Eurostars: 2026 call for projects

16 February 2026

Apply for a chance to lead international research and development projects with Eurostars funding from Innovate UK.

Support for international research and development

Eurostars is an international funding programme for collaborative research and development (R&D) projects led by innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The programme supports the creation of innovative products, processes, and services for commercialisation, enabling businesses to:

work with international partners on R&D
reduce the risk of their R&D
develop new business relationships
access international markets

Project partners are free to generate innovation in any technological areas and address any market areas. However, the project must have an exclusive focus on civil applications.

Eurostars funding

The amount of funding your business receives when you participate in a project is managed by a national funding body. This is Innovate UK for UK applications.

Funding rules vary from country to country and the national funding body decides:

which organisations can receive funding
which project activities can be funded
funding rates

Innovate UK has set the total budget for this Eurostars call as £2.5 million. UK SMEs can get up to 60% of their project costs as a grant. The maximum is €360,000 per project. If more than one UK SME joins, they share this amount.

Innovate UK does not fund large companies, universities and research organisations under this call. They can join projects but must fund their own participation.

Who can apply

National rules and procedures apply, as well as the general Eurostars eligibility and conditions.

General eligibility

Eurostars projects must be led by an SME or start-up from a Eurostars country or region, and the project consortium must also include at least one other independent organisation from another Eurostars country. Partners in the consortium can include any type of organisation. Projects must meet all seven general criteria to be eligible for Eurostars funding.

UK eligibility

Additional rules exist for UK applications:

Innovate UK only funds one live Eurostars project at a time. You must submit your end-of-project report before applying for the next call if you want funding.
Your business must be registered and active at Companies House for at least 12 months before the deadline. Dormant companies cannot get funding.
All UK project work and costs must take place in the UK. Labour costs must use PAYE. Overheads are capped at 20% of labour costs. You cannot claim contributions in kind. Subcontracts are limited to 20% of your eligible costs.
UK-led projects must be managed by an SME that carries out R&D. You cannot subcontract project management.
UK micro-entities need at least three full-time employees by the deadline.

See UK-specific Eurostars information. Other partners in the project must meet their own national rules.