Funding

EUROSTARS-3

Eurostars is a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission, co-funded from the national budgets of 37 Eurostars Participating States and Partner Countries and by the European Union. It aims to bring increased value to the economy, higher growth and more job opportunities. Eurostars is a funding instrument that supports innovative SMEs and project partners (large companies, universities, research organisations and other types of organisations) by funding international collaborative R&D and innovation projects. By participating, organisations can access public funding for international collaborative R&D projects in all fields. Eurostars is the largest international funding programme for SMEs wishing to collaborate on R&D projects that create innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation. Your consortium must spotlight an innovative SME as the main project participant.

Funding Name: Eurostars
Funding Organization: Eureka
Amount of funding per project: €500K per partner (varies per country)
Funding versus total project costs: 35-45% of total project costs (varies per country)
Funding type: Subsidy
Close date: 2 deadlines/year (March 13, 2025 and September 2025 – specific date still unknown)
Duration of eligible projects: 36 months
Evaluation results expected: Q2 2025

Scope and Eligibility criteria:
– Programme supporting R&D performing SMEs and their partners
– The development of new products, processes, and services
– The budget (excluding subcontracting) of the R&D-performing SME is equal to at least 50.00% of the total project budget
– At least 2 different partners from 2 different Eurostars countries
– No organization can be responsible for more than 75% of the total project budget.
– No participants from a given country may be responsible for more than 75% of the total project budget
– The project must be completed in 36M or fewer and the market introduction (or the start of clinical trials for life sciences projects) is planned to occur within 24M of the project’s completion
– Two application submission deadlines annually
To qualify as an innovative SME in the leading role, an organization must first comply with the EC definition of an SME. In addition, it must also meet the thresholds for dedicated R&D FTEs or turnover set by EUREKA. This and all other eligibility criteria are described in detail in the Guidelines. An explanation of the eligibility criteria imposed by the programme and the method of calculation are provided in detail in the Eligibility Guidelines.

Procedure and application process: For more information click here.

EIC TRANSITION OPEN

EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory. It supports both the maturation and validation of your novel technology from the lab to the relevant application environments (by making use of prototyping, formulation, models, user testing or other validation tests) as well as explorations and development of a sustainable business case and business model towards commercialisation into high potential markets.

Funding Name: EIC Transition
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: Up to €2.5M (total budget €98M)
Funding versus total project costs: 100% of eligible costs 
Close date: September 17, 2025
Duration of eligible projects: 3 years
Evaluation results expected: 5 months

Scope: EIC Transition projects should address, in a balanced way, both technology and market/business development, possibly including iterative learning processes based on early customer or user feedback. These activities should include, subject to the level of maturity of the technology, a suitable mix of technology development and validation activities to increase the maturity of the technology beyond proof of concept to viable demonstrators of the technology in the intended field of application (i.e., from minimum TRL 3 or TRL 4 up to Technology Readiness Level 5 to 6).
Your proposal must build on results already achieved within an eligible project that are, at least, at experimental proof of concept (TRL 3) or, ideally, technology validated in the lab level (TRL 4). Proposals building on project results at TRLs other than TRL3 or TRL4 are not eligible.
EIC Transition is restricted to proposals based on results generated by the following eligible projects:
– EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under the Horizon 2020 EIC pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open, FET-Proactive, CSA and CSA Lump sum FET Innovation Launchpad, and FET Flagships calls)
– European Research Council Proof of Concept projects funded Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe.
– Research and Innovation Actions directly 38funded under Horizon 2020 Societal challenges and Leadership in Industrial Technologies and under Horizon Europe pillar II, with an eligible TRL.
– European Defence Fund (EDF), including the Preparatory Action on Defence Research, research projects, but only for proposals which are focused on civil applications (including dual use).

Eligibility criteria: You can apply for EIC Transition either as:
– A single legal entity established in a Member State or an Associated Country (‘mono-beneficiary’) if you are a start-up, SME or research performing organisation (university, research or technology organization)
– A small consortium of two independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries, or
– A consortium of minimum three and maximum five independent legal entities.
If you are applying on the basis of an eligible project for which the grant is still active, you may apply if the project has been active for at least 12 months (i.e., the start date of the grant is more than 12 months before the date of the selected EIC Transition call cut-off).
If you are applying on the basis of an eligible project which has already been completed, you may apply within 30 months of the completion of the project (i.e. the end date of the grant for the eligible project is less than 30 months from the date of the selected EIC Transition cut-off).

Procedure and application process: For more information on procedures click here.

EIC Accelerator OPEN

The EIC Accelerator supports high-risk, high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises and innovators to help them develop and bring onto the market new innovative products, services and business models that could drive economic growth. The EIC Accelerator supports the later stages of technology development as well as scale up. The technology component of your innovation must therefore have been tested and validated in a laboratory and other relevant environment (e.g.,at least Technology Readiness Level 5). The EIC Accelerator looks to support companies where the EIC support will act as a catalyst to crowd in other investors necessary for the scale up of the innovation.
Selected companies receive funding and optional equity, and are offered business coaching and mentoring services to scale up their innovation idea. In addition, they receive acceleration services to connect with investors, corporates and likeminded entrepreneurs.

