What are EUREKA bilateral/multilateral calls?

What are EUREKA bilateral/multilateral calls? http://www.eurekanetwork.org/about/-/journal_content/56/10137/4261654?refererPlid=10195

What are EUREKA bilateral/multilateral calls?

date of publication > 23-July-2014

People following our news for some time have certainly noted the increasing number of bilateral and multilateral calls published on our call page. This called from some clarifications: EUREKA’s new Chairman Bruno Moor explains what are bilateral calls and how companies can take part in them.

Switzerland is one of the main countries involved in the organisation of bilateral calls under EUREKA. Could you explain to us how this works? 

One of the unique features of EUREKA is the possibility to use its framework for bilateral cooperation. This clearly differentiates EUREKA from other multilateral programmes. Over the past five years we have found that EUREKA is a fantastic instrument to follow up on bilateral contacts between EUREKA ministries, on cooperation plans of industry associations, etc.

If there is mutual agreement between two countries to improve R&D cooperation in certain technological fields, the EUREKA framework provides in a very flexible way all the necessary elements to implement that cooperation directly. Examples of this include a series of calls launched with Turkey and agreed by the presidents of state from both countries in 2010, and calls launched jointly with Sweden which were supported by the industry associations Swissmem and Teknikföretagen.

How can an innovative company apply for funding in such a call?

The call is an invitation to present project ideas in a very informal way. These project ideas are developed in a project outline template and collected by a specific call deadline. After the deadline the EUREKA NPCs assess the outlines within a few days and make a joint suggestion on the most promising instrument for a specific project idea and on what needs to be done to submit a project application. In the second step the consortia apply for funding under the normal EUREKA procedures. As there is no earmarked budget for these calls, the NPCs have the responsibility to only recommend instruments with a fair chance of success.

See all currently open bilateral calls.