Discover the Eureka program with Leyton! In this series of monthly videos, our consultant team will help you discover specific government grants available in Canada, and share key details.
For this episode, our Senior Government Grants Consultant, Antoine Giroir, will go through the EUREKA program, and explain how this program can help you access resources in Europe and take your innovation international.
This video has been recorded in English.
Examples of topics covered:
- What is the Eureka Program?
- The components of the grants and the funding available
- Eligibility for the program
- And more!
What is the Eureka Program?
Started in 1985, the EUREKA initiative first objective is to support SMEs in their cross-border Research and Development (R&D) projects and in the strengthening of international business relationship.
Eligibility
To be labelled and receive a grant under this program, projects must:
- – include independent partners from at least two member countries,
- – have as objective a technological innovation leading to a never before seen market ready product, process or service.
Which makes Canadian entities eligible to participate in international collaboration on their R&D projects with European partners. If your are any kind of Canadian-based entity and currently seeking funding for an R&D project, your first point of contact is the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).
Funding
Funding for the Eureka program is provided by NRC-IRAP within its technology innovation projects and youth employment program. Moreover, the NRC’s international programs can help you connect with strategic partners in new markets and thus create opportunities to penetrate new global value chains.
Mitacs also builds domestic and international partnerships with universities, large companies, governments and other organizations as they also seek to support innovative projects that generate social and economic benefits for the country.
The NRC and Mitacs both support Canadian organizations interested in international collaboration giving them access to expertise, networks and opportunities for European cooperation. So far, the Eureka program allowed more than 500 Canadian SMEs to work on various projects in over 30 countries.
Within the framework of Eureka, the Canadian government funds and actively participates in four branches so Canadian SMEs can:
- Access European Clusters
With approximately 300 clusters spread across all European countries and in all sectors of activity clusters are building dynamic bridges between European business and research ecosystems while they are also setting up international partnerships and thus help Canadian SMEs access global value chains.
EUREKA clusters are long-term industrial projects, it involves many participants and aim to develop the most essential technologies for the development of innovation by sectors. Each cluster draws up a technological “roadmap” defining its main strategic areas so a wide variety of SMEs can participate.
- Access the EUROSTARS Program
The EUROSTARS program supports innovative SMEs involved in European collaborative projects. The SME must be the project’s leader as Eurostar primarily targets companies that make significant investments in R&D while undertaking a “bottom-up” approach: all technological fields, products, processes and services can be involved, provided they are clearly market-oriented, with a maximum development phase of 3 years and commercialization within 2 years at the end of the project.
The calls are continuously open.
- Apply to Globalstars funding
Globalstars is a funding program with calls for projects (sometimes thematic) designed to ease collaboration with organisations working in a range of leading and emerging markets. With this network already extending far beyond European borders, Globalstars unlocks for Canadian SMEs the possibility of creating or joining a consortium with partners from anywhere in the world. To see current Globalstars open calls you must have a look at their portal or contact the NRC to see what international opportunities are available at the moment.
- Join the Network Projects program
A flexible program for R&D projects with any technological focus. You can propose or join a project at any time or take part in their regular calls for tenders. The Network projects program gives you the freedom to: define your R&D goals in any technological field, your target market and to select the optimum partners for your project idea. However, the project should at least have objectives aligned with the program, such objectives can be listed as follow:
- – Increase your rate of innovation and the probability of a successful outcome
- – Share resources, expertise and risks with partner organisations to achieve your R&D goals
- – Reduce time to market
- – Enter new markets
With a simple application process, low administrative burden and minimal reporting required, you can invest more of your time into optimizing your R&D processes.
Want to apply?
It has never been easier for a Canadian SME to join a public network of 45 countries, the world’s biggest international cooperation hub in R&D and innovation.
At Leyton, our grants consultants can help you complete and optimize your program application and keep you up to date with the latest grants news and updates, all while you remain focused on your business.
If you wish to learn more information about this grant and how we can help you apply for it, contact one of our experts today!
About our Senior Government Grant Consultant, Antoine Giroir
Antoine Giroir has a master’s in International Relations with experience in European project management and proposal writing. He has worked with researchers and entrepreneurs on various topics, from sustainable development to oncology targeting, in the European Union, the United States of America, and the People’s Republic of China. He is now helping Leyton’s clients leverage public funding (federal and provincial) to achieve their objectives while lowering the financial risks.