Funding Name: EIC Accelerator
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: € 0.5-2.5M (+€0.5-15M equity)
Funding versus total project costs: 70% of eligible costs (grant part)
Close date: Deadline 2025: March 12 and October 1
Duration of eligible projects: 12-24 months (maximum)
Evaluation results expected: 6-8 weeks later (for 2nd and 3rd phase)

Scope: The EIC Accelerator helps you develop your business concept further into a market-ready product, service or process aligned with your company’s growth strategy. Activities could, for example, include trials, prototyping, validation, demonstration and testing in real-world conditions, and market replication. If the activity concerns a primarily technological innovation, a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6-8 is envisaged for projects requesting grants-only. Projects are able to receive between € 0.5 and € 2.5 million in the form of grants. They can request a higher or lower amount when applying if justified accordingly. Projects should normally take 12 to 24 months to complete but could be longer in exceptional and well-justified cases.
Since 5 June 2019 the EIC Accelerator offers blended finance in the form of an optional investment in equity in addition to the grant, to single for-profit SMEs. Grants will finance activities from TRL 6-8. Activities above TRL 8 will be funded through equity. The equity part is optionable when applying for the EIC Accelerator. The maximum of investment in the form of equity is € 15 million.
The EIC Accelerator provides:
a) grant component only (‘Grant Only’) that will take the form of a lump sum contribution via a grant agreement. Grant only shall be provided only once to any legal entity for the duration of the Horizon Europe programme (2021- 27).
b) blended finance support which is composed of:
– An investment component usually in the form of direct equity or quasi-equity such as convertible loans via an investment agreement.
– A grant component, that will take the form of a lump sum contribution via a grant agreement.
c) investment component only (Equity-Only) support to non-bankable SMEs, including start-ups, which have already received an eligible grant support, via an investment agreement.

Eligibility criteria: The EIC Accelerator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) with radically new ideas underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with ambitions to scale up. It targets for-profit SMEs only, including young companies and start-ups, from any sector – there are no set topics. The EIC Accelerator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) with radically new ideas underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with ambitions to scale up. It targets for-profit SMEs only, including young companies and start-ups, from any sector – there are no set topics.
To be an eligible applicant to EIC Accelerator, you must apply as one of the following eligible entities:
– a single company classified as a SME, and established within a Member State or an Associated Country; or
– a single company classified as a small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established in a Member State or an Associated Country, but only for exceptional cases for rapid scale up purposes; or
– one or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities.
Large corporates, research centers or scientists cannot apply directly but they can participate in projects as subcontractors or third parties and don’t need to be established in an EU Member State or associated country.

Procedure and application process: For more information on procedures click here
The application process consists of a number of steps:
1. Short proposals which may be submitted at any time and which will be evaluated remotely by EIC expert evaluators on a first come, first served basis;
2. If successful, you will be invited to prepare a full proposal, where you will have access to support from EIC business coaches to develop your business plan;
3. Full proposals will first be assessed remotely by EIC expert evaluators. If successful, you will be invited to an interview with an EIC jury as the final step in the selection process;
4. If selected for (potential)funding, you will be invited to negotiate a grant agreement for the requested grant component (if you have applied for it) and to start the due diligence for the investment component (if you have applied for it).

EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up Call

The EIC STEP Scale Up call presents a unique opportunity for ambitious scale up companies (SMEs and small mid-caps) with game-changing innovations in Europe’s critical technology areas. It offers a powerful combination of financial and strategic support designed to propel your groundbreaking solution to the forefront of these sectors. The companies selected under the EIC STEP Scale Up call can receive investments ranging from EUR 10 to EUR 30 million. This investment is designed to catalyse major funding rounds, e.g. in the range of EUR 50 to 150 million, and at least 3-5 times the EIC investment.

Funding Name: EIC STEP Scale Up (€300M)
Funding Organization: European Commission
Amount of funding per project: € 10M-20M 
Funding versus total project costs: Equity
Close date: Open application

Scope: Managed by the EIC Fund, the STEP Scale Up scheme aims to bridge the funding gap for high-risk innovations that cannot be fully financed by other investors.
Scope of the innovation:

Digital and Deep Tech: Includes semiconductor, AI, quantum, advanced connectivity, sensing, robotics, and autonomous systems.
Clean Technologies: Focus on net-zero solutions like solar, wind, battery storage, geothermal, hydrogen, biogas, carbon capture, nuclear, and circular economy.
Biotechnologies: Includes critical medicines, DNA/RNA, proteins, cell engineering, gene vectors, bioinformatics, and nanobiotechnology.

Eligibility criteria:

– A single SME or small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established within a Member State or an Associated Country.
– An investor may submit a proposal on behalf of an eligible SME or small mid-cap as defined above.
Note: This scheme targets companies seeking major funding rounds, requiring proof of initial market interest from a qualified investor covering at least 20% of the total target funding round.

