Eureka / Eurostars-3 — Portuguese national funding seed
Funds Portuguese participation in European technology collaboration platforms to strengthen real-world implementation.
Eureka and Eurostars-3 are international market-oriented R&D collaboration networks through which Portuguese participants receive national co-financing administered by ANI — Agência Nacional de Inovação — via the PT2030 SIID Internationalization Notice. Eureka, founded in 1985, covers 45+ countries and supports company-led R&D consortia across all technology sectors; Eurostars-3 is its SME-focused sub-program, covering 37+ countries including non-EU members such as South Africa, Canada, South Korea, and Singapore. Applications consist of two parallel submissions: to the international Eureka or Eurostars call for pan-European approval, and to the Portuguese SIID Notice via COMPETE2030 for domestic co-financing of the Portuguese partner's costs.
Portuguese funding eligibility is limited to SMEs, small mid-caps, and non-business research entities (ENESIIs); large companies are excluded from the national funding layer. Multiple sub-calls operate per year under distinct tracks: Eurostars cut-off rounds, Eureka SMART calls, CELTIC-Next (ICT focus), and Innowwide (innovation deployment). Observed 2025 deadlines included Eurostars Call 8 (March 13, 2025), SMART Call 8 (April 10, 2025), CELTIC-Next (April 25, 2025), and Innowwide Call 4 (November 25, 2025); 2026 and 2027 cut-offs follow the same cadence and are published on the Eureka network website.
For Portuguese SMEs and research entities seeking to scale technology internationally, Eureka and Eurostars provide a structured pathway to multi-country R&D consortia with co-financing from both the EU-funded SIID mechanism and partner-country national agencies. The two-layer application process requires careful timeline coordination: the international consortium must be constituted and the joint application submitted to the Eureka network before or concurrent with the national SIID submission.
Co-finances Portuguese SMEs and research entities participating in Eureka and Eurostars-3 international R&D consortia through the PT2030 SIID national funding route.
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