EUREKA

What it is

EUREKA is the world’s largest intergovernmental network of states supporting scientific research, development and innovation. Founded in 1985 by 18 countries and the European Commission, this network of ministries and agencies from 47 participating countries offers companies, universities and research institutes financial support, expertise and room to grow their business.

The network’s purpose is to raise the productivity and competitiveness of industry by funding and supporting international research and development projects driven by real market needs. The focus is on fostering excellence in innovation, economic development, job creation and competitiveness.

The network operates through several programmes:

• Network Projects — calls for collaborative R&D projects between organisations from the participating countries.
• Clusters — industry communities, built around strategic research and innovation agendas developed independently by the Clusters themselves.
• Eurostars — the international funding programme for collaborative R&D projects led by innovative small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Globalstars — projects between companies in the Eureka network countries and major and emerging markets outside it.

Albania has been a member of EUREKA since 2021 and takes part in the Network Projects and Investment Readiness programmes. The National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation is the national funding and support authority.

Who can apply

Businesses — small, medium and large — universities and research institutions in the Republic of Albania, as part of an international consortium.

The consortium must include partners from at least two participating countries in the call, of which at least one from the Western Balkans. Under Eureka’s conditions for collaborative projects, the consortium must contain a minimum of two participating institutions, with a focus on including businesses. Partners from other countries in the network or outside it may also take part, provided their public funding or self-financing is secured within the deadline of the call.

What it funds

Each national funding authority covers the costs of its own partners, under its own national rules. There is no common fund.

Under the Eureka LinkUp 2025 call — in which Albania, Austria, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye took part — NASRI covered 80% of the costs for small business, universities and research institutions; 75% for medium-sized business; and 65% for large business. For that call Albania allocated €200,000 per year, with a limit of €50,000 per year per project.

Under the Eureka Network Projects 2024 call, projects ran for up to 36 months.

The coverage rates, the budget limits and the duration are set for each call and vary from one to the next.

The application process

1. Contact NASRI as national funding authority, to discuss the project idea, its financial feasibility, eligibility and the national procedures.
2. Create an account on Eureka’s online application portal — one account per consortium — and choose the funding opportunity you wish to apply to.
3. Complete the consortium application form, in English, and invite the other partners to complete the partner form.

After the deadline closes, applications go through an eligibility check, national evaluation by each funding authority, the authorities’ consensus meeting and the Eureka labelling procedure, which precedes the funding decision. Funding is awarded to projects that receive a positive assessment from all the relevant national funding authorities.

While the call is open, the national authorities and the Eureka Secretariat hold information webinars. NASRI promotes the calls through its official website, its communication channels and information days.