Procedure and application process: For more information click here.

Submission of the application:
-a full business plan, including information on the company’s ownership and financial structure, STEP related objectives (maximum 50 pages)
-a pitch-deck in PDF (15 pages maximum)
-a pre-commitment from a qualified investor
-an ownership control declaration.
If your application meets the eligibility requirements, you will be invited to attend a jury interview. You will be informed about the interview in 4-6 weeks from the start of the evaluation process.
EIC Jury interview: At the interview, you will be assessed by a Jury of maximum six members. You will be informed about the result of the interview in 2 weeks from the date of the interview.

CARB-X

Accelerating global antibacterial innovation – Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is a global non-profit partnership accelerating antibacterial products to address drug-resistant bacteria, a leading cause of death around the world. The CARB-X portfolio is the world’s most scientifically diverse, early development pipeline of new antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics and other products. CARB-X is the only global partnership that integrates solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections, translating innovation from basic research to first-in-human clinical trials.

Funding Name: CARB-X
Funding Organization: CARB-X
Amount of funding per project: Total budget €480M
Funding versus total project costs: Unspecified 
Close date: Unspecified
Duration of eligible projects: Unspecified 
Evaluation results expected: Unspecified 

Scope: The CARB-X 2024 funding round has four distinct themes.
1. Therapeutics for infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens: The scope is restricted to direct-acting small-molecule therapeutics (or small molecules that can be used in combination with an existing drug that can restore the potency of that drug to clinically useful levels in an in vitro MIC assay by inhibition of a specific resistance mechanism). Molecules with properties that will deliver an IV route with an oral stepdown are preferred.
2. Prevention of invasive diseases: Novel approaches to prevention of invasive disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli are sought. Given the history of challenges in drug development in this arena, modalities other than vaccines are preferred; however, if a vaccine is proposed, a novel aspect (e.g. adjuvant strategy or vaccine composition) that makes a compelling case must be underscored.
3. Diagnostics for neonatal sepsis: Consistent with our “Aligned by Design” strategy, we seek diagnostics to support the growing portfolio of potential maternal vaccines to prevent neonatal sepsis. Products focused on rapid triage, bacterial identification and/or antibiotic susceptibility testing are sought. Time-to-result and cost-of-goods are key criteria, and small-sample volumes are critical for this patient population. Pathogen ID and AST Products must focus on priority pathogens, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii.
4. Proof-of-concept for alternative sample types for diagnosing lower-respiratory-tract infections: Consistent with our “Aligned by Design” strategy, we seek diagnostics to support the many therapeutic projects focused on lower-respiratory-tract infections (LRTI). Owing to the challenges with BAL samples, as a first step, projects that can demonstrate proof-of-concept data with alternative sample types are sought.

Eligibility:
Expressions of Interest (EOI) for all four themes may be submitted from 23 September 2024 at 10:00 ET to 4 October 2024 at 23:59 ET. In the EOI, you will be asked to answer a series of questions about your proposed project and will be given the opportunity to share pertinent, non-confidential details, in free text. Your application will be judged on the merits of its scientific content; describe your science with as much data as possible. Please do provide sufficient data to allow a knowledgeable scientist to get a reasonable sense of the therapeutic/preventative/diagnostic. Do not provide other manuscripts, references, citations or similar. Note that the form can only accept text; you may  not enter tables or graphics. Do not include foundational information regarding the significance of antibiotic resistance; this is not necessary, as the reviewers understand this.

Procedure and application process: For more information click here.

BARDA

Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, was established to aid in securing our nation from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, as well as from pandemic influenza (PI) and emerging infectious diseases (EID). BARDA supports the transition of medical countermeasures such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics from research through advanced development towards consideration for approval by the FDA and inclusion into the Strategic National Stockpile. BARDA will draw on its extensive experience of successfully advancing promising medical countermeasures through late-stage development and provide $30 million during the project’s first year and up to $250 million during the five-year program.

Funding Name: Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Funding Organization: BARDA
Amount of funding per project: € No maximum
Funding versus total project costs: 100%
Close date: None
Duration of eligible projects: Up to 5 years
Evaluation results expected: Unspecified 

Scope: Due to the COVID-19 response, any white papers or full proposal submissions, other than those that are in support of COVID-19, will be put into a queue. Once the response to COVID-19 has subsided, we will resume normal review of submissions for other research areas of interest. BARDA will not be able to meet the timelines highlighted in the Broad Agency Announcement.
COVID-19 response related Areas of Interest includes:
• AOI 7.7.1 Diagnostic Assay for Human Coronaviruses
• AOI 7.7.2 Diagnostic Assay for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus
• AOI 7.7.3 Diagnostic Assay for Detection of COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibodies
• AOI 7.7.5 Screening Tests at Point of Care (2-minute Time to Result)
• AOI 9.2 COVID-19 Therapeutics
• AOI 17 Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

Eligibility:
Applicants can be from any country.
Applicants may include single entities or teams from private sector organizations, government laboratories, and academic institutions.

Procedure and application process: For more information click here.