Who can apply for Eurostars funding?

Eurostars aims to stimulate R&D performing SMEs* to lead international collaborative research and innovation projects by easing access to support and funding.

It is fine-tuned to focus on the needs of SMEs, and specifically targets the development of new products, processes and services and the access to transnational and international markets.
More than 70% of the applicants of the Eurostars projects are R&D SMES and SMEs.

Types of Applicants

The distribution of the type of organisation through the cut-offs is the following

There are some eligibility criteria to comply with in order to apply in the Eurostars Programme.
This is a summary of the different criteria:

• The project must meet the EUREKA criteria: it can address any technology but must have a civilian purpose and be aimed at the development of a new product, process or service.
• The leading SME must be a R&D performing SME
• All the SMEs must fulfill the EU-adopted definition of an SME
• The leading SME must be based in Eurostars member state
• There has to be at least one other participant from a Eurostars country
• The R&D performing SMEs must undertake 50% of total project cost
• No partner or country is performing more than 75% of project total cost
• The project duration is <= 3 years
• Market introduction is foreseen within 2 years after project end

Participation by Country