Product development grant Eurostars
Eurostars is an activity under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs within the European Horizon partnership. You can find more information about partnerships here. Within the Eurostars framework, we support international product development projects that have received a positive evaluation from the international innovation cooperation network Eureka. Eureka application rounds occur twice a year.
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The Lightweighting Call for Network Projects 2026 is an international Eureka collaboration call aims to fund research and development projects focused on lightweighting design. The objective is to stimulate the deployment, demonstration, and showcasing of advanced materials, innovative design methodologies, and digital solutions that seamlessly integrate lightweighting with circular value creation. More detailed information about the thematic call can be found here. The call opens on 6 May 2026, and the deadline for applications is 8 October 2026. Register for the information day on 21 May 2026 here. Find cooperation partners and register for the pitching session on 2 June 2026 here.
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Biotech Call for Network Projects 2026 is an international Eureka cooperation round aimed at promoting biotechnology research and development between participating countries. The round supports small-scale projects with a clear implementation plan that create mutual benefits for partners and strengthen international innovation cooperation. More information about the sectoral round can be found here. The call opens on 31st of March 2026, and the deadline for applications is 25th of September. A dedicated b2match virtual matchmaking platform is available for finding cooperation partners, exploring project collaboration opportunities and booking B2B meetings. Registration is available here.
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The 11th Eurostars 3 call for proposals will open on 09.07.2026 and the deadline for submitting applications is 10.09.2026 (14:00 Brussels time).
You can find advance information here. More detailed information about the conditions of the round will be forthcoming.
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Preliminary consultation are open. To register for a preliminary consultation, please fill out the “Preliminary consultation” form below.
Who is the main target of the grant?
- For small and medium-sized and large scale enterprises wishing to carry out a product development project with at least one partner from a Eurostars country.
- The Eurostars and biotechnology sectoral round project application is submitted jointly with partners on the Eurostars IT platform.
- The costs related to projects of companies that have received a positive decision in the Eureka Eurostars program and in sectoral round are funded by Enterprise Estonia.
- EIS only funds companies, not Estonian universities. Despite this, we encourage Estonian universities to participate in Eureka network activities with their own funds. EIS does not set any conditions for universities to participate in projects.
To receive EIS funding, a company that has received a positive decision must meet the following conditions:
- The company is registered in Estonia
- The company is not in difficulty
- The company has the necessary resources to cover the self-financing of the project
- The company has a significant impact on the Estonian economy
The following components are generally considered in terms of impact on the Estonian economy:
- Location of jobs
- Location of production
- Location of development activities
- Location of IO
- Location of sales revenue
In addition, we look at the overall picture, how the company’s economic activities and the added value generated by them are related to Estonia.
What is the grant for?
The support can be used for applied research, product development, and primary protection of intellectual property.
- salary (the salary of employees working in Estonia related to the project development work is supported)
- travel expenses
- providing services
- materials and supplies
- equipment use
- IO protection
What will change in my company?
Increased added value of the product
More international cooperation
Increased competitiveness
Eurostars project conditions
A joint application by project partners is submitted to the innovation cooperation network Eureka within the framework of the Eurostars program, which organises the evaluation of projects. Projects that receive a positive funding decision are financed by the home countries of the respective project partners.
Find the right partners:
To receive support, your company must have at least one business or product development partner from one of the countries participating in the Eurostars programme
Submit an application to Eureka
The application consists of:
- Project application (including an overview of the project, partners, work packages),
- Financial statements,
- Mandatory appendices declaring interest in participating in the project and the SME declaration,
- Optional appendices: technical appendix and Gantt chart. These aim to provide more information about the project application than the official application form allows.
- Submit a joint application with a partner on the Eureka Project Management Platform
Submit documents for compliance check
Please provide the Applicant’s annual balance sheet and income statement as of the quarter preceding the submission of the application or later for compliance verification.
Please indicate how the Applicant plans to cover its financing if there are no budgetary funds in the balance sheet.
