Is your company developing a new product, process or service with a partner in another country? Eurostars Call 12 is one of the few EU-level funding schemes designed around innovative SMEs. Applications open on 17 December 2026.
What is Eurostars?
Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe. It supports international collaborative R&D and innovation projects in all technology and market areas. The aim is to develop solutions that can reach the market quickly.
Funding is not paid from one central budget. Each partner receives its grant from its own national or regional funding body, according to that country's rules.
Who can apply?
Your project must meet all of the following criteria:
• The consortium is led by an innovative SME from a Eurostars country
• It includes at least two independent organisations from at least two Eurostars countries
• At least one partner comes from an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe associated country
• SMEs from Eurostars countries cover at least 50% of the project costs, excluding subcontracting
• No single partner or country holds more than 70% of the budget
• The project lasts 36 months or less
• The project focuses only on civil applications
Large companies, universities and research organisations can also join as partners, depending on national funding rules.
Key dates
📅 Call opens: 17 December 2026
⏳ Deadline: 4 March 2027, 14:00 CET
📢 Funding decisions expected: mid-June 2027
Why act now?
Funding rates and maximum grant amounts are set by each country, and national information for Call 12 is still being confirmed. Some countries also add their own steps before the deadline. Strong Eurostars applications usually start with the right international partner and a clear plan for bringing the result to market. Both take time to put in place.
At Tiko Pro, we recommend starting with two questions. Is your innovation close enough to market? And which partner abroad brings what you are missing: technology, a test site or market access?
How Tiko Pro can help
We help companies check whether their idea fits Eurostars, find suitable international partners and prepare a competitive application.
👉 Read the full call details