Eureka Eurostars call between Finland South Korea and Sweden

Call description

The Republic of Korea, Finland, and Sweden actively participating in Eurostars2 jointly announce a Promotional Call for Project Ideas within the Eurostars2 programme. The main objective of this call is to stimulate the generation of Eurostars projects. The call focuses on developing innovative products, applications, and services with strong market potential. 

Key dates

• Opening of the Call: The 1st of April 2019
• Brokerage Events:
  • EUREKA Global Innovation Summit in Manchester (The UK): 14th-16th of May 2019
• Submission of Project Outlines:
  • For Eurostars 2019 cut-off 12 free until 15th of June 2019, earlier dates recommended.
• National comments to submitted Project Outlines are given within 4 weeks from submission

Special focus

Although Eurostars2 calls are open for projects within all technology areas, this promotional call especially focuses on:

• Smart Mobility
• Smart Industry
• Circular Economy
• Smart Health
• Smart Energy

Eligibility criteria

Applicants will be invited to present proposals according to the Eurostars criteria:

• The main applicant (the coordinator of the project) is a R&D performing SME.
• The project consortium should consist of at least 2 partners from two different countries.
• The lead organization of the consortium must be an R&D performing SME. Other SMEs, large enterprises and research institutes/universities are welcome to participate as additional participants or subcontractors.
• At least 50% (excluding subcontracting costs) of the project must be performed by the participating R&D performing SME(s)
• Industrial and innovation actors from other countries may also participate, as long as they are funded through their own national (Eurostars) schemes or participate with own resources.
• One country or one partner cannot represent more than 75% of the project budget. 

The proposals will be submitted to Eurostars in September 2019. The national funding bodies KIAT, Vinnova, and Business Finland will give their comments to the applicants if they present a Project Outline during 2019 (phase 1).

Submission and approval procedure

Project Outline commented [Phase1 – optional]
In order to check the eligibility of your project and to assist you with improving your application, we advise you to share a short description of your application, using the project outline form, with the Eurostars contact persons from the Republic of Korea (KIAT), Finland (Business Finland), and Sweden (VINNOVA). The project consortium shall decide who will be the main partner, and the main partner sends the joint project outline to the national Eurostars contacts at KIAT, Vinnova and Business Finland.

The project outlines are received until the 15th of June 2019 or 31st of December 2019, but applicants are invited to submit the project outlines as early as possible. The applicants will get within 4 weeks feedback from their national organisation. This feedback is meant to improve the chances in the Eurostars Call.

Project outline form

Full Eurostars application [Phase2] 
In order to submit the full application, you must register on the Eurostars website and upload your proposal directly in the Eurostars application platform, latest on the 12th September 2019 at 20:00 CET. (Or, you can delay your application to the next cut-off date in February 2020.)

The Eurostars application is submitted by the main partner on behalf of the consortium. The application shall be evaluated in the general Eurostars evaluation, independently from the project outline comments given by KIAT, VINNOVA or Business Finland.

Eurostars application form

Funding details

We are keen to facilitate collaboration between SMEs in the Republic of Korea, Finland and Sweden, but there is no specific budget dedicated to this. The funding comes from the respective national budgets for Eurostars. Full proposals submitted will compete against any other proposal submitted within the Eurostars programme.

The Republic of Korea, Finland and Sweden will fund its eligible participants within the Eurostars framework. The funding conditions and eligibility criteria are those each country has declared for Eurostars projects. Here are the main aspects of the funding criteria:

The Republic of Korea

Every consortium should include at least 1 SME or Mid-tier company which has been in operation more than 1 year and received corporate R&D center accreditation by the government.

Project funding is comprised of government contributions and civilian dues (cash and in-kind). The amount of government contributions will vary depending on the type of executing organizations and project in accordance with Article 24 (Funding criteria) and Article 25 (Civilian dues) of the Common Operational Regulations for the Industrial Technology Innovation Programs. A party that participates in a project shall carry out its project using the government contributions allocated to it, and for-profit organizations shall individual bear the cash portion of civilian dues

Funding

Share of government contributions in executing organisation’s project budget:

• Large company: 33% or less
• Mid-tier company: 50% or less
• SME: 67% or less
• Other: 100% or less

Share of cash in executing organisation’s civilian dues

• Large company: 60% or more
• Mid-tier company: 50% or more
• SME: 40% or more
• Other: To be borne if necessary

Finland

Business Finland encourages Finnish SMEs and Midcap companies to internationalisation and growth. This is the driver for Business Finland’s participation in Eurostars. Finnish participants have to contribute to that goal directly or indirectly in order to be eligible partners. For Finnish partners in Eurostars this national rule of funding only growth companies is applied.

The Finnish participant organisation will have to justify its financial situation and strategic position with adequate documents. Before contract the organisation will have to give a project plan describing its own work as part of the Eurostars project, to be attached to the contract.

Funding

R&D performing SME

• 50% of eligible costs

R&D performing Midcap enterprise

• 40% of eligible costs 
• Midcap = large company with less than 300M€ turnover

Other R&D performing organinsation

• 40% of eligible costs
• 60 000€ Maximum financial support

University and Research Institute

• 60% of eligible costs 
• 60 000€ – 120 000€ Maximum financial support
• 120.000€ max is applied when 2 Finnish R&D performing SMEs participate, 60.000€ max if 1 or none.

Sweden

• SME 50%
• LARGE COMPANY 30%
• UNIVERSITIES 70%
• RESEARCH ORGANISATION 70%

Maximum joint funding to all Swedish partners in a project is SEK 5,000,000 if a Swedish SME participates and SEK 2,000,000 if no Swedish SME participates.

A participating SME has to verify that their financial situation, in terms of equity or annual turnover, is equal to at least half of the requested project funding.