In addition, the application submitted to Eureka with attachments as a .zip-file.
Evaluation of the application at Eureka
The entire application evaluation process can take up to 16 weeks.
The content of the application is evaluated by three experts and in the second stage by a panel of experts.
- Within one week after the application submission deadline, Eureka conducts a compliance assessment of Eurostars projects.
- Seven weeks after the application submission deadline, Eureka informs applicants whether their project has passed the first evaluation stage, including legal and financial capacity checks.
- 13 weeks after the application submission deadline, the Eureka Secretariat informs whether the project has met the threshold and is submitted to the funding agencies of the partner countries for approval.
Eureka confirmation
16 weeks after the application submission deadline, the Eureka Secretariat will announce whether the project will be funded, i.e. whether the partner countries are ready to finance the project partners.
Project funding
In Estonia, Enterprise Estonia organises the funding of Estonian companies that have received a positive decision in the Eurostars program.
If your application has received a positive funding decision, you can proceed to implement your project with your partners.
If the project is approved by Eureka, the lead partner must submit a signed consortium agreement to Eureka within 6 weeks.
- Once the project is approved by Eureka, we await the Estonian company’s funding application to Enterprise Estonia. All project partners receive funding from their home country.
- The exact conditions for funding are in the regulation of the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology “Supporting the international cooperation in research and development and innovation of enterprises.“
Reporting
Project interim reports must be submitted once every 6 calendar months.
The deadlines for submitting reports are in the funding decision.
The reports are submitted through the structural funds e-toetus environment.
Project stages
A joint application by project partners is submitted to the innovation cooperation network Eureka within the framework of the Eurostars program, which organises the evaluation of projects. Projects that receive a positive funding decision are financed by the home countries of the respective project partners.
Find the right partners:
To receive support, your company must have at least one business or product development partner from one of the countries participating in the Eurostars programme
The application consists of:
- Project application (including an overview of the project, partners, work packages),
- Financial statements,
- Mandatory appendices declaring interest in participating in the project and the SME declaration,
- Optional appendices: technical appendix and Gantt chart. These aim to provide more information about the project application than the official application form allows.
- Submit a joint application with a partner on the Eureka Project Management Platform
Please provide the Applicant’s annual balance sheet and income statement as of the quarter preceding the submission of the application or later for compliance verification.
Please indicate how the Applicant plans to cover its financing if there are no budgetary funds in the balance sheet.
In addition, the application submitted to Eureka with attachments as a .zip-file.
The entire application evaluation process can take up to 16 weeks.
The content of the application is evaluated by three experts and in the second stage by a panel of experts.
- Within one week after the application submission deadline, Eureka conducts a compliance assessment of Eurostars projects.
- Seven weeks after the application submission deadline, Eureka informs applicants whether their project has passed the first evaluation stage, including legal and financial capacity checks.
- 13 weeks after the application submission deadline, the Eureka Secretariat informs whether the project has met the threshold and is submitted to the funding agencies of the partner countries for approval.
16 weeks after the application submission deadline, the Eureka Secretariat will announce whether the project will be funded, i.e. whether the partner countries are ready to finance the project partners.
In Estonia, Enterprise Estonia organises the funding of Estonian companies that have received a positive decision in the Eurostars program.
If your application has received a positive funding decision, you can proceed to implement your project with your partners.
If the project is approved by Eureka, the lead partner must submit a signed consortium agreement to Eureka within 6 weeks.
- Once the project is approved by Eureka, we await the Estonian company’s funding application to Enterprise Estonia. All project partners receive funding from their home country.
- The exact conditions for funding are in the regulation of the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology “Supporting the international cooperation in research and development and innovation of enterprises.“
Project interim reports must be submitted once every 6 calendar months.
The deadlines for submitting reports are in the funding decision.
The reports are submitted through the structural funds e-toetus environment.
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Requirements for being notified about the grant
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