EUREKA Instruments [Network projects, European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars and Innowwide, Clusters]

EUREKA supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services across all technological sectors through collaborative Industrial Research or Experimental Development projects up to 36 months in duration involving partners from Malta and other EUREKA countries.  Further details are in EUREKA brief and Presentation. 

Participation in Network projects, European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars and Innowwide, Clusters amongst other EUREKA instruments raises participants’ international profiles through EUREKA label award, facilitates growth and access to finance for companies involved, offers high degree of flexibility and bottom-up approach to project generation with greater chance of project proposal success.

Malta participants in collaborative projects endorsed by EUREKA Network are supported through Research and Development incentive.  

EUREKA instruments have different requirements, evaluation parameters and processes applicable. 

National review of Malta participant involvement is carried out along with the evaluation processes at EUREKA level.

Contact National Project Coordinator on 22477624 or [email protected] for further assistance.

Network Projects

At least 1 independent participant from another EUREKA country is required to join Malta participant to form the Network project.

Malta accepts Network Projects applications on ongoing basis unless they form part of the multilateral call with a specified deadline.

Joint Network Project form to be filled in with the international partner/s is to be submitted to EUREKA network via EUREKA application portal.  

At the same time, Malta participant is to submit R&D National Application via Malta Enterprise client portal, which focuses on its activities within the envisaged joint endeavour.

European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars and Innowwide

Eurostars

Eurostars is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

The lead partner in European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars project should be an innovative SME with the ambition to collaborate on R&D and innovation with international partners, to develop new products, processes, and services for European and global markets.

To be innovative, SMEs do not need a proven track record of R&D activities, but have to comply with the EU law SME definition (EU recommendation 2003/361).

The organisations which are not eligible to receive public funding due to national rules and procedures still have the opportunity to participate in the project provided that they fully self-finance their part of the project.

European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars  https://eurekanetwork.org/programmes/eurostars/eligibility-criteria/ outline further criteria applicable to European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars projects.

The programme has two calls a year with application submission deadlines around March and September.

The process starts with the joint application to be filled in with the international partner/s via European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars web portal. 

Additional steps for Maltese Applicants that need to be completed in parallel with the Eurostars application.

Maltese participants must submit a request for funding to Malta Enterprise by creating a Eurostars Support Application on the Malta Enterprise client portal.  The portal may be accessed at http://clientportal.maltaenterprise.com. 

Applicants should ensure that their profile on the Malta Enterprise client portal is complete and includes an Enterprise Size Declaration based on the latest audited financial statement (which must reflect the latest fiscal year for which audited financial statements are expected to be published under national law).

Applicants that do not qualify as an education or research organisation must submit all the following documents through the Malta Enterprise client portal - these submissions should be made in parallel (at the same time) to the official Eurostars application.  If these documents are not received by Malta Enterprise, the project will not be considered for funding. 

• Financial Summary: This should be provided on Malta Enterprise's template and signed by a certified public accountant and a legal representative of the applicant.
• Last two Audited Financial Statements covering two of the 3 years immediately preceding the year of the application.
• Management accounts for the current year covering any complete quarter year and for the year preceding the year of the application unless audited accounts covering this year will be submitted.
• An Undertaking in Difficulty Test and Declaration (required if your company has been established for more than three years at the time of application). This form must be filled in online and compiled by a Certified Public Accountant registered with the Malta Accountancy Board. The information should be based on the latest financial statement. If the Undertaking in Difficulty form contains financial data for related entities and/or the Group, a copy of the financial statements referenced must be provided.
• A Business Plan is required if the applicant has been established in Malta for less than three (3) years or at the time of application employs less than five (5) FTEs. 
• The Incorporation Certificate and latest updated Memorandum and Articles of Association.
• A Tax Compliance Certificate (showing the applicant status in respect to tax obligations) issued not earlier than 2 months prior to the submission of the application.

All applicants (whether enterprises or education or research organisations) should provide supporting documentation confirming that the applicant has access to sufficient funds to part-finance the project.  This documentation must be submitted through the Malta Enterprise client portal and could include:

• Financial documentation (issued from a reputable third party such as a financial institution).  
• Documentary evidence for any funds already secured or committed from shareholders and third parties (e.g. financial institutions, investors, etc.).

Additional requirements for Maltese Applicants if project received a successful Eurostars evaluation.

When your project has received a successful Eurostars evaluation, Maltese participants will be granted access to a project funding template aligned to the national funding schemes.  The template will be made available through an online platform and will need to be completed directly on the online platform.  Once completed a signed copy should be uploaded via the Malta Enterprise client portal following the creation of a new application under the Research & Development Scheme.

Innowwide

Innowide is funded by the European Union as part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs.

It supports SMEs going global and encourages taking R&D to markets all over the world.

An innovative SME can choose a target region and country, find a local counterpart and apply to Innowwide for a grant of 60,000 euro to assess the viability of its research or commercial ambitions in international markets via a market feasibility project over a six-month period.

Eureka network runs this programme centrally through one call a year.

Clusters

These are industry led initiatives with a typical cluster project having numerous and diverse participants from 3-4 countries to develop technologies of key importance for European competitiveness. 

Clusters use dedicated websites, issue specific calls and organise information days to facilitate project preparation.

Applications with the international partners are to be submitted as per selected cluster requirements. 

Malta participants in EUREKA projects will also be guided re submission of R&D National Application via Malta Enterprise client portal, which focuses on their activities within the envisaged joint endeavour. 

For further details and forms applicable to Malta participants in Eureka projects on a national level refer Research and Development