Eureka GlobalStars Japan 2026

Collaborations applying for Innovate UK funding must include at least one UK registered business of any size.

The Eureka project lead may be from a participating Eureka member other than the UK; the UK registered partners can still claim funding from Innovate UK.  The UK registered partners in your Eureka project must nominate one business, of any size, to start an Innovate UK application. We refer to them as the ‘lead organisation’ and the person they nominate to have overall responsibility as the ‘lead applicant’.

The UK lead applicant must collaborate with at least one SME from Japan participating in the competition. It must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners.

You can also collaborate with other participating Eureka members in addition to Japan. These can be from France,  Luxembourg, Canada, Lithuania, Spain, Austria, Norway, Israel, Singapore, Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, or Belgium (Flanders).

The UK lead applicant can also collaborate with:

• other UK registered businesses of any size
• UK registered universities and research and technology organisations (RTOs)

A UK registered business can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further two applications.

If a UK registered business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in up to three applications.

An academic institution or RTO can collaborate on any number of applications.

UK applicants can apply for total grant of up to £600,000 for each project. This can cover up to 70% of your eligible project costs, depending on business size.

Your project can last up to three years and is expected to start by 1 July 2026. The start date depends on the national funding procedures of the Eureka members involved in the selected projects.

Projects must be collaborative.

The aim of this competition is to fund business led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research. This competition will be for innovative proposals developed between the UK, Japan and the other Eureka participating countries. Innovate UK will be funding the UK partners only.

Your project must have high market potential and develop at least one of the following:

• innovative products
• technology based applications
• technology based services

Your collaborative R&D proposal must demonstrate:

• an effective collaboration between the UK partners and Japan as a minimum
• a clear game changing or disruptive innovative idea leading to new products, processes or services
• a strong and deliverable business plan that addresses (and documents) market potential and needs
• sound, practical financial plans and timelines
• good value for money, which will always be a consideration in Innovate UK funding decisions
• a clear, evidence based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
• clear, considerable potential to significantly benefit the UK economy or national productivity
• the benefit of participants from the countries working together and how this adds value
• a clear definition of where intellectual property (IP) can be used and shared between the participants and countries
• a clear route to market within two to three years of project completion

We will not fund projects that:

• work on non-civilian technologies
• are not in scope
• do not meet Innovate UK’s eligibility criteria
• do not submit all mandatory documentation
• are in the nuclear or drug discovery sector
• do not include at least one UK registered business and one eligible Japanese registered SME as a minimum
• request grants of more than £600,000 from Innovate UK

An online briefing event will be held on Friday 17 October at 11am UK time: click here for the joining link (Zoom required). A recording and slides will be available after the event.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Global Alliance team or the Enterprise Europe Network.

If you need help with the Eureka project application form, contact Eureka directly.

If you need more information on submitting to Innovate UK, email us at support@iuk.ukri.org or call the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357.