Eureka-Eurostars program

European funding for innovative SMEs

Eurostars program overview

The Eurostars program is a strategic alliance between the EUREKA network and the European Commission, specifically designed to support R&D-intensive SMEs developing innovative products, processes, or services for international commercialization. Launched in 2007, Eurostars is now one of the most accessible and effective funding mechanisms for European SMEs engaged in groundbreaking innovation projects.

In the European financing architecture, Eurostars occupies a distinctive position by positioning itself as the benchmark program for transnational collaborative projects led by innovative SMEs. Unlike other European funding instruments such as Horizon Europe, which may target large companies or academic consortia, Eurostars places innovative SMEs at the heart of its mechanism.

Eurostars' strategic ambitions align perfectly with the European vision of open innovation and international competitiveness. The program aims to:

For the period 2021-2027, the Eurostars programme has an overall budget of around 1.2 billion euros, coming from both participating countries and the European Commission, demonstrating the European commitment to innovation driven by SMEs.

The directions that attract Eurostars investors

Specific ambitions and priorities

The Eurostars program is characterized by its great thematic flexibility while remaining aligned with a clear European strategic vision. This section details the preferred approaches and expected impacts of funded projects, enabling you to better position your application and maximize its chances of success.

Main thematic areas

The Eurostars program stands out for its bottom-up approach, meaning it does not impose restrictive themes on applicants. This flexibility allows it to support innovation across all technological and industrial sectors. Nevertheless, some areas traditionally experience high participation rates:

Medical technologies and health
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Biotechnology and life sciences
Industrial technologies and advanced materials
Clean technologies and environmental solutions

Preferred directions

Despite its universal openness to all sectors, Eurostars particularly favors initiatives that:

They design revolutionary technologies with significant commercial potential
They provide innovative solutions to contemporary societal challenges.
They demonstrate a remarkable degree of innovation and a clear competitive advantage.
They illustrate a substantial capacity for international expansion.

Contribution to European strategic priorities

Eurostars is fully aligned with the main European strategic directions, in particular:

The Europe 2030 agenda is geared towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy
The European Green Deal initiative
The complete digitalization of the European economy
Consolidating European strategic independence in essential technologies

Expected benefits at the European level

Eurostars' initiatives aim to generate substantial profits:

Generation of specialized jobs within the European territory
Expansion of new markets and export prospects
Strengthening the competitiveness of European SMEs
Developing innovative solutions to contemporary societal challenges
Participation in European scientific and technological excellence

Categories of supported initiatives

Eurostars only funds transnational collaborative initiatives that:

They are managed by an innovative SME with a high concentration of R&D
They involve at least two autonomous entities from two distinct member countries of the Eureka network
They focus on the design of a new, innovative product, process, or service.
They plan for accelerated post-project commercialization (usually within 2 years)

The usual period for initiatives ranges between 24 and 36 months, with an overall budget generally between €500,000 and €2 million.

Concrete examples of funded initiatives

Here are several representative examples of initiatives that have received Eurostars support:

Development of intelligent medical equipment for remote monitoring of patients with chronic diseases (France-Germany-Finland partnership)
Design of a revolutionary generation of industrial enzymes for the transformation of plastic waste (Spain-Netherlands partnership)
Creation of an artificial intelligence platform for the energy optimization of infrastructure (Sweden-Italy-United Kingdom partnership)
Development of an automated hydroponic growing system for urban agriculture (Denmark-Belgium partnership)

Innovative technologies encouraged

Eurostars particularly favors initiatives that:

They develop innovative technologies with a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) between 4 and 7
They generate or integrate cutting-edge technologies
They demonstrate a substantial level of innovation compared to the current state of the art
They establish a clear competitive advantage over available solutions

Preferred areas of intervention

Despite the eligibility of all sectors, the following areas are remarkably well represented in the Eurostars initiative portfolio:

Electronic health and medical technologies
Renewable energies and ecological solutions
Artificial intelligence and digital technologies
Biotechnology and life sciences
Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing
Solutions for a circular economy

Innochain Expertise and Support

Specialized expertise on this device

Innochain has developed in-depth expertise in the Eurostars program, the result of many years of successful support for European SMEs. Our team includes operational assessment specialists who are thoroughly familiar with the evaluation criteria and requirements of the Eurostars jury.

Our specialists understand the nuances of the program and can guide you through each phase of the process, from the initial eligibility assessment to post-funding administrative management.

