Innovation Programmes
Transnational Eureka lightweighting call for projects
The national funding bodies (NFBs) from Austria, Belgium (Flanders & Wallonia), Chile, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Türkiye, and Ukraine have allocated funding for organisations collaborating on international R&D projects in the field of lightweighting.
You can submit your R&D project application concerning Lightweighting for this call for projects between 15 May 2024 and 23 October 2025 17:00 CEST. Your project consortium must include organisations based in a minimum of two of the countries/regions listed in this call.
Countries
About this call
Areas funded
This project call is for R&D projects within lightweighting technologies.
Lightweighting technology is a key enabling technology to reduce weight, save materials, and improve functionality while maintaining or enhancing performance. Smart lightweight design, advanced materials, and optimised manufacturing processes are crucial parameters. Digital solutions for calculation models, production processes, and performance evaluation are essential tools for driving innovation in lightweighting. Lightweighting technology provides environmentally friendly solutions while simultaneously adding commercial value across multiple industries.
Effects targeted by lightweighting technologies include:
- Optimisation of resource and energy efficiency
Smart lightweight design helps to reduce material and energy consumption during the manufacturing and use phase of new materials and products. Increasing the duration of use and lifespan of lightweight materials and products by wear reduction, slowing down the aging process, and improving material fatigue contributes to resource and energy efficiency. Structural health monitoring of existing and new components indicates when repair or replacement is necessary, further contributing to resource efficiency. The use of simulations, virtual models (digital twin), intelligent process control (machine learning), and automation allows predictive manufacturing, reductions in time-to-market, processing times, and material waste from substandard products, significantly reducing environmental impact and CO2 emissions. - Maximising efficiency and performance
Lightweighting enables not only weight reduction, but also optimised material use and structural principles for maximum efficiency and performance. The challenge is to develop and implement advanced lightweighting technologies that enable load-optimised material usage while maintaining or improving functionality. This requires integrating digital solutions such as simulations, virtual models (digital twins), and intelligent process control to enhance flexibility and adaptability in lightweight design. Modern manufacturing methods, including additive manufacturing, open new possibilities for application-specific production. To fully unlock the potential of lightweighting, innovative approaches in material selection, shaping, and production must be explored to create economic value. - Bolstering lightweight advancements in mobility and integration in more areas
The mobility sector remains a core focus for lightweighting advancements due to its high potential for efficiency gains and environmental impact reduction. Further improvements in lightweight materials, structures, and manufacturing techniques are essential for achieving enhanced fuel efficiency and sustainability in automotive, aerospace, railway, and maritime applications. At the same time, expanding lightweight solutions beyond mobility to other sectors can unlock additional benefits. Standardisation of new lightweight materials, technologies, measuring and testing methods, the development of digital twins, interconnected production processes, and accessible databases on lightweight materials encourage the transfer and development of new lightweight technologies across industries.
Relevant industry sectors include (but are not limited to):
Regardless of national priorities, all sectors with a need for lightweighting technologies are welcome, including but not limited to automotive, railway, aerospace, space, maritime, mechanical engineering, energy, construction, infrastructure, health, farming, and forestry, etc.
Call-relevant lightweighting technologies to be researched and developed include (but are not limited to):
Optimisation of lightweight design approaches
- Topology optimisation considering load paths and lightweight design
- Advanced simulation approaches
- Hybrid lightweight construction
- Functional integration
- Smart/intelligent components
- Condition monitoring
Novel lightweight materials including optimised manufacturing
- Advanced material research for enhanced lightweight performance
- Hard coatings and technologies enabling a lifetime expansion
- Process automation
- Simulations and virtual models (digital twin)
- Intelligent process control (machine learning)
- Standardisation of new lightweight materials and technologies
- Standardisation of measuring and testing methods
- Development of accessible databases on lightweight materials
Recycling of lightweight materials
- Increasing the use of secondary materials
- Technologies for disjoining
- Technologies for traceability of chemical compositions
Joining technology
- Smart adhesives
- Pre-treatment of surfaces
- New joining technologies
- Development of new welding consumables and solders for special metal mixing combinations
- Development of joining processes for high-strength and low-ductile lightweight materials or mixed connections made of metal-plastic fiber composites
Additive manufacturing
- Multi-material solutions optimised for lightweight applications
- Development of in-situ quality measurement methods
- Optimisation of build-job planning for high productivity
- Manufacturing of thin structures
- Reducing required support structures for overhangs
- Manufacturing of structural parts
- Optimising processes for manufacturing large components
- Development of standardised processing language for different additive manufacturing machines
- Quality assurance through sensing, data acquisition, processing, and machine learning
Digitalisation
- Simulations and virtual models for lightweight products/technologies (digital twin)
- Intelligent process control (machine learning)
- Development of standardised processing language for different manufacturing machines
- Coordination with European activities regarding Industry 4.0 (Gaia-X, Catena-X, etc.)
