France and Spain call for R&D projects

This call is prioritising R&D projects in these fields:

• Mobility/transport, with preference for unmanned vehicules
• Agrifood
• Health

Projects in other technological fields are welcome to apply.

Call for projects opens: 15 July 2024

Deadline: 29 November at 17:00 CET

Deadline for French applicants national submission: 6 January 2025

Ministries and funding agencies make funding decisions and projects can start: May 2025

France (BPI France) funding

Bpifrance has an open budget for this call for projects.

French participants can receive a loan of up to 3 million euro.

• up to 80 % of eligible project costs for startups, SMEs and mid-cap companies
• up to 60% of eligible project costs for large companies

French participants can also receive a repayable advance.

• up to 65 % of eligible project costs for startups, SMEs and mid-cap companies
• up to 40% of eligible project costs for large companies

In both cases, large companies with more than 2000 FTEs can participate in the consortium but will not be eligible for public funding. Academic partners are not eligible for this call, but they can still participate as subcontractors.

Spain (CDTI) funding information

CDTI has an open budget for this call for projects.

There is no maximum funding amount for Spanish companies, but on average, Spain participants receive a loan of 600.000 euro.

• up to 75 % of eligible project costs for startups, SMEs and mid-cap and large companies

Universities and research organisations can participate as subcontractors.

Each ministry or funding agency will fund organisations according to local laws, rules, procedures and available budget.

If your ministry or funding agency does not have funding for organisations like yours, you can still join a project. Contact your ministry or funding agency for information about other funding options or self-funding.

Eureka has eligibility criteria for organisations participating in a Network projects consortium:

• Your project idea must represent international cooperation in the form of a specific project.
• You must direct your project towards researching or developing an innovative product, process or service with the goal of commercialising your project results.
• Your project must have a civilian purpose.
• Your consortium must include organisations based in at least two Eureka countries or regions.
• No single organisation or country can be responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.

Spain has addition eligibility criteria for this call.

We will review your R&D project application according to our evaluation criteria.

1. Impact

• Is the market properly addressed (i.e. size, access and risks)?
• Is the value creation properly addressed (i.e. employment opportunities and environmental and societal benefits)?
• What are the competitive advantages of your project (i.e. strategic importance, enhanced capabilities and visibility)?
• Are your commercialisation plans clear and realistic (i.e. return on investment, geographic and sectoral impact)?

2. Excellence

• What is the degree of innovation? (i.e. is the proposed product, process or service state-of-the-art? Is there sufficient technological maturity and risk)?
• How would you use new knowledge?
• Is your project scientifically and technically challenging for consortium partners?
• Is the technical achievability and risk properly addressed?

3. Quality and efficiency of implementation

• What is the quality of your consortium (i.e. balance of the partnership and technological, managerial and financial capabilities of each partner)?
• Is there added value through international cooperation?
• Is your project management and planning realistic and clearly defined (i.e. methodology, planning approach, milestones and deliverables)?
• Is your cost structure reasonable (i.e. costs and financial commitment for each consortium partner)?

4. Overall perception

Experts will list three positive and negative points about your application and state whether they recommend your project for public funding.

Your ministry or funding agency may carry out another evaluation according to national or regional rules before allocating funding to organisations.

Funding will only be provided to projects that receive a positive evaluation from all relevant national or regional ministries and funding agencies.

1. Contact your ministry or funding agency through Eureka’s website to discuss your project idea, finances, eligibility and procedures.
2. Create an account on our application portal (one per project) and select the funding opportunity you want to apply to.
3. Use the portal and complete one application form per consortium (in English). Invite other partners to fill out a partner form.
4. Submit a GANTT chart, a signed co-signature form (available to download on the portal) and any other required attachments.
5. We will check your application is complete and eligible before evaluating it. If successful, your project will receive a Eureka label.
6. We evaluate project applications to determine if your ministry or funding agency should grant funding. Your ministry or funding agency may conduct another evaluation performed by experts and based on national regulations.
7. The final step is to complete and sign a consortium agreement. We recommend that you seek legal advice when drafting your consortium agreement.

France (Bpifrance) has additional steps for applying:

1. Contact your Bpifrance project innovation officer to check your eligibility and discuss your project.
2. Submit your national application by 6 January 2025 on your Bpifrance En Ligne account.

Spain (CDTI) has additional steps for applying:

Your company must include other additional documents relevant for funding, economic, environmental and legal studies.

Apply