Eurostars Call for International R&D Projects

Eurostars is an international funding instrument supporting innovative SMEs and their partners to collaborate on market-driven R&D and innovation projects. The programme is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

The March 2026 call invites international consortia to submit collaborative R&D projects aimed at developing new products, processes, or services with strong commercial potential.

Eurostars provides public funding for cross-border innovation projects across all technology fields and industry sectors. The programme is specifically designed to support innovative SMEs in leading international collaborations while engaging large companies, universities, and research organisations.

Call Timeline

• Call Opens: 16 January 2026 (00:00 CET)
• Submission Deadline: 19 March 2026 (14:00 CET)
• Funding Decisions Communicated: Late June 2026

Applications must be submitted via the official Eurostars project platform (myeurekaproject.org).

Geographic Scope

Eurostars is open to organisations from participating countries whose National Funding Bodies have allocated budgets for the call.

Participating Countries Include:

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, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Türkiye, United Kingdom.

Organisations from non-Eurostars countries may participate on a self-funded basis.

Who Can Apply – International Eligibility Criteria

To qualify, projects must meet seven core criteria:

1. The consortium must be led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
2. The consortium must include at least two independent entities.
3. The consortium must involve at least two Eurostars countries, with at least one partner from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
4. SMEs from Eurostars countries must account for at least 50% of the total project budget (excluding subcontracting).
5. No single participant or country may represent more than 70% of the total budget.
6. Project duration must not exceed 36 months.
7. Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications.

Failure to meet any of these criteria results in automatic rejection.

Funding Structure

Funding is managed at national level by each country’s National Funding Body. Funding rates and eligible costs vary by country.

Each funding body determines:

• Eligible organisation types
• Eligible activities
• Funding intensity
• Maximum grant amounts

South Africa – National Funding Details

In South Africa, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) funds eligible participants under Eurostars.

Funding Rates:

• SME: Up to 80% of project costs
• Large Company: Up to 30% of project costs
• Research Organisation/University: Up to 80% of project costs

Maximum Grant:

• €300,000 per project (South African allocation cap)

Funding is disbursed in tranches based on project duration and subject to financial negotiation with DSI.

Additional Requirements for South African Applicants

South African participants must:

• Submit a full project proposal directly to DSI
• Provide two-year certified financial statements
• Submit a CFO-signed letter confirming financial contribution (in ZAR)
• Participate in a physical interview with DSI
• Clearly present R&D activities, innovation outputs, consortium roles, and cost breakdowns

National eligibility rules follow South African organisational definitions.

What Eurostars Supports

Projects must:

• Be collaborative and cross-border
• Develop innovative, commercially viable solutions
• Demonstrate clear market opportunity
• Deliver measurable economic, environmental, and societal impact
• Present strong commercialisation strategies

Evaluation criteria are based on:

• Excellence (innovation and technical quality)
• Impact (market and societal relevance)
• Implementation (quality of consortium and project planning)

Application Process

1. Engage your National Funding Body to confirm eligibility and funding rules.
2. Create an account on myeurekaproject.org.
3. The SME leader opens the application and invites partners.
4. Complete the application form in English.
5. Upload required annexes:
   • Commitment and signature form
   • SME declaration (if applicable)
   • Financial annex (where required)
   • Optional technical annex or Gantt chart
6. Submit before 19 March 2026 (14:00 CET).

Click HERE to visit the official website.