- Structural Health Monitoring of existing and new components
Basic project requirements
Your project should:
- offer relevant contributions to the above-mentioned scope of the call,
- address at least one of the fields mentioned in the call description and
- focus on experimental development (TRL 4-6) thus demonstrating the potential to research or develop a product, process or service for commercialisation.
For further requirements, please check the section on “Eligibility”.
Timeline
- 2 April 2025: Announcement of the call
- 15 May 2025: Call for projects opens
- 23 October 2025: Call for projects deadline
- December 2025 to March 2026: Eureka label and funding decisions
- February to June 2026: Projects can start
Who can apply for this call
Eureka has limited eligibility criteria for organisations participating in a Network projects consortium:
- Your project idea must represent international cooperation in the form of a specific project.
- The project must be directed at researching or developing an innovative product, process, or service with the goal of commercialisation.
- The project must have a civilian purpose.
- Your consortium should include at least two independent legal entities from a minimum of two Eureka countries supporting the call.
- No single organisation or country can be responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.
This call for projects has additional criteria for organisations to be eligible to receive funding:
- The project must benefit all involved partners.
- The project should have an obvious benefit and added value resulting from the technological cooperation between the participants from the different countries (e.g. increased knowledge base, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure etc.).
- The product or process must be innovative and with the potential to create impact.
- The maximum duration of a project may not exceed 36 months.
- A signed consortium agreement is required upon approval, before the actual start of the project. It should include, amongst others, the ownership and use of know-how and IPR settlements
Country information
Austria 🇦🇹
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Grant of up to 80% for small companies, up to 70% for medium sized companies, up to 55% for large companies and up to 85% for research institutions.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Austria
In addition to the Eureka project application, Austrian participants must submit a national project application via e-Call at the FFG webpage (https://ecall.ffg.at/) before 24 October 2025 12:00 CEST. The national application must include the Eureka project proposal and a national project proposal. The evaluation of the national project application in Austria is carried out by external experts.
Belgium (Flanders) 🇧🇪
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Companies based in Flanders can apply for grant funding via a development project and receive up to 60% of the eligible project costs, to a maximum of €500,000 per project. Staff and other costs can be funded with a 25% to 60% subsidy of the project budget, with a minimum budget equivalent to support of €25,000.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Belgium (Flanders)
In addition to the centrally submitted Eureka Project Application Form, partners from Flanders need to submit an application to VLAIO, including a project plan and budget. We invite Flemish partners to contact us for a pre-check of their project ideas and get support by our team VLAIO advisors. The deadline for submission the VLAIO application 23 October 2025 17:00 Brussels time.
Belgium (Wallonia) 🇧🇪
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Funding is granted in the form of a grant with a funding rate ranging from 40% to 80% of the budget of each Walloon company. The funding rate depends on the size of the Walloon company, the consortium composition at regional and international level and whether the project activities fall into the category of industrial research or experimental development. Subcontracting to research organisations is allowed for up to 20% of the total company budget.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Belgium (Wallonia)
Applicants in Wallonia (Belgium) must submit their regional application (in French) to SPW Research via the ONTIME portal (https://recherche-technologie.wallonie.be/ontime) before 23 October 2025 17:00 Brussels time.
Please consult recherche.wallonie.be/eureka for further information on eligibility criteria and evaluation/selection procedures.
A preliminary contact with the Walloon Eureka team is highly recommended.
