Eurostars - Eureka Network

Eurostars - Eureka Network

At-a-glance

Eurostars is a cross-border programme where teams with an innovative SME lead can apply together for R&D support. It is designed for projects with a commercial outcome, where collaboration in multiple countries is essential rather than optional. The key reason it feels efficient is that eligibility and quality are assessed through one shared process. The key challenge is that actual payments follow national funding rules, so a strong application still needs country-level readiness.

If you want a practical rule of thumb: treat it as a joint innovation competition with national funding consequences.

What this opportunity is (and what it is not)

Eurostars is not a local grant and not a one-country competition. It is not for a single lab with no real external partnering need.

In plain terms, it works like this:

1. You and your international partners submit one application together.
2. The consortium is assessed by Eurostars against common eligibility and quality criteria.
3. If selected, each partner’s payment comes through their own national funding body under their own rules.

That last part is the part people miss most. The programme gives one evaluation logic; the money has to pass through multiple administrative systems.

A team should use Eurostars when external collaboration is a strategic necessity, not a branding choice.

Who should read this seriously

This section is for teams trying to decide fast if the opportunity is the right use of time.

Choose Eurostars if:

• You have a commercial problem that is difficult to solve in one country only.
• You can already identify international partners with real technical complementarity.
• You have a minimum viable commercial strategy, not just a science story.
• Your lead is a startup/SME able to coordinate the consortium and decisions.
• You are ready to do both programme-level and national-level checks.

Skip or postpone Eurostars if:

• Your concept is mainly basic research with no immediate route toward user, customer, or buyer outcomes.
• You have not discussed funding availability with at least one national funding body.
• Your timeline assumes money will release instantly after a positive international evaluation.
• Your team has no clear plan for country-specific annexes and legal documentation.

Eligibility requirements, translated into practical checks

Officially, Eurostars applies seven international criteria. The important part is what each means in real planning terms:

• Lead requirement: the consortium must be led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
• Independent entities: all participants must be independent legal entities.
• Cross-country minimum: at least two participating countries, and at least one from EU/Horizon Europe-associated status.
• SME budget floor: SMEs from Eurostars countries must represent at least 50% of eligible project cost (excluding subcontracting).
• No dominant partner or country: no participant and no country can control more than 70% of total project budget.
• Duration cap: maximum 36 months.
• Civil purpose: the project must be exclusively non-military/civilly focused.

If one condition fails, the proposal is not accepted for funding. In practical terms: eligibility is not where you save your strongest writing; it is where you avoid rejection.

How funding flows in the real world

Eurostars is funded through national bodies, not from a central Eurostars budget. National bodies decide:

• which organisations can be funded,
• which costs are eligible,
• and funding rates (different by country and participant type).

The same budget line can therefore produce different support levels depending on where it is submitted. That is normal in this programme.

Also normal: some country programmes can have limited budget and are temporarily unavailable for a call. Some countries may require extra forms after the consortium is accepted centrally.

This is why the right sequence is:

• pass Eurostars eligibility,
• then secure national-level feasibility,
• then finalize annexes and reporting commitments.

If you invert that sequence, you often submit excellent technical writing into an administrative dead end.

Current programme mechanics you should know

The Eurostars programme page lists calls and states the process in broad terms. Call-specific pages add dates and country data. One 2026 call page lists:

• opening: 9 July 2026,
• deadline: 10 September 2026,
• closing at 14:00 CET,
• submission via myeurekaproject.org.

The same source also states calls are typically structured in two windows a year. So treat call windows as cyclical, not permanent.

Important: dates and country participation can change by cycle. The only reliable method is always to check the official pages at the start of your application cycle.

Step-by-step application workflow

Below is the sequence that aligns with official guidance and what teams can implement without confusion:

1) Start with a feasibility call before drafting

Before drafting a full narrative, ask the relevant national bodies:

• Is the lead SME eligible in their national rules?
• What country forms and annexes are required?
• Are there budget caps or national exclusions for this call?

This avoids building the wrong application architecture.

2) Open and structure the consortium

• The SME lead creates the central application.
• Invite partners before submission.
• Define partner ownership for every work package.

You should not start with a large narrative before partner roles are fixed. The reviewers and national agencies are primarily evaluating whether this is a credible consortium, not a loosely associated list of letters.

3) Fill the shared application in English

The application needs a practical narrative:

• what commercial problem you solve,
• why the consortium is needed,
• what each partner does,
• how results are delivered in milestones.

Use evidence language rather than hype language.

4) Add annexes with national compliance in mind

The common required annex family includes:

• signed commitment and signature form,
• SME declaration where applicable,
• financial annexes for partner-specific or funding-body-required checks,
• business plan for start-ups where required,
• self-funding declaration if you are not requesting public funding.

Some countries also require additional local forms after initial submission.

