1. What is Eurostars?
Eurostars is the largest international funding program for small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to collaborate on research and development (R&D) projects that create innovative products, processes or services for commercialization. Eurostars is co‑funded from the national budgets of over 35 countries and by the European Union. Individual countries provide funding to participants based on their national funding rules and procedures.
Canadian SME participants in Eurostars projects receive advisory services and funding support through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.
2. Funding eligibility criteria for Canadian SMEs
To be eligible for funding, a participating Canadian SME must:
- meet the Eurostars rules and call criteria
- be an incorporated, profit‑oriented small or medium‑sized business in Canada
- have 500 or fewer full‑time equivalent employees
- have been in operation for a minimum of 12 months prior to the Eurostars call application deadline
- pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology‑driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
- have a differentiated and protectable technology
- have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a multi‑year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
- register with NRC IRAP prior to the submission of the Eurostars application (see registration instructions below)
- must be eligible for funding as NRC IRAP clients
- Canadian SMEs who are not yet NRC IRAP clients (i.e. have not received NRC IRAP funding in the past), must register at least 4 weeks before the Eurostars application deadline in order to review their eligibility for NRC IRAP funding with an NRC IRAP representative. (see Registration instructions below)
Participating Canadian SMEs are not eligible to receive NRC IRAP funding if they:
- have previously received funding from NRC IRAP but did not make a substantial effort to leverage their R&D results, and/or
- are currently receiving funding from NRC IRAP and have not yet exploited their R&D results
NRC IRAP funding for an international project is typically restricted to Canadian SMEs that have at least 15 full time equivalent employees and at least $500,000 CAD in annual revenue.
3. How to apply
Canadian SME applicants interested in participating in a Eurostars project must first register with NRC IRAP priorto the submission of the Eurostars application. See registration instructions below.
For an application to be considered complete, applicants will be asked to submit:
- Eurostars application – to be completed jointly by all project participants
- NRC IRAP project proposal – to be completed by each individual Canadian SME seeking NRC IRAP funding support.
4. Registration
To register with NRC IRAP please use the register button below and follow the prompts.
5. Contact
Mr. Eric Holdrinet
Canada's Eurostars National Project Coordinator (NPC)
Telephone: 514‑882‑9384
Email: Eric.Holdrinet@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca