Eureka is Europe’s oldest intergovernmental platform for market-oriented R&D. Polish companies that team up with at least one partner from another Eureka member can tap non-dilutive grants covering up to 65-80 % of eligible costs (SMEs at the upper band). For 2025 Poland will host:
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Poland Network-Project Call – opens 16 May 2025, deadline 17 Oct 2025
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Evergreen All-Year Network Project window (rolling submissions) Eureka
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Thematic calls such as Eurostars (deadline 13 Mar 2025) Eureka and Globalstars–Taiwan (deadline 29 Aug 2025) where Polish SMEs must lead Eureka
Funding flows through the NCBR (National Centre for Research & Development) and is fully compatible with Horizon Europe’s “synergies” mandate, which encourages stacking Eureka grants with EU instruments to maximise impact. Research and innovation
1. Enterprise Eligibility – Polish Lens
| Requirement | Polish Rule-of-Thumb |
|---|---|
| Legal seat | Applicant must be a company or RTO registered in Poland. |
| SME focus | SMEs receive the highest aid intensity (up to 80 % of R&D costs); large firms typically 50-65 %. |
| Consortium | ≥ 2 partners from ≥ 2 Eureka countries (one Polish, one foreign). |
| Civil purpose | Projects must pursue non-military, market-driven innovation. |
| Financial health | Show ability to co-finance uncovered costs; NCBR may request latest financials. |
| National compliance | Observe NCBR cost caps (e.g., personnel, subcontracting) and fill the parallel Polish e-application. |
2. Eureka Application Workflow
| Phase | Key Action | Polish Specifics |
|---|---|---|
| Consortium shaping | Agree IP & budget split; draft MoU | Polish SME leadership boosts evaluation in Globalstars |
| form submission | Upload Project Application on portal | Use templates; keep abstract < 500 words |
| National dossier | File NCBR on-line form + attachments (financials, letters, budget) | Email eureka@ncbr.gov.pl for some calls Eureka |
| Evaluation | experts (tech+market) + national evaluators | NCBR scores cost realism & alignment with Smart Specialisations |
| Grant agreement | National contracts signed Q4 2025–Q2 2026 (Poland 2025 call) Eureka | 10 % advance > milestone tranches |
3. Readiness Checklist
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□ Draft Consortium Agreement (roles, IP, cost share)
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□ Work-package matrix with KPIs & TRL targets
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□ Detailed budget in PLN and EUR, aligned with NCBR eligible categories
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□ Partner legal docs: KRS extract, VAT, financial statements
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□ Market analysis slide deck & exploitation route
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□ Risk register & mitigation plan
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□ Polish national annex forms + tax-clearance confirmation
4. Evaluation Hot-Buttons
| Success Factor | Typical Winning Signal |
|---|---|
| Technical novelty | > 30 % performance improvement vs. state-of-art; clear TRL lift (e.g., 5→7). |
| Market pull | LOIs from prospective customers/distributors. |
| Balanced consortium | Complementary roles, no partner > 70 % budget. |
| Budget credibility | CapEx justified with quotes; person-months match Gantt. |
| Socio-economic impact | Jobs in Poland, sustainability angle, digital transition. |
Frequent causes of rejection: vague commercial plan, cost items outside NCBR rules, missing Origin-of-Funds proof for self-finance, or scope drifting into defence.
5. Funding Mechanics & Timelines
| Item | Typical Range (PL SMEs) |
|---|---|
| Aid intensity | 65-80 % of eligible R&D costs |
| Project size | €0.3 m – €3 m total; Poland call has no hard cap |
| Payment cadence | 10-15 % advance → 6-12 m milestones → 10 % retention |
| 2025 key dates | 16 May call opens • 17 Oct deadline • Decisions Q1 2026 Eureka |
Special tracks: Eurostars favours R&D-performing SMEs (< €50 m turnover) and offers synchronised evaluation funded 50 % via Horizon Europe partnership.
6. Synergy with Horizon Europe
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Horizon Work-Programme explicitly urges applicants to “actively seek synergies” with national & Eureka funding to scale results. Research and innovation
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Eureka consortia can later pivot into EIC Accelerator or Horizon Cluster calls using validated prototypes, accelerating TRL 7→9.
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Costs already funded cannot be double-claimed—but follow-on pilots, scale-up or market-uptake actions are eligible.
Board-Level Takeaways
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Capital Efficiency: Up to 80 % non-dilutive funding plus Horizon leverage beats most equity alternatives.
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Time-to-Money: Poland’s 2025 decision window (Q1 2026) is shorter than many Horizon actions.
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Geo Hedge: Partner choice is flexible—combine German deep-tech with Nordic pilot customer to future-proof market entry.
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Strategic Fit: Position Eureka as the TRL 5-7 bridge; reserve EU or VC cash for commercial scale.
Personal View
Polish SMEs too often default to domestic Ścieżka SMART grants and overlook Eureka’s added value: foreign co-development plus quicker access to buyers in partner countries. My rule: if export sales are part of year-three forecasts, build an international R&D consortium now. The new rolling Network-Project window removes the “deadline anxiety,” but in practice May–Oct remains the sweet spot when evaluators’ budgets are fresh—aim there.
