Eurostars funding conditions

Read our summary on funding conditions for Eurostars.

The new Eurostars-3 programme is now operational! In this current programme, Eurostars supports international collaborations between innovative or R&D-performing SMEs and academic partners. Eurostars co-finances 40% to 50% of the early R&D costs of projects creating innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation. Eurostars is open for applications twice a year, with the next upcoming deadline on 24 March, 2022. As Catalyze has significant experience with this attractive funding instrument, we gladly summarize some important facts.

Eurostars eligibility criteria

In order to apply for a Eurostars grant you need to fulfill some eligibility criteria. The project consortium has to be composed of entities from at least two participating countries, with at least one organisation coming from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.​ Other eligible countries are Canada, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa and Switzerland​.

The main applicant must be an innovative or R&D performing SME. For Eurostars this means a SME with the ambition to collaborate on R&D and innovation with foreign partners to develop new products, processes and services for European and global markets. Innovative SMEs do not need to have a proven track record of R&D activities.​ Organisations such as large companies, universities or research organisations may be part of the consortium, only fulfilling a partner role.

To apply, the consortium first submits with the Eureka submission platform before the deadline. Potentially national applications are required, on the day of submission or after being accepted for funding. However, this is different for each country.

Finding the right partners: Eurostars consortia (Netherlands)

A typical consortium of 3-4 partners requests >€1.5M combined subsidy, each partner receiving funding from the national research budgets. The funding conditions and eligibility criteria differ per country. For the Dutch project partner(s)the maximum funding amount is €500,000 euros per project. As a Dutch SME, university or research organisation you could receive a grant of up to 50% of the eligible project costs. Funding rate for large Dutch companies is 40%. Here you can get information about the Eurostars funding rules for your country.

Do you have specific questions about the eligibility criteria or do you simply need help with writing a robust grant application, don’t hesitate and contact Catalyze!

Learn more about the Eurostars programme

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