European Partnership on Innovative SMEs/Eurostars: joint transnational call for proposals (CALL 11 of Eurostars-3)

Eurostars Call 11 (Eurostars-3) funds SME-led transnational collaborative R&D and innovation projects with an exclusive focus on civil applications, targeting marketable products, processes or services. The call opens 09 July 2026 and closes 10 September 2026 at 14:00 Brussels time with an indicative budget of €87,739,583, and funds are administered by national funding bodies. Eligibility requires an innovative SME lead, at least two independent partners from two Eurostars countries (including at least one from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country), SMEs from Eurostars countries to cover at least 50% of project costs, no single participant or country to exceed 70% of the budget, and a maximum duration of 36 months. Applications are single-stage in English submitted via the Eureka Project Management Platform (myeurekaproject.org) and undergo centralised expert evaluation plus national legal and financial viability checks.

What it funds

Summary

Eurostars funds international collaborative R&D and innovation projects led by innovative SMEs to develop commercially oriented products, processes or services across all fields. Funding is provided by national funding bodies according to national rules; organisations from non-Eurostars countries may self-fund.

Typical budget available:Call-level budget approx. €87.7 million (indicative). Actual funding per partner and project depends on national funding body rules and caps ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: Consortia led by an innovative SME established in a Eurostars country; consortium must include at least two independent entities from at least two Eurostars countries with at least one from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
2. 2Eligible partners: innovative SMEs (leader), large companies, universities, research organisations and other organisation types; SMEs from Eurostars countries must represent >=50% of total project costs (excluding subcontracting).
3. 3Project scope and limits: Civil applications only, project duration up to 36 months, no single participant or country may exceed 70% of project budget.

How to apply:Lead SME creates and submits the online application via the Eureka Project Management Platform (myeurekaproject.org). Contact your national or regional funding body via the Eureka contact pages to confirm national eligibility, required annexes and funding rates. Apply in English before the deadline; follow Eurostars guidelines and national rules.

Evaluation and timetable:Centralised evaluation by independent experts against Excellence, Impact and Implementation. Eligibility check and legal/financial viability checks follow the submission; funding decisions communicated around mid-December 2026, with national agreements targeted 5–7 months after submission. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Full eligibility, funding rates and application guidance are provided by the Eurostars guidelines and by national funding bodies: Eureka Network pages and the Eurostars application platform (eurekanetwork.org and myeurekaproject.org).

High-level opportunity description

Eurostars (part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the EU through Horizon Europe) issues a joint transnational call for R&D and innovation projects led by innovative SMEs. The call supports international collaborative projects aiming to develop new or improved products, processes or services that can be commercialised. Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and have a maximum duration of 36 months (extensions possible if justified and approved). Submission is electronic via the Eureka Project Management Platform (myeurekaproject.org) during the call window. Funding for each participant is managed by national funding bodies according to national rules and rates; organisations in non-Eurostars countries may participate only by self-funding their costs.

Key dates and budget

Call opening and closing, deadlines, programme period and budgetary envelope for the opportunity are listed below.

Application portal:Submissions must be made electronically via the Eureka Project Management Platform (myeurekaproject.org). Contact with your national or regional funding body is required before or during application preparation Eureka contact ¹.

Detailed eligibility and applicant requirements

The call enforces seven international eligibility criteria. Failure to comply with any criterion will result in rejection at eligibility screening. In addition to these international criteria, national or regional funding bodies may impose extra eligibility requirements and national rules for funding and documentation.

1. 1Lead applicant: Project consortium must be led by an innovative SME established in a Eurostars country.
2. 2Minimum partners: Consortium must include at least two independent entities (independence defined as neither being under direct or indirect control of the other).
3. 3Geographic spread: Consortium must include partners from at least two Eurostars countries, and at least one partner must be from an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.
4. 4SME budget share: SMEs from Eurostars countries must contribute at least 50% of the total project cost (excluding subcontracting).
5. 5No single participant or country may cover more than 70% of the project budget.
6. 6Duration: Maximum project duration is 36 months (extensions possible after start subject to justification and approval by the Eureka Secretariat and national funding bodies).
7. 7Scope: Projects must have an exclusive focus on civil (non-military) applications.

