In order to submit the full application, you must register on the Eurostars website here, and upload your proposal directly in the Eurostars application platform according to the joint Eurostars guidelines (www.eurostars-eureka.eu/home/guidelines) before 13th February, 2020.
However, in order to check the eligibility of your project and assist you with improving your application, we advise you to share a short description of your application with the Eurostars contact person in TÜBİTAK, IFD, RCN and VINNOVA. You can find the contact information in the final section
- First, it is recommended to use the European Enterprise Network (EEN) for partner search. You can find information EEN Denmark here, EEN Norway here, EEN Sweden here, EEN Turkey here.
- You can join the Linkedin Group which is created for this call. In this group you can get in contact with the interested partners and share your ideas.
- In case of Denmark it is recommended to contact the Danish Trade Council in Istanbul. Their staff have years of experience in identifying SME partners in Denmark and Turkey expecially within Clean Tech, Health, Food and ICT.
We are keen to facilitate collaboration between SMEs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. The funding comes from the respective national budgets for Eurostars. Full proposals submitted will compete against any other proposal submitted within the Eurostars programme.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Turkey will fund its eligible participants within the Eurostars framework, which means that funding conditions and eligibility criteria may vary.
Main aspects of the funding criteria:
Denmark, Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)
IFD can fund up to €300.000 to a Danish partner and up to €500.000 to all partners if there are more than one Danish partner in an application. Danish SMEs can only participate in one Eurostars application per call. If research institutions, large partners or other type of partners participate in a Eurostars project without a Danish research intensive SME their funding rate is halfed. Read more about the Danish funding rules here.
De minimis funding (Optional):
As an alternative to the above public investment under the GBER, Danish SME’s can choose to be financed according to The European Commission’s de minimis regulation. If the de minimis regulation is applied, the maximum investment for the SME in a three-year period is 200.000€ (app. DKK 1.5 mil). Under the de minimis regulation salary is calculated based on a fixed hourly rate of DKK 750 (app. 100€) per hour including overhead. Other costs are calculated as actual costs without overhead. IFD’s funding rates for de minimis are 60% for SMEs of the calculated cost for basis and industrial research and 33% for SMEs for experimental research activities.
Eurostars-2 Eligibility criteria
Applicants will be invited to present proposals according to the Eurostars criteria:
- The main applicant (the co-ordinator of the project) is a R&D performing SME.
- The consortium includes at least one Scandinavian and one Turkish organization.
- 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.
- The project demonstrates the contribution of the participants from both countries on an equal base, and the project is equally significant to all participants. One country cannot represent more than 75% of the project budget.
IFD’s Eligibility criteria
A Danish SME applying for Eurostars must have a turnover of at least DKK 2 mio. Or, in the preceding financial year, have attracted an investment of at least DKK 500.000 or have an equity of at least the same amount.
- Danish Start-up companies existing for less than 3 years, must document an ability to self fund their part of the project not including other public funded projects, but considering that they also have to fund their share of such projects. IFD strongly recommends all Danish SMEs to check their financial eligibility using the Eurostars financial viability checking tool here: https://viability.eurostars-eureka.eu/
- The SME definition follows the EU definition of SMEs and the state aid rules applies for the programme, including the definition of “an undertaking in difficulties”[1].
- Danish SMEs or “single undertakings” as defined in article 2.2 in the regulations for de minimis[2], can only participate in one Eurostars application per call.
- Partners funded by IFD must be registered as Danish legal entities, have economic activities in Denmark and the activities funded by IFD and EU must be conducted in Denmark. Subcontracting must be clearly described in the application and in the budget overview or approved (using the formal change request format) by IFD and the EUREKA secretariat if it is introduced after the approval of the project.
[1] Commission Regulation (EU) Nr. 6511/2014 of 17. June 2014, article 2, paragraph 18
[2] Commission Regulation (EU) No 1408/2013 of 18 December 2013
Export coaching from The Danish Trade Council in Istanbul: Export coaching is a free service for SMEs with little og no export experience. It consist of two modules,
- Coaching sessions in a regional growth center (Erhvervshus)
- 15 hours free export coatching offered by a Trade Council.
Read more about the “Export-sparring” here: www.um.dk
Funding to preparing the application: The Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education offer a EUopSTART grant to Danish participants in EU cofounded programmes like Eurostars. The EUopSTART grant can be used for internal payroll cost, travel and external costs used for preparing applications.
Danish partners in Eurostars applications can apply for up to 50% of their cost up to a maximum of 50.000 DKK and coordinators in a project can apply for 50% of their cost up to 75.000 DDK. Funding which cover external assistance may not amount to more than 70 % of the total grant, which is awarded by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education.
EUopSTART has 3 call dates per year. You can find more information on EUopSTART and the next call dates here: https://ufm.dk/forskning-og-innovation/tilskud-til-forskning-og-innovation/find-danske-tilskudsprogrammer/euopstart.
Eurostars projects are funded through the RCN. Norwegian partners should contact the the National Project Coordinator before they send in the application to get advise and information about national rules within Eurostars. When the evaluation is completed, and funding is confirmed, Norwegian participans that has to register national project details in the Research Councils database. You can read more on the RCN website
A maximum of NOK 6 million may be awarded to Norwegian participants per project.
Funding rates of VINNOVA are as follows:
- 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.
Eurostars projects are funded by TUBITAK – TEYDEB 1509 International Industrial R&D Funding Programme. Turkish companies must submit their 1509 applications just after and only ifthe Eurostars international evaluation is completed positively. Please read carefully the Implementation Rules of 1509 Programme. All the information regarding eligible organizations andeligible costs for funding, funding rates, etc. are stated in 1509 Implementation Rules. Please contact your National Project Coordinator before and after your Eurostars project application.
Denmark, Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)
Jens Peter Vittrup (National Project Coordinator for Eurostars)
Jens.peter.vittrup@innofond.dk
T +45 6190 5023
Danish Trade Council in Istanbul
Deniz Akkan, Senior Trade Manager (Healthcare and Food)
denakk@um.dk
T: + 90 212 359 19 11
Seda Kayrak, Senior Trade Manager (Energy & Environment)
sedkay@um.dk
T + 90 212 359 19 12
Norway, Research Council of Norway (RCN)
Inga E. Bruskeland (National Project Coordinator for Eurostars)
ieb@rcn.no
T +47 906 62 893
Ingun Rolfsrud (Eurostars Project Officer)
inr@rcn.no
T +47 976 93 693
Sweden, The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA)
Peter Lindberg (National Project Coordinator for EUREKA)
Peter.lindberg@vinnova.se
T +46 8 473 3193
Annie Lindmark (National Project Coordinator for Eurostars)
Annie.lindmark@vinnova.se
T +46 8 473 3095
Turkey, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK)
Elif DOĞAN-ARSLAN (National Project Coordinator for Eurostars)
eurostars@tubitak.gov.tr
T +90 312 298 14 16
