There is good news for small and medium tech-enterprises in need of funding for their innovative projects: the Eurostars Programme is announcing a final call for research and development (R&D) projects scheduled for early February 2021.
This funding programme offers non-reimbursable grants, specially designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). If you have an innovative technology but lack the financial support to continue your activities and bring the product to the market, this is a great opportunity.
What is Eurostars?
Eurostars was created to support the development of marketable innovative products, processes and services from all technology areas and market fields. The goal is to boost the growth and competitive advantage of European companies.
Even though the Eurostars programme aims at financing SMEs, other entities (such as large company, Universities, and research institutes) can also participate. The criteria can be summarised as follows:
- The project must be led by a research-performing SME.
- It must involve a minimum of two partners independent from each other and established in at least two different countries.
- The duration of the project must be of 3 years maximum.
This call is the final opportunity to submit projects under the Eurostars Programme under the current budget period but the program will likely continue.
Innovation is about satisfying needs and delivering benefits.
What does the Eurostars programme offer?
The programme is co-funded by national and regional bodies from 36 countries. It includes most of the EU Member States, along with other European countries such as Switzerland, and even some non-European countries like Israel, Canada and South Korea.
Each of the countries associated with the Eurostars programme has its own funding policy for SMEs and the other types of participants. However, the basic coverage is:
- A consortium total budget of EUR 0.5-1.5M for technology and product development
- SME funding rates of typically 50-60%
With a successful application in early February 2021, the project would start in summer or autumn 2021.
