A guide covering what Eurostars is, who it is for, what UK applicants need to know, and some of the things to check before committing time to an application.
Eurostars Call 11 is now open, creating a new opportunity for innovative SMEs looking to develop international research and development projects.
Following the launch webinar, we have pulled together the key points businesses should consider before deciding whether to apply. For the right project, Eurostars can be a valuable route to international collaboration, but it is important to understand the fit, the rules and the practical requirements before committing time to an application.
What is Eurostars?
Eurostars was first launched in 2008 and is now in its third phase, Eurostars-3. This latest opportunity is Call 11 within that phase. It forms part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.
Run by the Eureka Network, Eurostars supports international R&D projects led by innovative SMEs. The project can sit in almost any technology or market area, as long as it is innovative, collaborative and has real commercial potential.
For SMEs looking for international expertise, specialist partners or access to new markets, Eurostars can be a useful funding route to explore.
For UK applicants, the national funding agency for this call is Innovate UK.
Who is Eurostars for?
Eurostars is for ambitious SMEs with an idea that needs the right international partners to help bring it to life.
It is best suited to businesses developing something new, improved or technically challenging, with a clear route to market. The project should have strong commercial potential and a good reason for being delivered through international collaboration, rather than by one organisation working alone.
Projects are usually expected to reach the market within two years of completion, although biomedical and medical projects may have different expectations. They often involve around three to four participants, with an average total project cost of around €1.4 million.
For UK applicants, Innovate UK funding is available to eligible SMEs only. The UK budget for Call 11 is £3.5 million, with SMEs able to receive up to 60% of project costs and a maximum grant of €360,000 per project. If there is more than one UK partner, this amount is shared.
Large companies, universities and research organisations can participate, but would need to self-fund. UK applicants also need to check the national rules carefully, including Companies House registration, PAYE labour costs, subcontracting limits, project activity taking place in the UK, and the rule that Innovate UK will only fund one live Eurostars project at a time.
Before applying
Before putting time into a Eurostars application, it is worth stepping back and asking whether the call is the right fit.
The project needs to be genuinely innovative. It should involve research and development, not just routine product improvement, and there should be a clear commercial opportunity beyond the funded project.
It is also important to be clear on why the project needs international partners. Eurostars is built around collaboration, so applicants need to show what each partner brings and why the project would be stronger with them involved. That could be technical expertise, market knowledge, testing capability, customer access or a route into another country.
The national rules also need checking early. A partner may be able to join the project, but that does not always mean they can receive funding. Funding rates, eligible costs and national requirements vary between countries, so these checks should happen before the consortium, budget and work packages are finalised.
The budget needs careful thought too. Eurostars has rules around how costs are shared between partners and countries, so the budget needs to support the project properly and not just reflect what each partner would like to claim.
Finally, applicants should think early about the wider impact of the project, including SDGs, gender dimension, GEDSI, ethics and AI where relevant. These are not just sections to fill in at the end. They can affect how the project is designed, tested and taken to market.
Responsible innovation: SDGs, gender dimension, GEDSI, ethics and AI
One point that came through clearly for Eurostars is the emphasis on responsible innovation. Eurostars applications are not only about the technology. Applicants also need to show they have thought about the wider impact of the project and how it will be developed responsibly.
This might include linking the project to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals, considering who benefits from the innovation, and whether anyone could be excluded. It also means thinking about gender dimension and GEDSI: Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion, where relevant.
Ethics should be considered early too. Depending on the project, this could include personal data, trials with users, consent, environmental impact, security, dual-use risks or emerging technologies.
For projects involving AI, applicants should explain how it will be developed, tested and governed, including issues such as data quality, bias, transparency, human oversight, privacy and cybersecurity.
These points do not need to make the project sound perfect. They need to show that the consortium has thought carefully about the risks, responsibilities and potential impact of the work.
Things to watch out for
Funding availability
The first thing to check is whether each partner can actually receive funding. Eligibility and funding are not the same thing. Some countries or regions may be able to take part in Eurostars Call 11, but may not have funding available for this call. Brussels, Cyprus, Italy and Israel were all flagged as having no allocated budget, so partners from those locations would need to consider self-funding or alternative funding routes.
UK eligibility
For UK applicants, Innovate UK funding is only available to eligible SMEs under this call. Large companies, universities and research organisations can participate, but would need to self-fund. UK funded participants must also meet the national rules, including being active companies registered at Companies House for at least 12 months before the deadline. UK micro entities must have at least three full-time employees by the deadline.
Consortium and budget balance
The next thing to look at is the consortium and budget split. Eurostars has rules around how costs are shared between partners and countries, and budget balance is a common reason projects fail eligibility. One partner or one country cannot dominate the project. Legal and financial checks also matter, as one partner failing these checks can affect the whole application.
Partner admin
There are some practical admin points to deal with early. Only the lead organisation can start the application on the Eureka platform, and the lead needs to coordinate partner inputs, budgets, roles and final submission. PIC numbers, mandatory forms, annexes and national eligibility checks can all take longer than expected.
Application quality and timing
Finally, the application needs to tell one clear project story. It cannot simply be split between partners and stitched together at the last minute. Call 11 also has new word limits, so old templates may not be reliable. With evaluation taking around three months, applicants also need to think beyond the submission deadline and plan for what happens next.
How Revolution9 can help
Eurostars can be a strong opportunity, but it is not always easy to know whether a call is the right fit. There are eligibility rules to check, partners to bring together, budgets to shape and a clear project story to build.
At Revolution9, we help businesses make sense of funding opportunities and decide where to focus their time. We can help you understand the call, check the fit, spot issues early and shape your idea into a stronger application.
If you are thinking about Eurostars Call 11 and are not sure where to start, contact us and we can help you explore the opportunity.