5) Submit before the deadline and verify before leaving it

Submit once:

• your core narrative and budget are aligned,
• your partner split respects the 50% and 70% constraints,
• you have not skipped required annexes.

Do not treat “submit at deadline” as “ready.” The platform permits editing before final submit, but late changes after deadline become much harder.

What a strong Eurostars proposal usually demonstrates

Strong applications in this programme are not “more technical,” they are “better integrated.”

A strong proposal includes:

• A concrete commercial outcome: a named customer segment and clear use-case.
• A realistic collaboration model: partners covering distinct risks rather than duplicating each other.
• Clear deliverables: milestones the team can verify over 36 months.
• Budget plausibility: costs and roles that can survive national checks.

Weak applications often fail not because of innovation quality, but because they under-specify who owns what and how national funding actually enters the plan.

Preparation checklist: what to collect before submission

Use this as an internal readiness list:

Project design

1. One-page summary: problem, customer, commercial route.
2. Work package diagram: technical, regulatory, manufacturing, business development.
3. Milestone matrix: month-by-month outcomes and responsible partner.
4. Risk map: top 5 risks and owners.

Financial and compliance layer

1. Total project budget by partner and country.
2. Budget checks against:
   • SME budget floor (minimum 50%),
   • no single partner or country above 70%.
3. National payment assumptions per partner (rates, caps, timelines).
4. Draft annex list per partner.

Coordination and governance

1. Decision process for design changes.
2. Financial reporting responsibility.
3. IP and publication boundaries.
4. Communication cadence with clear owners.

If any one of these is missing, you are at higher risk of losing the call to process issues.

Common mistakes, with practical fixes

Mistake 1: partner list without partner commitment

You may have high-quality names but no contractual alignment. Fix by converting all prospective partners into committed roles before you finalise the consortium.

Mistake 2: assuming central acceptance guarantees funding in each country

It does not. Fix by validating national feasibility before writing a final narrative.

Mistake 3: budget as an afterthought

Fix by building budget constraints into version one of the draft. Many teams only adjust budgets after comments and then run into 70% cap violations.

Mistake 4: generic claims without proof

Fix by replacing vague claims (“disruptive technology,” “high growth”) with evidence points, e.g., customer problem, competitor gap, or measurable performance target.

Mistake 5: late annex preparation

Fix by collecting national annex requirements in parallel with narrative writing. Start with the strictest country’s list.

Decision guidance: is it worth your effort?

Use this decision checkpoint once before final drafting:

• Can we show why international collaboration improves outcomes?
• Is commercialisation credible beyond an academic publication?
• Are at least two countries and partners already at least preliminarily committed?
• Do we know the national eligibility conditions for all participants?
• Is the budget structure likely to hold in a national viability check?

If you cannot answer yes to the majority, this is often a better fit for a later cycle after stronger prep.

Timeline expectations after submission

Official process documentation mentions: eligibility and legal/financial viability checks, expert evaluation, independent panel ranking, ethics review, communication of funding position, and then national agreements after positive selection.

In practical terms, teams should plan for additional weeks after international outcomes before national agreements are final. Do not budget project mobilisation as if funding is immediate.

Frequently asked questions

Are applications in March and September only?

Recent call publishing patterns are around two windows per year, but you should always verify the current schedule on official open and upcoming calls pages.

Can a large company lead?

No. The lead role is for an innovative SME or startup. Large organisations can be partners where national rules allow.

Can non-EU countries join?

Yes, but their funding route may be different and often involves self-funding, depending on country position in the current call and rules.

Can universities participate?

Yes, often as partners. Exact national funding eligibility differs and can affect whether a university is treated as beneficiary, subcontractor, or partner.

What if a country has no budget for this call?

It happens in some cycles. In those cases, partner participation may be possible only on self-funding terms or alternative arrangements.

Can a rejected application be improved and submitted again?

Yes, with a revised and stronger application. If a rejection is procedural, your possible remedies depend on clear written basis from the programme administration.

Who should submit, and when?

The lead SME submits through myeurekaproject.org during the open submission window. Build extra time for annex collection and national contacts.

Official links

• Eurostars programme: https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes-and-calls/eurostars/
• Eurostars apply page: https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes/eurostars/apply/
• Eurostars call 11 (deadline September 2026): https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes-and-calls/eurostars/eurostars-call-for-projects-september-2026/
• Eurostars call 10 (March 2026): https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes-and-calls/eurostars/eurostars-call-for-projects-march-2026/
• Open calls for Eurostars: https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes-and-calls/?programme=eurostars&status=open
• Resource library: https://www.eurekanetwork.org/programmes-and-calls/eurostars/
• MyEurostars platform: https://myeurekaproject.org/
• Guidelines for participating: https://www.eurekanetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/guidelines-for-participating-eurostars-project.pdf