Globalstars Japan 2027: a £2m route for cross-border industrial R&D

Globalstars Japan 2027 is an open Eureka collaborative R&D call for business-led industrial research involving at least one eligible Japanese SME. For UK partners, Innovate UK has allocated at least £2 million, with up to £600,000 grant per project. The UK deadline is 20 January 2027 at 11:00 UK time.

Key facts

| Item | Confirmed position | |---|---| | UK funder | Innovate UK | | UK allocation | At least £2 million | | Maximum UK grant per project | £600,000 | | Competition opened | 7 October 2026 | | UK deadline | 20 January 2027, 11:00 UK time | | Expected project start | By 1 August 2027 | | Maximum duration | Three years | | Mandatory international partner | At least one eligible Japanese SME | | Research category | Industrial research |

This is not a general export subsidy. It is a competitive R&D programme for projects that combine technical development, credible commercialisation and genuine international collaboration.

Who can apply?

The UK route must include at least one UK-registered business and one Japanese SME that is a separate legal entity. A UK business of any size can act as the UK lead applicant. UK research organisations may participate, but they cannot lead or apply alone.

The wider Eureka consortium may also include eligible partners from Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland or Türkiye. Each non-UK organisation must follow the rules and application route of its own national funding body.

A practical warning: a country appearing in the broader Eureka network does not automatically make its companies eligible for this specific call. Applicants must check the participating-country list and national funding conditions before committing resources.

What projects fit the call?

The competition focuses on high-market-potential industrial research in:

• semiconductors;
• quantum technologies;
• artificial intelligence;
• cyber security;
• advanced connectivity technologies;
• biotechnology, including engineering biology;
• space.

The project must develop an innovative product, technology-based application or technology-based service. The assessors will look for a credible route to market within two to three years after project completion, not research without a commercial owner.

A strong proposal should explain why the Japanese partnership changes what can be achieved. Access to a market, specialist manufacturing capability, data, test infrastructure or complementary intellectual property can all be relevant. A consortium that merely divides tasks between countries without creating additional value will be difficult to defend.

How much funding is available?

Innovate UK has allocated at least £2 million to the UK side of the competition. UK applicants may request up to £600,000 grant per project.

For eligible industrial research costs, the published UK funding rates are:

• up to 70% for micro and small businesses;
• up to 60% for medium-sized businesses;
• up to 50% for large businesses.

UK research organisations in the consortium can share up to 30% of the UK total eligible project costs, subject to the detailed rules for their organisation type.

The grant does not remove the need for co-financing. Before applying, each partner should show how it will fund its own contribution and manage cash flow during delivery.

Consortium design matters more than partner count

Projects must be collaborative. No single partner, and no group of partners from one participating Eureka member, may claim more than 70% of total eligible project costs. For the UK application, the lead and at least one other organisation must request funding, and no single UK organisation may claim more than 70% of UK project costs.

Subcontractors are allowed, but they cannot replace genuine collaboration. The UK rules cap subcontracting at 20% of the UK partners’ total eligible costs. Non-UK subcontractors require a clear justification.

The most useful early consortium conversation is therefore not “who can join?” but:

1. Which technical risk does each partner own?
2. Which market evidence does each partner bring?
3. Who will exploit each project result?
4. How will intellectual property be used and shared?
5. Can every partner finance its contribution and deliver on the proposed timetable?

Two application tracks must stay aligned

A UK-led consortium must submit both the Innovate UK application and the Eureka project application. The completed Eureka application must also be uploaded as a mandatory appendix to the UK submission.

This creates a common failure point: teams prepare two narratives that do not match. Work packages, budgets, partner roles, milestones and commercialisation plans should be consistent across both systems.

The UK application also requires mandatory appendices for specified questions. Missing documents can make an otherwise strong project ineligible before assessment.

A sensible preparation timetable

October 2026: confirm fit and partnership

Agree the technical problem, commercial objective and partner roles. Confirm national eligibility with every funding body. If a Japanese SME is not already in the consortium, treat partner search as the first gating task.

November 2026: lock the project architecture

Define work packages, dependencies, measurable outputs, intellectual-property principles and the route to market. Build the budget from the delivery plan rather than forcing the plan into a target grant amount.

December 2026: build evidence

Complete competitor and market analysis, justify the international value of the consortium, test the financial assumptions and prepare appendices. Resolve any compliance, permit or licence issues that could delay the planned start.

Early January 2027: reconcile and submit

Cross-check both applications line by line. Leave time for partner approvals and portal issues. The formal deadline is 20 January 2027, but the consortium should aim for an internal sign-off well before then.

The strategic question for founders

Globalstars Japan 2027 is attractive when the R&D challenge is real, the Japanese partner is essential and the consortium has a credible commercial plan. It is a poor fit when the main goal is market promotion, routine product localisation or financing work that one company could complete alone.

Before committing to the application, test the project against three questions:

• Does the collaboration reduce a technical or market risk that neither side can solve alone?
• Is the expected commercial value large enough to justify a multi-country application and three-year delivery plan?
• Can the consortium explain ownership, exploitation and financing without ambiguity?

If the answers are not yet clear, the first task is project design—not writing.

Use the Funding Navigator to compare this route with other European R&D instruments. If the consortium is already taking shape, a Funding Review can identify eligibility gaps and proposal risks before the full application is built.