Danish SME to be eligible for funding. Projects must focus on green research, life science, or new technologies.
• Additional Steps: Danish participants must upload the full Eurostars application to the national e-grant system within 14 days of receiving an e-grant file number.
Estonia
• Funding Body: Enterprise Estonia.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies, research organisations, and universities are not currently funded.
• Funding Rates: Small companies receive up to 60% of costs; medium-sized companies up to 50%. The maximum grant is 300,000 euro per project.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a funding application to Enterprise Estonia after receiving a positive evaluation.
Finland
• Funding Body: Business Finland.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50%; large companies up to 40%; and research organisations/universities up to 80%. Funding amounts vary based on company size and consortium composition.
• National Criteria: Participants must have financial resources to cover their share of costs and a growth-oriented strategy.
• Additional Steps: After a positive evaluation, Business Finland validates a funding contract upon receiving an individual project plan and other required documents.
France
• Funding Body: Bpifrance.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies (under 2,000 employees), research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 40%; large companies up to 30%; and research organisations/universities up to 40%.
• National Criteria: French companies must confirm they can finance their part of the project. Participants are limited to one application per call.
• Additional Steps: Participants must send a financial plan, a project summary in French, and a draft consortium agreement to Bpifrance.
Germany
• Funding Body: Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50% of eligible costs; research organisations/universities up to 100% if a German SME is in the consortium. The maximum grant is 500,000 euro for all German partners per project.
• National Criteria: Clinical trials are not funded. Only R&D up to TRL 6 is eligible.
Greece
• Greece currently has no allocated budget for this Eurostars call. Organisations may participate on a self-funding basis or explore other funding opportunities with their national funding body.
Hungary
• Funding Body: National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Funding varies by research type: SMEs up to 80% (industrial research) or 60% (experimental development); large companies up to 65% or 40%; research organisations/universities up to 100%.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a proposal to the NRDI office after receiving a positive Eurostars evaluation.
Iceland
• Funding Body: Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannìs).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, research organisations, and universities. Large companies must self-fund.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 80% (industrial research) or 60% (experimental development); research organisations/universities up to 80%. The maximum grant is 54 million Icelandic króna per project.
Ireland
• Funding Body: Enterprise Ireland.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 60%; large companies up to 40%; research organisations/universities up to 100% (with a max of 250,000 euro).
• National Criteria: Participating companies must be a client of a national agency like Enterprise Ireland, IDA, or Údarás.
• Additional Steps: After a positive evaluation, participants will be invited to complete the Agile Fund or R&D Fund application.
Israel
• Israel currently has no allocated budget for the March 2026 call. Organisations may participate on a self-funding basis or explore other funding opportunities with their national funding body.
Italy
• Italy currently has no allocated budget for this call. Organisations may participate on a self-funding basis.
Latvia
• Funding Body: Latvian Council of Science (LZP).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 80%; large companies up to 50%; research organisations/universities up to 100%. The maximum grant is 100,000 euro per participant per year.
• Additional Steps: After a positive evaluation, participants must submit an application for State Aid and a signed consortium agreement to LZP.
Lithuania
• Funding Body: Research Council of Lithuania (RCL).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Funding varies by research type. The maximum grant is 300,000 euro per project.
Luxembourg
• Funding Body: Ministry of the Economy (FNR).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: Startups/small companies receive up to 80%; medium companies up to 75%; large companies up to 65%; research organisations/universities up to 100% (with a max of 300,000 euro).
• Additional Steps: A national project application must be submitted.
Malta
• Funding Body: Malta Enterprise.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large companies. Universities and research organisations are not currently funded.
• Funding Rates: Funding varies by company size and research type, from 25% to 70% of eligible costs.
• National Criteria: Projects must demonstrate a positive impact on the Maltese economy.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a request for funding and supporting financial documents to Malta Enterprise in parallel with the Eurostars application.
Norway
• Funding Body: Research Council of Norway (RCN).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50%; large companies up to 30%; research organisations/universities up to 70%. The maximum grant is 6 million Norwegian krone per project.
• National Criteria: All consortia with Norwegian participants must include a Norwegian SME.
• Additional Steps: Once selected, participants must register project details in the RCN database.
Poland
• Funding Body: National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies, universities, and research organisations are not funded but can participate as subcontractors.
• Funding Rates: Micro/small companies receive up to 80% (industrial research) or 70% (development); medium-sized companies up to 80% or 60%.
