Eurostars 3 – SME funding programme launched
17th September 2021 — The go-ahead has been given for "Eurostars 3". The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has published the national announcement for the third programme phase from 2021 to 2027. Under the open-topic programme, the BMBF funds bi- and multilateral research and development projects of German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), universities and research institutions. As in the previous phases of the programme, the Ministry continues to rely on DLR-PT which supports Eurostars throughout the entire process: from the funding announcement, through advice for applicants, project support and monitoring, to administrative and financial processing.
"Eurostars has established itself as a successful funding programme," says Stefanie Bartels-Schmies, Head of the Department for the Promotion of Innovative SMEs at DLR-PT. "The new phase builds on the previous success. In Eurostars, the collaborative partners determine their own project content and which partners they work with. This flexibility is very attractive for SMEs and their research partners."
Eurostars – a successful funding programme for 13 years
SMEs and their innovations are key drivers of the economy and prosperity – in Germany, Europe and worldwide. This is precisely where the "Eurostars" funding programme comes in: it is aimed in particular at innovative SMEs and promotes their cross-border cooperation with partners from research and industry. Since 2008, Eurostars has been helping to strengthen the global competitiveness of SMEs and thus the European single market.
Under the umbrella of the EUREKA research network, more than 30 countries are participating in Eurostars 3. Project proposals can be submitted centrally to the EUREKA Secretariat on two deadlines per year. The first deadline under the new programme phase is the 4th November 2021. All details for participation in Eurostars 3 are regulated in the BMBF announcement and in the international call for proposals of the EUREKA network.
European and international research funding at DLR-PT
DLR-PT supports its clients at both European and international level. For example, it operates the EU Office of the BMBF as the central point of contact for all aspects of the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe, as well as the office of the German network of National Contact Points. As the International Office, the EUREKA Office and the COST Coordination Office, DLR-PT develops targeted funding measures for its clients, implements them and provides customised advice to those interested in funding on the opportunities of global networking and on bilateral and multilateral funding opportunities. In the International Service Facility framework contract, DLR-PT carries out measures for the European Commission to further internationalise research and innovation.