Preliminary Audit A complete analysis of your initiative, its technological maturity, and its alignment with Eurostars criteria.
Seeking partners Activation of our European network to form an optimal and complementary consortium
Project Architecture Definition of work packages, deliverables, milestones and distribution of tasks among partners
Proposal development : Construction of a comprehensive and persuasive dossier, highlighting the technical, commercial and financial aspects
Preparation for the assessment Interview simulations and preparation for evaluators' questions

Eligibility assessment and strategic positioning
Identification of qualified European partners
Technical and financial architecture of the project
Complete drafting of the application file
Optimized financial and budgetary assembly
Support for drafting the Consortium Agreement
Project monitoring and reporting to national authorities

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Eligibility requirements

Organizational eligibility requirements

To be eligible for the Eurostars program, the consortium must meet the following conditions:

To be managed by an innovative SME with a high concentration of R&D (devoting at least 10% of its turnover or workforce to R&D)
Include at least two autonomous legal entities from two separate participating countries
Maintain a balance between partners (no partner or country should assume more than 70% of the overall budget)
Incorporate only entities legally established in a country participating in the Eurostars program

Target company profiles

Eurostars primarily aims to:

innovative SMEs Companies with fewer than 250 employees investing heavily in R&D
Other SMEs They can join forces as partners without necessarily leading the project.
Large companies They can join the consortium but without funding.
Universities and research centers They can join forces as partners, contributing their scientific and technological expertise.

Geographical requirements

The Eurostars program is open to organizations located in:

The 27 member states of the European Union
Countries associated with Horizon Europe (Canada, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, etc.)
Non-EU EUREKA member countries (such as the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, etc.)

In total, more than 35 countries are associated with the program, offering significant opportunities for international collaboration.

Technical or scientific requirements

Eurostars initiatives must meet several technical requirements:

To establish a clear innovative character and a progression from the state of the art
Displaying a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) typically between 4 and 7
Target accelerated post-project commercialization (within 2 years)
Maintaining a balance between technological risk and commercial potential
Having the necessary intellectual property rights or a clear strategy for obtaining them

Financing structure

Funding percentages according to organizational profile

The percentages of funding in Eurostars fluctuate depending on the organization's profile and the country, as funding is provided by national funding bodies:

SMEs Eligible costs range from 40% to 80% depending on the country.
Research organizations and universities Between 70% and 100% of eligible costs

For companies developing more revolutionary or higher-risk innovations, the EIC Accelerator can represent an interesting alternative or complement to Eurostars, particularly for individual projects with high growth potential.

Grant limits

Funding limits also vary depending on the participating countries:

Most countries set a limit of between €300,000 and €500,000 per national partner
Some countries, such as Germany, France, or the Netherlands, may grant higher amounts in certain cases.
The average overall cost of a project is around 2 million euros.

Eligible cost categories

The categories of costs that are usually eligible include:

Personnel costs involved in R&D activities
Equipment and materials (proportionally to their use in the project)
Subcontracting (depending on the applicant's country – on average limited to 25% of its eligible costs)
Travel expenses related to consortium meetings
Indirect costs/overheads (calculated according to national rules)
Intellectual property protection fees

Mandatory co-financing

The Eurostars program operates on the principle of co-financing:

The grant never covers 100% of the costs for businesses
SMEs usually have to co-finance between 25% and 60% of the budget
Co-financing may come from equity or other non-public sources
In some countries, repayable advances may be offered in addition to grants.

Application process

Planning and consultations

Eurostars operates with a system of regular consultations:

Frequency : 2 consultations per year (usually in February and September)
Deadline A single deadline for all participating countries
Assessment The process takes approximately 4 months after the consultation is closed.
Contractualization : 2 to 3 months after the announcement of the results
Startup Projects can usually begin 6 to 8 months after submission

Mandatory documentation

The Eurostars application requires several essential documents:

Electronic application form Administrative information and a comprehensive description of the project
Technical description : Details on innovation, methodology and work packages
Operating plan : Marketing strategy and market potential
Description of the consortium : Presentation of partners and their added value
Technical annexes : Diagrams, preliminary data, scientific references
National specific documents : Required by some national funding bodies

Innochain supports you in the development of each of these documents, guaranteeing their consistency and quality.

