Eurostars

SMEs wanting to bring new products, processes or services to market faster can turn to the Eurostars programme. It aims to be a springboard for international cooperation and is the largest international funding programme for innovative SMEs planning to collaborate on R&D projects and bring their innovations to market.

Eurostars encourages market-oriented technological development, with an SME working together with at least one partner from a Eurostars country. The programme is open to both companies and knowledge institutions, provided the lead applicant is a small or medium-sized enterprise.

Eurostars is one of the most accessible European grants for SMEs and has a high success rate compared with other European schemes. The innovation programme is an initiative of EUREKA and the European Commission, with financial support provided through the national government of each participating country. Dutch companies have performed very well in this scheme for years: more than 30% of Dutch applications are approved, and the administrative burden is relatively low.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy makes €22 million available annually for the Eurostars programme, split across 2 calls a year. In general the subsidy can cover up to 50% of the project costs for SMEs and up to 25% for larger companies. Research institutions can sometimes receive up to 100% funding for their part in the project. For the Dutch part of the project the maximum subsidy is €500,000.

Note: are you an innovative business collaborating at European level on a sustainable project? Then the Interreg scheme may be of interest. And if you are an SME entering foreign markets, it is well worth checking whether the DHI scheme suits you. Thanks to years of experience, our experts can support you with these two schemes as well and tell you what is possible.

To qualify for Eurostars, the project must aim to develop a new product, process or service that delivers an economic benefit. It must have a clear commercial objective and target market introduction shortly after the project ends. Eurostars requires projects to be carried out by a consortium of organisations from at least two different Eurostars countries, which encourages international cooperation and knowledge exchange.

To qualify, a number of conditions have to be met:

• The project runs for no more than 3 years;
• The period between completing the project and bringing the product to market is no more than 2 years;
• The lead applicant is an innovative SME from one of the partner countries;
• The applying consortium bears around 50% of the total project costs itself;
• It is a balanced collaboration;
• None of the participating parties is responsible for more than 75% of the costs;
• There are no thematic restrictions, but the project must pursue a societal objective.

The Eurostars programme normally has two deadlines a year, usually in spring and autumn.

Thanks to our 25 years of experience, we can optimise your funding process and take it almost entirely off your hands.

What kind of activities might that involve?

• Assessing whether your project is eligible for Eurostars.
• If so, you get support with writing and submitting.
• Support in setting up the collaboration agreement with other organisations.
• Submitting the grant application to the funding body on time and in line with the latest funding legislation and conditions.
• Acting as the point of contact towards the funding body.
• Answering the funding body’s questions about the application.
• Setting up the project administration and supporting you in maintaining the grant records.