Innovation Without Borders: Horizon Europe, Eureka, ZIM International, and IraSME offer companies attractive funding opportunities for international research projects. This article explains which program is best suited for which project and how to get started.
International research and development collaborations open up new opportunities for companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sectors to drive innovation and secure additional funding. The online event “Ways to Secure Funding for International Research Projects,” organized by ProduktionNRW in collaboration with VDMA Research and Innovation, highlighted which programs are available for this purpose and how to find suitable calls for proposals.
Following the opening remarks, the focus turned to Dr. Patricia Wolny and Jens Korell from the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA), who discussed the European research and innovation program Horizon Europe. They explained the structure, funding logic, and participation opportunities of the program, which, with a budget of approximately 95.5 billion euros, is the EU’s most important funding instrument for research and innovation. In doing so, they demonstrated how companies can use the work programs to identify suitable research topics and calls for proposals. They also provided an outlook on the calls for proposals planned for 2027 that are relevant to the manufacturing and mechanical engineering sectors, including topics such as advanced production technologies, the circular economy, innovative materials, and artificial intelligence. Special emphasis was also placed on European partnerships such as Made in Europe, Processes4Planet, and Clean Steel, which are providing important impetus for future funding topics.
In the second part of the event, Georg Nagel from AiF Projekt GmbH presented further opportunities for international research collaboration. The focus was on the funding instruments Eureka, ZIM International, and IraSME, which support companies in cross-border research and development projects. Nagel explained the respective funding approaches, the opportunities for companies to participate, and the advantages of these programs—in particular, their thematic flexibility, practical orientation, and comparatively straightforward access to international collaboration projects.
In the discussion that followed, the speakers answered questions about the various funding programs and provided practical advice on finding partners, selecting suitable funding instruments, and preparing successful project proposals.
Organizers
The event was organized by ProduktionNRW and VDMA Research and Innovation. ProduktionNRW is the cluster for mechanical engineering and production technology in North Rhine-Westphalia and is managed by VDMA NRW. ProduktionNRW serves as a platform to connect, inform, and promote companies, institutions, and networks with one another and along the value chain. Significant portions of the services provided by ProduktionNRW are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.