Overall Description

EUopSTART supports Danish companies and approved Research and Technology Organisations (GTS institutes) with the costs of preparing applications for selected Horizon Europe programmes. The scheme seeks to increase Danish participation in European research and innovation by funding proposal-development activities rather than the underlying research project itself.

Funding Amount

EUopSTART covers up to 50% of eligible proposal-preparation expenses:

• Consortium coordinator: Up to DKK 150,000 for a full proposal
• Consortium partner: Up to DKK 75,000
• Mono-beneficiary/single applicant: Up to DKK 75,000
• Coordinator of stage one of a two-stage application: Up to DKK 75,000
• Coordinator of stage two: Up to DKK 150,000
• ERC Synergy Grant, EIC, European Innovation Ecosystems and Eurostars applications: Maximum DKK 75,000, including for coordinators
• COST: Up to DKK 75,000 for a coordinator; no partner grant

Funding is competitive and subject to the available allocation.

Submission Deadlines

The 2026 cut-off dates are:

• 27 February 2026, 12:00 noon – closed
• 27 May 2026, 12:00 noon – closed
• 26 August 2026, 12:00 noon – closed
• 4 November 2026, 12:00 noon – remaining cut-off

The EUopSTART application must be submitted at least 30 calendar days before the deadline of the corresponding European call. In 2026, support may be requested for European calls with deadlines no later than 31 December 2027.

Submission Conditions

• Applications must be submitted through the electronic E-grant system.
• The relevant European Commission work programme or call deadline must have been published or officially pre-published.
• The proposed project must fall within the scope of an eligible Horizon Europe call or sub-programme.
• The preparation period must last at least 30 calendar days, beginning on the EUopSTART submission date and ending no later than the European call deadline.
• A signed de minimis aid declaration must accompany the application. Applicants generally may not have received more than EUR 300,000 in de minimis aid over three years; sector-specific rules apply to agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture.
• Applicants must not be bankrupt, subject to suspension of payments or have overdue debts to public authorities.
• Companies may submit a maximum of one EUopSTART application per cut-off.
• Costs incurred before the EUopSTART application are ineligible, and support cannot be awarded retroactively.
• The same costs cannot also be financed through another public funding scheme.
• Only one EUopSTART grant may support preparation of a particular European proposal.
• Normally, the resulting European project must involve at least three partners. ERC Synergy Grant applications require at least two partners. EIC Accelerator, Eurostars and certain single-applicant or two-partner EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition applications are exempt.
• For a two-stage European call, support for stage two is available only after the applicant has been invited to submit the second-stage proposal.
• EIC Accelerator support is available only for preparing the Step 2 application; evidence of approval to proceed beyond Step 1 must be attached.

Eligible Types of Applicants

• Companies established in Denmark
• Danish approved Research and Technology Organisations (GTS institutes)
• Horizon Europe consortium coordinators
• Partners in Horizon Europe consortia
• Mono-beneficiaries/single applicants under eligible instruments

For EIC Accelerator and Eurostars, applicant companies must meet the EU definition of an SME. The grant is awarded to the organisation, not to an individual researcher or employee. Applications cannot be submitted on another organisation’s behalf by consultants or other third parties.

Eligible Countries

• Denmark - EUopSTART applicants and grant recipients must be organisations based in Denmark.