Chile 🇨🇱
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Funding is available for Chilean companies on an open budget basis through a matching grant of a maximum of approximately €214,000 (CLP$220 million) per project, which varies according to company size: 40% for large companies, 60% for medium companies, and 80% for small companies. An extra 10% funding is available for female-led companies. Companies must be at least 24 months old. Universities and research centres are not eligible to receive funding directly from CORFO, but they can participate as project collaborators.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Chile
The application process for this call for proposals has two phases: Phase 1: International, where projects applications are submitted through the Eureka System; and Phase 2: National Funding, where Chilean companies with projects regarded as eligible in Phase 1 apply for funding to Corfo.
Corfo will review project applications submitted through the Eureka system (Phase 1) and decide about eligible projects allowed to apply to national funding through the “Crea y Valida – Eureka” programme. Only companies that are selected and allowed to move to Phase 2 can apply to national funding from Corfo.
Additionally, Chilean companies must complete a project outline, work plan, and budget, within the same deadline of the international application.
France 🇫🇷
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Funding in the form of loan or reimbursable advance from €50,000 and up to €3 million:
- up to 80% of eligible costs for SMEs
- up to 40% for companies with up to 2,000 full-time employees
There is no direct funding for universities or research institutions (either self-funded or as subcontractors). Large companies with more than 2,000 full-time equivalent employees are not eligible for public funding.
In order to check their eligibility, French participants must contact their Bpifrance chargé d’affaires innovation, cc international.innoproject@bpifrance.fr, prior to applying. Then the national funding application must be submitted using the Bpifrance En Ligne platform before 6 November 2025. The Bpifrance en Ligne account will be opened with the help of the chargé d’affaires innovation.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from France
In order to check their eligibility, French participants must contact their Bpifrance chargé d’affaires innovation, cc international.innoproject@bpifrance.fr, prior to applying. Then, the national funding application must be submitted on Bpifrance En Ligne platform before 6 November 2025. The Bpifrance en Ligne account will be opened with the help of the chargé d’affaires innovation.
Germany 🇩🇪
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German partners can choose from existing national programmes to finance their share of the project.
For most SMEs, the “Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand” (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is the recommended option. German research institutes/universities can participate as additional partners according to the ZIM rules or the rules of another selected programme.
Other funding programmes may be used if ZIM eligibility requirements are not met. For more information, please contact the German Eureka office.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Germany
In addition to the Eureka application, German partners aiming to receive funding must apply through their chosen national funding programme. The respective national rules apply in each case.
For ZIM applications
Detailed criteria are available on the ZIM website (in German). Applications must comply with ZIM guidelines and be written in German. In order to assess the eligibility of your project idea for ZIM, please submit a project outline as described here.
Lithuania 🇱🇹
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Type of funding: Grant
Call for projects budget: €1 million
The Research Council of Lithuania funds projects led by research institutions with at least one Lithuanian industrial partner (SME). The call for projects budget is up to €1 million. The budget per project is up to €300,000.
Funding rates can reach up to 100% for research institutions and up to 80% for industrial partners (depending on their size).
For more information, please contact the Lithuanian NPC.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Lithuania
Lithuanian applicants must first submit their international Eureka project application (in English), on the Eureka Smart Simple system. During the national call Lithuanian participants must submit a national project application (in Lithuanian) to the Research Council of Lithuania, along with the international Eureka project application and other documents specified in the national Rules. The project applications will be evaluated by national R&D experts of RCL. The evaluation for funding, which includes financial and legal eligibility as well as compliance with state aid rules is conducted by another state agency.
Poland 🇵🇱
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To be eligible for NCBR support, a Polish applicant must
- be a Poland-based business, of any size
- be a research and knowledge disseminating organisation
Only Polish micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply individually. While universities, research institutions and large enterprises are eligible for funding and may lead Polish domestic consortia, the presence of a Polish SME is obligatory in such a consortium. NCBR can fund a proportion of industrial research and development works project costs. This proportion depends on the size of your business and will be described in detail in the national rules.
- Micro or small enterprises can be funded up to 80% for industrial research and up to 70% for development works.
- Medium-sized enterprises can be funded up to 80% for industrial research and up to 60% for development works.
- Large enterprises can be funded up to 75% for industrial research and up to 50% for development works.
- Research-performing and/or knowledge-disseminating organisations can be funded up to 100% for industrial research or development works.
Please note that NCBR’s maximum total project grant to Polish applicants is no larger than PLN 2 million, with no more than PLN 1 million per partner.