Submission phases

The Eurostars bidding process involves the following phases:

Registration : Creating an account on the Eureka platform
Creation of the initiative : Entry of basic administrative information
Invitation of partners Connecting partners to the initiative on the platform
Collaborative writing : Development of the different sections of the file
Validation by partners : Final approval of all participants
Central submission Final submission of the complete file on the Eureka platform
National submissions : Submission of additional documents to national agencies depending on the country

Areas for evaluating proposals

Eurostars initiatives are evaluated along three main lines:

Quality and performance of the consortium (30%)

Complementarity of partners
Financial and technical capacity to implement the initiative
Experience in managing collaborative initiatives

Innovation and R&D (40%)

Degree of innovation and progress compared to the state of the art
Quality and credibility of the R&D methodology
Technical feasibility and risk management

Impact and market (30%)

Market potential and business model
An obvious and realistic marketing strategy
Societal, economic and environmental impact

Innochain optimize your application to maximize your score on each of these axes.

Success statistics and key factors

Success data for this program

The Eurostars program exhibits the following characteristics in terms of success rates:

Average success rate 25% to 30% initiatives are funded
Variation by country : Between 15% and 35% depending on the participating countries
Variation by sector The health, biotechnology and ICT sectors usually show the highest rates
Evolution Tendency towards a decrease in the success rate due to the increasing popularity of the program

Common pitfalls to avoid

Our experience has allowed us to identify the main errors that penalize applications:

Unbalanced Consortium : Partners with redundant skills or lack of complementarity
Insufficiently differentiated innovation : Low added value compared to existing solutions
Superficial market analysis : Lack of concrete data on commercial potential
Vague operating plan : Lack of a detailed marketing strategy
Neglected Intellectual Property Management : Lack of a clear strategy for protecting and exploiting results
Poorly structured budget : Unbalanced distribution or insufficiently justified costs

Innochain optimizes your initiative before submission to maximize your chances of success.

Differentiating factors for a winning application

The factors that make the difference in obtaining Eurostars funding are:

A balanced international consortium with complementary and credible partners
A revolutionary innovation clearly positioned in relation to the state of the art
Substantial commercial impact demonstrated by solid market data
Optimized time-to-market with a realistic marketing strategy
Rigorous risk management with contingency plans
Overall consistency between technical objectives, resources deployed, and expected results

Feedback from Innochain

Our experience supporting multiple Eurostars initiatives has allowed us to identify best practices:

The search for partners should begin at least 3-4 months before the submission
Early involvement of end users or potential customers significantly strengthens the application
Prior demonstration of concepts (prototypes, preliminary data) significantly improves the probability of success
Particular attention should be paid to the impact/market section, often underestimated by tech-savvy candidates
The balance between ambition and realism is crucial to convince evaluators

FAQ about the Eurostars Eureka program

Frequently Asked Questions by Businesses

Can a newly created start-up apply to Eurostars?

Absolutely, Eurostars is particularly well-suited to innovative start-ups, provided they meet the definition of an SME with a high concentration of R&D (at least 101% of turnover or staff dedicated to R&D). A young company without a financial track record will need to demonstrate its ability to co-finance its share of the project.

How to determine the status of "SME with a high concentration of R&D"?

An SME is considered to have a high R&D concentration if it dedicates at least 101 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees of its turnover or 101 FTE employees to research and development activities. Innochain can assist you in validating this status and preparing the necessary supporting documents.

Can universities partner with an Eurostars initiative?

Indeed, universities and research organizations can join forces as partners in a Eurostars initiative, but they cannot coordinate the consortium. Their involvement is usually limited to 40% of the initiative's overall budget.

What are the chances of success for a first deposit?

Initial filings without professional support have a success rate of less than 15%. With Innochain's support, this rate reaches over 60%, even for a first filing, thanks to our in-depth mastery of the evaluation criteria.

How is the Eurostars evaluation process organized?

The Eurostars evaluation adopts a multi-phase process:

Administrative eligibility verification
Technical evaluation by three independent specialists
Ranking by the Eurostars panel of specialists
Final validation by the Eureka high-level group
Confirmation of funding by national bodies

The comprehensive process takes approximately 4 months after the consultation closing date.

Can a rejected proposal be reused?

Indeed, approximately 30% of the funded initiatives are improved resubmissions. Innochain analyzes the evaluation report, identifies weaknesses, and restructures the proposal to maximize the chances of success upon resubmission. Our success rate exceeds 80% for the resubmissions we support.

Maximize your chances of success with our expertise

Ready to launch your Eurostars project?

Innochain supports you at every stage, from initial assessment to final submission, to maximize your chances of obtaining Eurostars funding.

Feel free to contact us with any questions or to discuss your innovation initiative.

Make an appointment with one of our experts for a free evaluation of your project