Eurostars call for projects – March 2026

Published on February 5, 2026

What Eurostars is

Eurostars is a funding instrument that supports innovative SMEs and project partners (large companies, universities, research organisations and other types of organisations) by funding international collaborative R&D and innovation projects. By participating, organisations can access public funding for international collaborative R&D projects in all fields.

To have a successful Eurostars application you must:

  • Define your project idea.
  • Collaborate internationally, sharing expertise.
  • Develop products, processes or services that can be easily commercialised.

You can submit your R&D and innovation project application between 16 January 2026 and 19 March 2026 at 14:00 CET using our project platform (myeurekaproject.org). Your project consortium must have an innovative SME in the leading role, but it can also include other types of organisations like large companies, universities, research organisations and more.

Who can apply

To apply, you must meet seven international eligibility criteria:

  • The project consortium is led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country.
  • The project consortium is composed of at least two entities that are independent of one another.
  • The project consortium is composed of entities from at least two Eurostars countries with at least one organisation coming from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country
  • The budget of the SMEs from the Eurostars countries (excluding any subcontracting) is 50% or more of the total project cost.
  • No single participant or country is responsible for more than 70% of the budget of the project.
  • The project duration is 36 months or less.
  • The project has an exclusive focus on civil applications.

You can find more information and definitions of the terms used in these criteria in the detailed Eurostars guidelines in the Resource Library.

Find out more here