Definition notes:An innovative SME is defined broadly as an SME with the ambition to engage in international R&D and innovation with partners to develop products, processes or services for European and global markets; no prior R&D track record is required. R&D and innovation definitions follow OECD Frascati and Oslo Manual definitions respectively.

Eligible Applicant Types (detailed)

Eligible organisations include innovative SMEs (mandatory lead), large enterprises, universities, research organisations, non-profit research bodies, public research organisations, and other organisation types allowed by national funding rules. Organisations from non-Eurostars countries may participate but must self-fund their project costs unless specific bilateral agreements exist. Publicly funded organisations may have exemptions for certain financial annexes depending on national rules.

Funding Type and Financial Modalities

Primary funding mechanism:grant funding delivered through national funding bodies. Although Eurostars is co-funded by the European Union via Horizon Europe, the financial award to beneficiaries is allocated and administered by the relevant national or regional funding body according to national rules, eligible cost categories, and funding rates. Funding rates, ceilings and eligible participants vary by country. Organisations in non-Eurostars countries that are not eligible for national public funding must declare self-funding for their costs.

Co-funding and national rules:National funding bodies decide which organisations can receive funding, which activities are fundable, and funding rates. Co-funding requirements therefore vary by country; some partners may be fully publicly funded, others partially funded, or self-funded. You must contact your national funding body to determine applicable co-funding rules and maximum per‑project or per‑partner funding limits.

Consortium requirement and project structure

Consortium model required. The call is a transnational collaborative programme requiring consortia (minimum two independent partners from two Eurostars countries). The consortium must be SME-led. Project work packages, budget allocation and partner responsibilities must be clearly defined. Subcontracting is allowed but subcontracted costs are excluded from the SMEs 50% budget minimum calculation.

Beneficiary geographic scope and explicitly mentioned countries

Geographic eligibility is limited to Eurostars countries. The opportunity text explicitly lists the Eurostars countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom. The text notes that Canada, South Korea and Singapore and South Africa are Eurostars countries that are not EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. From 1 January 2025, entities established in Switzerland are considered established in a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Target sectors and project maturity

Target sectors:All technological and application fields are eligible as long as the project has civil applications. Eurostars does not prioritise specific sectors in the call text; it funds collaborative R&D and innovation across industry, ICT, health, cleantech, advanced manufacturing, materials, energy, agri-food, and services, subject to national rules. Expected project maturity: projects should be oriented to development and commercialization — typically spanning research, development, validation, demonstration and commercialization phases. The opportunity references TRL expectations in guidance materials (see Eurostars FAQs and guidelines).

Project duration and technical requirements

Maximum project duration is 36 months. Projects must propose clear R&D and innovation activities (research and experimental development as per OECD definition) and demonstrate significant innovation (new or improved product/process/service per OECD Oslo Manual). Projects must include realistic commercialisation plans and demonstrate market impact, competitive advantage and route to market.

Application process, templates and required documents

Application is a single-stage, open call submitted electronically via the Eureka platform. The lead SME opens the application and invites partners to join and complete partner-specific sections. All submissions must be in English. Required annexes and templates include, at a minimum:

1. 1Signed commitment and signature form (template provided in guidelines).
2. 2SME declaration form for SME participants (template provided).
3. 3Financial annexes where required by national funding bodies (e.g., financial reports, balance sheets) — may be waived for organisations 100% publicly funded.
4. 4Self-funding declaration (mandatory for partners not eligible or not requesting public funding).
5. 5Optional technical annex (project technical details) and Gantt chart for work plan and milestones.
6. 6Consortium Agreement (to be uploaded after approval; guidelines exist for required content and CA validation).

Additional guidance and templates are published on the Eurostars / Eureka website, including application form in Word format, platform guidelines, eligibility guidelines, legal & financial viability guidance, ethics self-assessment template, redress request guidelines, and the official self-funding declaration template.

