EUREKA

Objectives at a Glance

foster European competitiveness
create a network of experts, know-how, institutions, and financial resources in Europe
develop European infrastructures and standards
provide access to new markets
strengthen the European single market

EUREKA is a research initiative, not a funding programme. Projects are not funded through a central budget. There are individual arrangements in each member country. Project participation may occur through national funding, equity capital, or other means. There are no topic requirements for any of the EUREKA project types; project participants are free to determine the topic of their project. However, some focal points have emerged over the years.

Clusters

Industry-driven programs involving thematic communities of experts, large corporations, SMEs, universities, and research institutions. Collaborate on R&D projects of any scale.

Innowwide

Innovative SMEs receive a grant of 鈧�60,000 to assess the feasibility of their research or business ideas in international target markets. The grant supports their preparation for international expansion.

Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator

Bypass the first of three steps in the EIC Accelerator application process and receive expert feedback on your project idea along with live pitch training.

Investment readiness

Link up with corporate venturing teams and investors. Start-ups and SMEs can join international business delegations and activities to boost their innovation potential through high-impact partnerships.

Globalstars

Funding opportunities for R&D projects with partners in selected countries outside the Eureka network. These projects promote international collaboration and access to new markets.

Network projects

This flexible programme supports R&D projects across all technology areas. Participants can submit project proposals at any time, join ongoing initiatives, or apply through our regular calls for projects.

Eurostars is specifically dedicated to support SMEs in the research and development of innovative products, procedures or services in the scope of transnational collaborations.

Eurostars projects are not restricted to specific technologies. With its 鈥渂ottom-up鈥� approach, participating partners are free to choose the topic of their project. All projects must have a public purpose.

Funding

German project partners receive a maximum of 500,000 euros of joint funding.

Funding of eligible costs:

universities: 50-100%
research institutions: 65-100%
SMEs: 50% of direct costs
large companies: 0% (participation possible)

Participants

A consortium comprises at least two partners from two different Eurostars countries. The project leader must be an R&D-performing SME, which provides at least 50% of the total project budget (excluding subcontracting).

Proposal Procedure

Submission of the joint Eurostars project proposal in English (approximately 30 pages). The joint proposal must be submitted online via the Eurostars website. Additionally, each organisation participating in the project receives a form, which must be completed, signed, and returned within seven days after the date of receipt. This must be done by a legally authorised representative of the applicant organisation.

In addition to the completed Eurostars form, German partners are obliged to submit their financial report. The financial report must be compiled in the portal and submitted as a draft.

Participating States & Regions

Austria, Belgium (Brussels), Belgium (Flanders), Belgium (Wallonia), Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

Please note:

When preparing your proposal, all national funding regulations of all institutions involved in the project must be taken into consideration. These may be altered between the submission deadlines.

Projects with positive evaluation results will only receive funding if all project partners can provide sufficient resources from their national funding budget.

Submission deadline

There are two submission deadlines (in March and September). The current submission deadline can be found on the Eurostars website.

Overview of national funding rules

Funding rules

Please consult the Eurostars website for guidelines on national funding rules and procedures in each Eurostars country. The national announcement can be found on the BMBF website.

Overview of successful Eurostars projects

Eurostars projects

There are hundreds of international projects funded via the Eurostars programme. The DLR project management agency lists success stories of projects with German partners.