Eurostars: fund your international R&D collaboration.
Eurostars co-funds market-driven R&D run by innovative SMEs with partners in other Eurostars countries, paid through your own national funding body.
International R&D, funded nationally
Eurostars 3 is part of the Eureka network and co-funded by Horizon Europe. It supports innovative SMEs running collaborative R&D with partners abroad, in any civilian field.
Each partner is funded by its own national body under national rules. In Germany that means roughly 50%, up to €500k per partner. See who qualifies further down.
What makes a valid Eurostars project
Three structural rules shape every consortium, get them right and the rest is about the science and the market.
SME-led consortium
An innovative SME from a Eurostars country leads, with at least one independent partner abroad.
Balanced budget
No single partner or country may hold more than 70% of the budget; SMEs carry ≥50%.
Market-driven R&D
Up to prototype (≈TRL 6), with market launch targeted within ~2 years of completion.
Eligibility, partner by partner
Eurostars has seven formal criteria; these are the ones that decide whether your consortium is valid.
The consortium leader is an SME based in a Eurostars country.
From at least two different Eurostars countries; partners must be independent of one another.
SMEs from Eurostars countries carry ≥50% of costs; no single partner or country above 70%.
Any field, but with a clear route to market within ~2 years of project end.
| Partner type (Germany) | Funding | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Innovative SME | ~50% of eligible costs | up to €500k / partner |
| University / research institute | up to 100% | only if a German SME also takes part |
| Large company | participates, no national funding (DE) | — |
German national rules via DLR Projektträger; rates and caps vary by country. Eligible costs run up to a prototype (≈TRL 6); later market-readiness costs are not covered.
One application, dozens of countries
Eurostars is bottom-up and fast, you define the project and partners, and the evaluation is quick.
37+ countries
Partner with companies and institutes across the Eurostars countries.
Any civilian field
Your consortium defines the project, there are no predefined topics.
~3 months
A rapid, transparent central evaluation after each cut-off.
Four things the evaluators look for
Get these right and your application stands out in a competitive, bottom-up field.
A genuine technological step beyond the current state of the art.
A credible route to market within roughly two years of project end.
Complementary, balanced partners with the capacity to deliver.
Realistic milestones and risks, with a balanced cost split across partners.
One project, funded nationally
Eurostars is a synchronised programme: the consortium is one project, but each partner is paid by its own country.
Funded nationally
Each partner is funded by its own country's programme, towards one shared, synchronised project.
~50%
German partners are funded by the national programme (BMBF, via DLR-PT) at the national rate.
Your German share
Amounts we quote are the German partner's funded portion, not the whole consortium budget.
What makes a valid consortium
Get these four right and the rest of the application follows.
Two or more partners from at least two different Eurostars member countries.
An innovative SME leads the consortium and carries the core of the project.
No single partner or country may account for more than 70% of the project budget.
Projects run up to three years, with the product to market within about two years of completion.
One application, five clear steps
Eurostars is deliberately simple and fast: a single joint proposal, one evaluation, then national funding decisions.
One application
Submit a single joint proposal through the Eurostars portal.
Eligibility check
Central and national checks confirm the consortium is valid.
International review
Independent experts score every proposal on one common scale.
Ranking
Projects are ranked; the cut-off's budget funds down the list.
National funding
Each partner signs with its own agency, in Germany the BMBF via DLR-PT.
Typically one cut-off a year, with results in roughly three to four months, so a fundable project can move quickly from idea to grant.
What the German partner can fund
Your eligible costs follow the national rules, and the national rate is applied on top of them.
The project team's time, the core of most Eurostars budgets.
Defined work bought in from third parties where you cannot do it in-house.
The depreciation of equipment used for the project over its lifetime.
Materials, travel and consumables, plus an indirect-cost flat rate per the national rules.
Eurostars next to the alternatives
For an SME with a cross-border project, Eurostars is usually the lightest, fastest door. Here is how it sits against the bigger EU instruments.
| Eurostars 3 | EIC Accelerator | Horizon IA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | SME-led cross-border R&D | Single deep-tech scale-up | Large collaborative innovation |
| Partners | 2+, from 2 countries | Single company | 3+, from 3 countries |
| German share | ~50%, funded nationally | Grant + equity | 70–100% |
| Style | Bottom-up, fast | High bar, multi-stage | Top-down, by call topic |
See if your project fits Eurostars
Tell us about your project. A funding advisor reviews your case by hand, then either comes back with feedback or a few follow-up questions. No obligation.
- Whether Eurostars is the right fit
- A first read on the funding amount
- What to prepare before you apply
From first call to funding
Four steps. You stay focused on the work; we handle the funding end to end, on a success-based fee.
Eligibility check
We review your project against the programme's criteria, confirm it qualifies and give you a realistic figure before you commit any time.
Application
You tell us what you are working on; we build the application, write the technical case and manage the entire submission for you.
Submission & review
We file with the responsible authority in your name and handle every query through to the funding decision.
Funding
Once approved, we prepare the required reporting so the funding is released to you, accurately documented and on time.
Eurostars 3 in practice
Real projects we have taken through Eurostars 3, from first scoping to the funding decision. Anonymised, figures as orders of magnitude.
Industries we fund
We've secured German and EU funding across the innovation economy. If you're doing genuine development, your field almost certainly fits.
Eurostars guides
Long-form explainers from our knowledge hub, for teams who want the detail before they talk to us.
Eurostars vs EIC vs Horizon
Which European route fits your project and team.
Read more →GuideBuilding a winning consortium
Finding and balancing the right international partners.
Read more →GuideGerman funding rules (DLR)
Rates, caps and who can receive money in Germany.
Read more →GuideEligible costs up to TRL 6
What Eurostars pays for, and what it does not.
Read more →GuideEurostars vs EIC vs Horizon
Which European route fits your project and team.
Read more →GuideBuilding a winning consortium
Finding and balancing the right international partners.
Read more →GuideGerman funding rules (DLR)
Rates, caps and who can receive money in Germany.
Read more →GuideEligible costs up to TRL 6
What Eurostars pays for, and what it does not.
Read more →Eurostars questions, answered
The essentials on who qualifies, what is covered and how much.
Innovative SMEs leading a consortium with at least one partner in another Eurostars country.
Set nationally, in Germany about 50%, up to €500k per partner; most SMEs receive €300–400k.
Yes, at least two independent partners from two different Eurostars countries.
Up to 36 months, with market launch targeted within ~2 years of completion.
There are two cut-off rounds each year.
Ask us anything
Tell us about your project and we'll assess your case by hand. No prep, no obligation. Prefer to talk?