Evaluation, selection process and application stages

Evaluation is centralised and follows a transparent, multi-stage process. Projects first undergo an eligibility check, then a legal and financial viability check. Each eligible application is evaluated remotely by three independent experts against three main criteria (Quality and efficiency of implementation, Impact, and Excellence) with multiple sub-criteria. The highest-ranking projects (approximately the top 200 from remote evaluation) progress to an Independent Evaluation Panel for final ranking. An ethics review is performed. Final funding depends on positive legal/financial viability outcomes for all partners and the panel ranking. Results are communicated at each step and funding decisions by mid-December 2026; subsequent grant agreements with national funding bodies are expected within five to seven months after the deadline.

1. 1Stage 1: Eligibility check (within one week after deadline).
2. 2Stage 2: Legal and financial viability check (mid-October 2026).
3. 3Stage 3: Independent expert evaluation (three experts per application, mid-October 2026).
4. 4Stage 4: Independent Evaluation Panel and final ranking (end November 2026).
5. 5Stage 5: Ethics review (end November 2026).
6. 6Stage 6: Funding decision communication (mid-December 2026) and subsequent national funding agreements.

Success rates and selection statistics

The call text indicates that projects progressing from the remote expert evaluation to the Independent Evaluation Panel are limited to the best 200 projects. The exact overall success rate (percentage of submitted applications that receive funding) is not provided in the call text and varies by call year and number of total submissions. Historical Eurostars success-rate information and statistics are available in Eurostars resources and FAQs, but applicants should expect competitive selection and that only a subset of submitted applications will reach the panel and receive positive funding decisions. All partners additionally must pass national legal/financial viability checks for funding to be awarded.

Nature of support and post-selection requirements

Beneficiaries receive monetary grants managed at national level according to national funding rules. The partnership provides access to public funding for international collaborative R&D projects; non-monetary support includes access to the Eureka network, matchmaking and guidance materials, application templates, and consortium management tools. Approved projects must complete administrative steps such as uploading a Consortium Agreement, periodic reporting (Project Progress Reports) and an End‑of‑Project Report in line with Eurostars reporting rules.

Co-funding, ineligible funding and self-funding

Co-funding requirements differ by national funding body. Some participants may be eligible for full or partial public funding; others must self-fund. Organisations that are not eligible for public funding or do not request it must submit a self-funding declaration. National funding bodies may impose maximum amounts per project or per partner. Subcontracting is allowed but subcontracted costs are excluded from the SMEs 50% minimum budget requirement.

Common evaluation criteria and assessment focus

Remote experts assess proposals on three main criteria and multiple sub-criteria:(1) Quality and efficiency of implementation (consortium quality, added value of cooperation, project management and planning, cost structure); (2) Impact (market size, market access and risk, competitive advantage, commercialisation plans, economic/environmental/societal impact); (3) Excellence (degree of innovation, generation of applied knowledge, technical challenge, technical achievability and risk).

Mentioned countries (explicit list)

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom.

How to apply: step-by-step summary

1. 1Contact your national/regional funding body via the Eureka contact form to discuss national funding rules, eligibility and documentation.
2. 2Create an account on the Eureka Project Management Platform (myeurekaproject.org) and open a new application (the lead innovative SME opens the application).
3. 3Invite consortium partners to join the online application and complete partner sections (all entries in English).
4. 4Complete the application form and attach required annexes: signed commitment/signature form, SME declaration (if applicable), financial annexes if required, or self-funding declaration if not requesting public funding; optional technical annex and Gantt chart.
5. 5Submit the completed application electronically before the deadline (10 September 2026, 14:00 Brussels time).
6. 6Monitor communications for eligibility, legal/financial viability, expert evaluation outcomes and final funding decision. If approved, complete consortium agreement uploading and national funding formalities.

Templates and application form structure (guidance)

Eurostars publishes application templates and guidance. The application form typically includes sections covering: administrative data, consortium description, excellence (technical description, innovation), implementation (work plan, work packages, Gantt chart, milestones, partner tasks), impact (market, commercialization, exploitation plans, IP management), budget breakdown per partner and cost categories, ethics self-assessment, and required annexes (signature forms, SME declaration, financial documents or self-funding declaration). Word versions of the application form and platform guidelines are provided to prepare content offline before submission.