As explained above, large enterprises as well as research and knowledge disseminating organisations can be leaders or partners on the project but cannot apply individually.
Eligibility of the costs and funding rates can be found at: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/platforma-konkursowa#/ncbr?sort=announcementDate,desc¤tPage=0&limit=10
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Poland
In addition to the SmartSimple form, Polish applicants will be requested to submit their domestic application with relevant attachments, as per the information available at https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/platforma-konkursowa#/ncbr?sort=announcementDate,desc¤tPage=0&limit=10 from the evening of 16 May 2025 onwards.
Portugal 🇵🇹
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- ANI covers up to a maximum of 80% of project costs for SMEs and small mid-cap companies and 85% of project costs for research institutions and other non- entrepreneurial entities from the research and innovation system (ENESII).
- For investments located at NUT II Lisboa, the maximum co-funding rate is 40% of eligible costs.
The exact funding percentage depends on the company size, consortium collaboration, dissemination of project results and whether your project activities fall into the category of industrial research or experimental development.
For more information, please contact the Portuguese NPC.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Portugal
Portuguese funding body, the Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI), funds R&D costs for SMEs and small mid-cap companies, R&D centres and academia. Large companies are not eligible for funding.
For more information, please contact the Portuguese NPC.
Slovakia 🇸🇰
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Slovak participants can obtain co-funding up to 80% of eligible costs for small companies / up to 75% for medium-sized companies / up to 65% for large companies / universities a research organisations up to 100%. There is a maximum co-funding up to €150,000 for 36 months.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Slovakia
The participant must send information about the technological area of the project to the national project coordinator. The national System and code list of science and technology area website: https://www.minedu.sk/sustava-a-ciselnik-odborov-vedy-a-techniky/
South Korea 🇰🇷
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Type of funding: Grant
Call for projects budget: €1 million
Organisations can receive a grant of up to 500 million South Korean won (approximately €370,000) per year, and the project period should be up to 3 years.
SMEs can receive up to 67% of project costs, mid-tier companies can receive up to 50% of project costs, large companies can receive up to 33% of project costs and universities and research organisations can receive up to 100% of project costs.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from South Korea
The national application must include the Eureka project application and a national project proposal. (Please refer to the national call text for the additional document on https://kiat.or.kr)
National project applications must be submitted online via the Korean application system (www.k-pass.kr)
Spain 🇪🇸
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Main features of the funding for Spanish companies are: Soft loan up to 85% of eligible costs (Euribor 1 year interest fee) Minimum budget €175,000 (no maximum budget). Long recovery period (10 or 15 years) where 22.5% of the eligible costs do not have to be repaid.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Spain
In Spain the participants will have also to submit a formal R&D international project aid application through CDTI’s website (https://sede.cdti.gob.es/) by the deadline of this call including the Eureka Application form (in English) and a draft consortium agreement (optional at this stage, but a signed consortium agreement must be signed and provided prior to obtaining the Eureka label endorsement). Additional documents in Spanish language, containing detailed information on the Spanish participants, could be requested depending on the specific type of funding requested by the company. If the application is not submitted in time by the deadline of this call for project, the international project could be rejected.
CDTI will check the eligibility of the Spanish applicants after receiving the international application. If it is eligible, funding applications will be generated by CDTI to each Spanish company. Those funding applications must be completed and submitted by them. Deadline to reply is approximately one month after the deadline of the call. If the funding applications are not submitted in time, the international project could be rejected.
Türkiye 🇹🇷
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Type of funding: Grant
Call for projects budget: €2.5 million
The TÜBİTAK 1719 – EUREKA NETWORK 2025 LIGHTWEIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES CALL will be followed at the national level under the 1719 – EUREKA Network Calls framework. Capital companies, higher education institutions, public research centers and institutes, training and research hospitals, and other eligible organisations can participate as project partners.
Under this call, SMEs are supported at a rate of 75%, large-scale companies at 60%, and public institutions, foundation universities, training and research hospitals, as well as public research centers and institutes at 100%.
For projects applying to this call, the total project budget for Turkish project partners cannot exceed €500,000. The budget for institutions other than capital companies can be at most 50% of the total project budget and cannot exceed €250,000 in total. Additionally, institutions other than capital companies are not eligible to apply alone.
