EUREKA — Hungarian Co-funding for International Industrial R&D Cooperation

NKFIH EUREKA Co-funding

Supports Hungarian participation in international collaborative initiatives including EUREKA and Eurostars.

The NKFIH EUREKA Co-funding program is Hungary's domestic funding mechanism for participation in EUREKA — the long-standing intergovernmental network for market-oriented industrial research, development, and innovation cooperation. NKFIH serves as Hungary's National Project Coordinator (NPC) within the EUREKA network and provides domestic co-financing for Hungarian participants in four EUREKA sub-programmes: Network Projects (bilateral and multilateral industrial R&D), Eurostars (for R&D-performing SMEs), Clusters (thematic technology platforms), and Globalstars (cooperation with non-European countries). The program has been a flagship of NKFIH's international cooperation portfolio for many years and remains active throughout 2026.

Eligible applicants are Hungarian legal entities — including for-profit companies, universities, research organizations, and non-profit institutions — that are accepted participants in an approved EUREKA consortium. The EUREKA process is inherently multi-party: Hungarian partners apply to both the EUREKA central coordination and to NKFIH for the domestic co-funding share simultaneously. The program operates on a rolling basis with multiple sub-call windows throughout the year tied to the cadences of each EUREKA sub-programme. Specific 2026 budget envelopes and co-funding rates by sub-instrument are not published in available sources.

EUREKA's stated purpose is to increase European competitiveness through international coordination of industrial and technological R&D, leading to innovative products, processes, or services with clear market orientation. This makes the instrument particularly relevant for Hungarian technology companies and research groups seeking to develop commercially deployable innovations through cross-border partnerships in fields such as manufacturing, medical devices, robotics, hardware, advanced materials, and energy. Teams should first secure a EUREKA consortium invitation or Eurostars approval before approaching NKFIH for the domestic co-funding component.