Risks, important constraints and practical notes

Important constraints include the mandatory SME lead, the 50% minimum share of project budget held by SMEs from Eurostars countries, the 70% maximum budget concentration by participant or country, and the exclusive civil application scope. National legal/financial viability checks are decisive for funding allocation. Applicants should consult national funding bodies early to confirm eligibility and required financial documentation, and should upload all mandatory annexes to avoid eligibility rejection. Redress is possible only on procedural grounds and must be submitted by the consortium leader with supporting evidence.

Further information and resources:Full guidelines, FAQs, templates and country-specific funding information are available on the Eureka/Eurostars pages and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; contact your National Funding Body via the Eureka contact page for country-specific rules and to confirm whether additional documentation is required Eureka guidelines ¹.

Summary

This call under Eurostars-3 funds SME-led, international collaborative R&D and innovation projects across all civilian sectors with the objective of rapid commercialisation and market impact. Projects must be led by an innovative SME in a Eurostars country, include at least one partner from another Eurostars country (with at least one partner from an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country), and ensure SMEs from Eurostars countries account for at least 50% of total project costs. Funding is granted via national funding bodies and follows national rules; some partners may self-fund. Applications are submitted electronically in a single-stage call via the Eureka platform, undergo eligibility, legal/financial checks, expert review and panel ranking, and successful projects proceed to national funding agreements. Applicants should consult country-specific guidance and templates and engage national funding bodies early to confirm eligibility and funding conditions.

Footnotes

1. 1Contact the Eureka Network via eurekanetwork.org for country-specific funding rules and for assistance with national funding bodies and eligibility.

Overview

Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe. It supports innovative SMEs and their partners, including large companies, universities, and research organisations, in developing international collaborative R&D and innovation projects leading to marketable products, processes, or services. Projects can cover all fields with an exclusive focus on civil applications. This is a joint transnational call open to consortia from Eurostars countries.

Key Dates and Budget

Opening Date:09 July 2026

Closing Date:10 September 2026, 14:00 Brussels time

Total Budget:€87,739,583 (indicative across participating countries, managed nationally)

Funding is provided through national funding bodies, with rates and eligibility varying by country. There is no maximum project budget limit, but national caps may apply. Organisations from non-Eurostars countries can participate via self-funding.

Eligibility Criteria

• Consortium led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
• At least two independent entities from at least two Eurostars countries, with at least one from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• SME budget (excluding subcontracting) >= 50% of total project cost.
• No single participant or country > 70% of project budget.
• Project duration <= 36 months (extensions possible with justification).
• Exclusive focus on civil applications.

An innovative SME is defined as any SME aiming to develop new products, processes, or services for European and global markets through international R&D collaboration; no prior R&D track record required. Full definitions align with OECD Frascati and Oslo Manuals. Check national eligibility with your funding body.

Eurostars Countries

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom. Non-EU/Associated: Canada, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa.

Who Can Apply

• Lead: Innovative SMEs from Eurostars countries (including startups).
• Partners: Large companies, universities, research organisations, other entities.
• Self-funding allowed for non-Eurostars participants.

Application Process

1. 1Contact national/regional funding body via Eureka Contact Form to discuss project idea, funding, and eligibility.
2. 2Register on myeurekaproject.org; lead SME creates application and invites partners.
3. 3Complete English application form, upload required annexes: commitment/signature form, SME declaration, financial annexes (if applicable), self-funding declaration (if relevant), optional technical annex/Gantt chart.
4. 4Submit by deadline.

National bodies may require additional steps. Guidelines available at Eurostars Guidelines. Apply via Eureka Project Platform and EU portal Funding & Tenders Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

Centralised evaluation:eligibility check (1 week post-deadline), legal/financial viability (mid-Oct 2026), expert review (mid-Oct), panel ranking (Nov), ethics (Nov). Results by mid-Dec 2026. Top 200 projects advance. Redress possible on procedural grounds.

Project Implementation

Post-approval:sign agreements with national bodies (5-7 months post-submission), develop Consortium Agreement. Duration up to 36 months. Progress and end reports required via platform. National funding bodies handle payments and rules.

Additional Resources

• Country-specific funding: Eureka Network
• FAQs and Guidelines: Eurostars Guidelines
• Partner search: National networks or events like Global Innovation Summit.

Footnotes

1. 1Budget and dates from EU Funding & Tenders Portal and Eureka sources as of May 2026; verify latest on official sites.