Applicants must follow the national call, consider the specified deadlines and rules, and ensure compliance with the requirements.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Türkiye
Within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1719 – Eureka Network 2025 Lightweighting Technologies Call, which is a national call, applicants must submit a national application, as the evaluation process is conducted at the national level. Failure to do so will result in the project being deemed ineligible. Additionally, higher education institutions, public research centers and institutes, education and research hospitals, and research infrastructures covered by Law No. 6550 are not eligible to apply independently. Applications from these institutions are only accepted if they partner with at least one capital company, and the lead organisation (applicant organisation) must be a capital company.
Applicants must also follow the national application deadlines and conditions to ensure compliance. For further information regarding the financing of Turkish participants, please contact TÜBİTAK directly. Detailed information can also be accessed here, and the national rules and conditions will be published on the TÜBİTAK TEYDEB 1719 Calls page at https://tubitak.gov.tr/tr/destekler/sanayi/uluslararasi-ortakli-destek-programlari/1719-eureka-network-cagrilari.
Ukraine 🇺🇦
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Funding body: Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
Ukrainian research institutions and higher education institutions are eligible to receive grants of up to 199,000 UAH (according to the exchange rate applicable at that time, now approximately €4,400) per year for a project duration of up to 3 years. It is recommended to include a Ukrainian SME as part of the consortium.
Additional evaluation steps for applications from Ukraine
Alongside the Eureka project application, Ukrainian participants should submit a national project application. This national submission must include a Ukrainian-language version of the Eureka project proposal, along with a detailed project plan and budget.
For full details on national funding rules and eligibility criteria, please contact the Ukrainian NPC.
Application process
How to apply for this call
- Contact your national funding body to discuss your project idea, financial viability, eligibility and national procedures.
- Create an account on our application portal https://eureka.smartsimple.ie/ (one per consortium) and select the funding opportunity you want to apply to.
- Using the portal, complete one application form per consortium (in English) and invite other consortium partners to fill in a partner form.
- Upload a GANTT chart (one per consortium), a signed and completed co-signature form (which you can download from the platform) and any additional required annexes.
- Your application will be checked for completeness and eligibility before being reviewed using a standard evaluation procedure. If successful, your project will receive a Eureka label.
- Your national funding body may carry out a further evaluation (performed by the NPC and technical experts) according to national rules before allocating funds to successful applicants.
- The final step is to complete and sign a consortium agreement (CA). We recommend that you seek legal advice when drafting your CA.
For detailed information on national rules and application procedures, please see Section “Funding conditions and rules per NFB”.
How applications will be evaluated
We will review your R&D project application according to our evaluation criteria.
1. Impact
- Is the market properly addressed (i.e. size, access and risks)?
- Is the value creation properly addressed (i.e. employment opportunities and environmental and societal benefits)?
- What are the competitive advantages of your project (i.e. strategic importance, enhanced capabilities and visibility)?
- Are your commercialisation plans clear and realistic (i.e. return on investment, geographic and sectoral impact)?
2. Excellence
- What is the degree of innovation? (i.e. is the proposed product, process or service state-of-the-art? Is there sufficient technological maturity and risk)?
- How would you use new knowledge?
- Is your project scientifically and technically challenging for consortium partners?
- Is the technical achievability and risk properly addressed?
3. Quality and efficiency of implementation
- What is the quality of your consortium (i.e. balance of the partnership and technological, managerial and financial capabilities of each partner)?
- Is there added value through international cooperation?
- Is your project management and planning realistic and clearly defined (i.e. methodology, planning approach, milestones and deliverables)?
- Is your cost structure reasonable (i.e. costs and financial commitment for each consortium partner)?
4. Overall perception
- Experts will list three positive and negative points about your application and state whether they recommend your project for public funding.
Your ministry or funding agency may carry out another evaluation according to national or regional rules before allocating funding to organisations.
More information
Events and matchmaking
- Online Matchmaking Platform
https://eureka-lightweighting-call-2025.b2match.io/ - 4-5 June ELN-Konference Kraków/Poland
A hybrid matchmaking event/webinar is organised on 4 June 2025, 13:30-14:30 CEST.
Please contact your national funding body for consulting needs and information on national or regional events related to this call.
