Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.
To apply, you must fulfill seven 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 from one another.
- The project consortium is composed of entities from at least two participating countries with a minimum of one organisation from an EU or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
- The budget of the SMEs from the participating 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.
*We define an innovative SME as any SMEs with the ambition to collaborate on R&D and innovation with international partners to develop new products, processes and services for European and global markets. Innovative SMEs do not need to have a proven track record of R&D activities.
R&D: “Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.” (OECD Frascati Manual 2015, p. 44)
Innovation: “a new or improved product or process (or combination thereof) that differs significantly from the unit’s previous products or processes and that has been made available to potential users (product) or brought into use by the unit (process).” (OECD Oslo Manual 2018, p. 20)
**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. (As of 1 January 2024, entities established in the United Kingdom are considered to be established in a Horizon Europe Associated Country).
***Eurostars countries that are not a European Union Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country: Canada, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa and Switzerland.
***If justified, you may be permitted an extension after your project has started. This must be approved by the Independent Evaluation Panel, Eureka Secretariat and relevant national funding bodies.
Please read all our guidelines before submitting a project application. If you do not meet all our eligibility criteria, your application will be rejected.
National criteria
Vinnova has general terms and conditions and additional national criteria for projects to be eligible to receive Eurostars funding:
- Companies must have submitted at least two annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
- The company must be registered as a Swedish limited liability company.
- Companies must have a place of business in Sweden.
- Activities in the project must be conducted at the Swedish operating location and project costs must be borne by the operating location.
- Companies must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
Vinnova also assesses the organisational and financial status of organisations receiving funding using information from credit reports (at Dun & Bradstreet).
To receive funding:
- Organisations must not be insolvent, undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring.
- Organisations must also not have unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
- Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
Vinnova only checks the most recently registered annual report in its national criteria assessment. The financial control of the projects begins immediately after closure. It is not possible to update and supplement afterwards.
Additional information
Vinnova works for gender-equal social development and an inclusive innovation ecosystem. Therefore, Vinnova assesses and follows-up on whether both women and men are equally participating in the grant and project. Vinnova also wants to increase the participation of actors who have not applied for international funding before.
Applicants must also analyse and decide if there are sex and/or gender-related aspects relevant to the project’s problem area, solutions and utilisation. Addressing this question is mandatory for all applicants and forms a basis of the assessment process.
Additionally, applicants should have a prepared and published Gender Equality Plan (GEP) in accordance with Horizon Europe regulations.
The next steps
Read all our guidelines before submitting your project application.
Check your financial viability. Our tool indicates whether you have the financial capacity to support your costs in the project.
