Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Eurostars Funding and What It Means for Canadian Fintech
Global R&D Funding Program | January 22, 2026
Image: Freepik
Eurostars Call 10 Now Open. Registration and Key Dates
The Eurostars Call 10 is a live international R&D funding program open to small-and-medium-sized enterprises in participating countries, with applications due March 19, 2026. Described by the National Research Council of Canada as the world’s largest international R&D funding program for SMEs, Eurostars focuses on collaborative projects that lead to commercialization. Canadian SMEs can participate and receive advisory services and non-dilutive funding through NRC IRAP when collaborating with eligible partners abroad.
See: AI, Capital, Money Rewire Financial Infrastructure In 2026
For Canadian fintech companies, this creates an opportunity to collaborate internationally on core technology development while keeping operations and control in Canada. The key question is not whether fintech qualifies as a category, but whether a specific project involves building technical solutions that cannot be resolved with routine engineering and fits the program’s collaboration and commercialization requirements.
What Eurostars Is Designed to Fund
The focus is practical. Build new technology, solve real technical problems, and bring the results to market. The program operates under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and is co-funded through Horizon Europe, with each country supporting its own participants under national rules.
Eurostars is sector neutral. It supports companies developing new technology through structured R&D and doesn't fund general business expansion or product launches on their own. Eligibility depends on whether the project involves real R&D effort, not on how the company or sector is labeled.
For Canadian companies, NRC IRAP provides advisory services and funding support under Canadian eligibility rules.
Where Fintech Projects Fit
Fintech projects tend to fit when teams are building technology rather than assembling existing components. Projects may qualify when they involve developing technical solutions around performance, security, scalability, or governance that go beyond standard implementation.
This can include new payment or settlement infrastructure, fraud or risk systems that require experimentation to reach acceptable accuracy, secure identity or data architectures, or AI driven financial systems where existing approaches fall short. In each case, R&D must be central to whether the project succeeds.
See: Why Fintechs Are Rebuilding How They Measure Work
In practice, fintech work that focuses mainly on integrating existing platforms, launching commercial products using off the shelf systems, or scaling operations without new technology development usually falls outside scope.
Eligibility Requirements and Funding
Canadian SMEs seeking funding through Eurostars must be NRC IRAP clients and meet both Eurostars and Canadian eligibility requirements. At a minimum, companies must be incorporated and profit-oriented in Canada, have 500 or fewer full time equivalent employees, and have been operating for at least 12 months. By the NRC IRAP registration deadline, companies must also have at least five full time equivalent employees on Canadian payroll.
Applicants must demonstrate the financial and operational capacity to carry out a multi year international R&D collaboration while maintaining regular operations, along with a credible plan to commercialize the results in global markets. For Canadian participants, NRC IRAP funding is capped at $500,000 CAD per project over a maximum duration of 36 months.
Full eligibility rules and call requirements are outlined on the official Eurostars Call March 2026 program page.
Key Dates and Registration
An official Eurostars information webinar for applicants takes place on January 22, 2026 and will be recorded.
Canadian SMEs must be eligible for support through NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program. Canadian firms that are not yet NRC IRAP clients must complete registration by February 17, 2026. Contact 1-877-994-4727
Canadian SMEs that are already registered with NRC IRAP, or that have confirmed eligibility with an NRC IRAP advisor, must submit their registration of interest and application for the Eurostars call through the NRC IRAP international expression of interest form.
The Eurostars application deadline is March 19, 2026 at 2 pm CET.
Conclusion
Eurostars gives Canadian fintech companies a structured way to collaborate internationally on R&D while accessing non-dilutive funding through NRC IRAP, without relocating operations or shifting governance outside Canada. Canadian participants work with European partners to build technology with global commercial potential while remaining funded under Canadian rules.
See: Canada Confronts a Changing World at Davos 2026
For fintech teams with global ambitions, Eurostars can help turn locally built innovation into internationally relevant technology. The program looks at what is actually being built. Companies that understand this distinction early save time and approach the opportunity with realistic expectations.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Leave a Reply