Portugal
• Funding Body: Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, small mid-cap companies, research organisations, and universities. Large companies are not funded.
• Funding Rates: SMEs/small mid-caps receive up to 80%; research organisations/universities up to 85%.
• National Criteria: Projects must involve at least one Portuguese SME or small mid-cap company and align with national Smart Specialisation priorities.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a funding application to ANI within 30 working days of receiving a positive evaluation.
Romania
• Romania currently has no allocated budget for the March 2026 call. Organisations may participate on a self-funding basis or explore other funding opportunities with their national funding body.
Singapore
• Funding Body: Enterprise Singapore.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large local enterprises. Research organisations/universities can only be funded as subcontractors.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50%; large local enterprises up to 30%.
• National Criteria: Applicants must be registered and operating in Singapore with at least 30% local shareholding.
• Additional Steps: Organisations must submit a form on the Enterprise Singapore website.
Slovakia
• Funding Body: Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (MESRS SR).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: All applicant types receive up to 50% of project costs, with potential top-ups for SMEs in certain consortia. The maximum grant is 450,000 euro per project.
Slovenia
• Funding Body: Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs and large companies. Universities and publicly funded organisations are not funded but can participate as subcontractors or self-fund.
• Funding Rates: Micro/small companies receive up to 60%; medium companies up to 50%; large companies up to 40%.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a national application form.
South Africa
• Funding Body: Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs and research organisations/universities receive up to 80%; large companies up to 30%. The maximum grant is 300,000 euro per project.
• Additional Steps: Participants must present a full project proposal to the DSI, including a physical interview.
South Korea
• Funding Body: Korea Institute of Advancement of Technology (KIAT).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 67%; medium-sized companies up to 50%; large companies up to 33%; research organisations/universities up to 100%. The maximum grant is 1.5 billion South Korean won per project.
• National Criteria: Universities and research organisations must have a South Korean SME in the consortium.
Spain
• Funding Body: Spanish Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies, universities, and research organisations are not eligible for funding but may participate.
• Funding Rates: Small companies receive up to 60%; medium-sized companies up to 50%. The maximum grant is 400,000 euro per Spanish participant.
• National Criteria: Only SMEs with tax residence in Spain are eligible. Applicants must have deposited accounts for the last financial year.
• Additional Steps: After project approval, every Spanish company must submit a national funding application.
Sweden
• Funding Body: Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 50% (max 5 million SEK); large companies up to 30% (max 2 million SEK); research organisations/universities up to 70% (max 2 million SEK).
• National Criteria: Companies must have submitted at least two annual reports and be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a national application to Vinnova after receiving a positive evaluation.
Switzerland
• Funding Body: Innosuisse.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs and research organisations/universities receive up to 50%; large companies up to 25%.
• Additional Steps: Once approved, participants must submit detailed financial plans to Innosuisse.
The Netherlands
• Funding Body: Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs and research organisations/universities receive up to 50%; large companies up to 40%. The maximum funding is 500,000 euro per project for Dutch partners.
• National Criteria: Universities and research organisations can only be funded if a Dutch company is in the consortium.
• Additional Steps: Participants must submit a national application to RVO.
Türkiye
• Funding Body: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK).
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs, large companies, research organisations, and universities.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 75%; large companies up to 60%; research organisations/universities up to 100%.
• National Criteria: Turkish organisations must pre-submit to TÜBİTAK at the same time as the Eurostars deadline.
• Additional Steps: Organisations must submit a full national application to TÜBİTAK according to the national schedule.
United Kingdom
• Funding Body: Innovate UK.
• Eligible Applicants: SMEs. Large companies, research organisations, and universities are not funded but may participate on a self-funded basis.
• Funding Rates: SMEs receive up to 60% of project costs. The maximum grant is 360,000 euro per project, shared among UK partners if there are multiple.
• National Criteria: UK participants must be a registered entity for at least 12 months. Innovate UK will only fund one live Eurostars project per entity at a time.
• Additional Steps: Successful applicants will be sent a link to complete a non-evaluated application for Innovate UK to review project details.
For comprehensive details regarding the application process, eligibility requirements, and specific guidelines, prospective applicants are encouraged to consult the Eurostars Resource Library. It is crucial to engage with your national or regional funding body early in the process to discuss your project idea and confirm national funding availability and eligibility rules, as failure to complete required national steps may render an application ineligible for public funding.