NCBR in Vilnius – speech during the EUREKA Goes Vilnius meeting
26.02.2025
On 26 February 2025, the Research Council of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania and EUREKA Secretariat organised a meeting entitled EUREKA Goes Vilnius. The EUREKA Initiative celebrates its 40th jubilee this year, with 2025 also being the 30th anniversary of Poland's membership therein.
The aim of the EUREKA initiative is to increase the modernity, productivity and competitiveness of the European industry. It finances projects carried out by at least two partners from two different Member States. These projects must be aimed at developing and implementing or significantly improving existing production technology, implementing a new product or service. Polish beneficiaries may include SMEs, large enterprises and entities conducting research and disseminating knowledge.
In the last 15 years alone, NCBR has co-financed over 100 innovative international projects with Polish participation under EUREKA, for a total amount of over PLN 85 million. In the same period of time,
76 projects were co-financed for a similar amount of money in the Eurostars programme, which is part of EUREKA and is dedicated to innovative SMEs, and its successors, Eurostars-2 and Eurostars-3.
New calls for proposals are announced periodically and new agreements signed between Polish beneficiaries and NCBR.
The meeting allowed participants to familiarise themselves with the latest opportunities offered by calls for proposals under EUREKA and establish contact with innovators. Present were scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives as well as of of funding agencies operating therein.
NCBR was represented by Andrzej Wajs, Project Coordinator in the Department of International Cooperation. He gave a presentation on the international call for proposals under GlobalStars initiative within the EUREKA with a mandatory participation of Taiwanese companies. Scheduled from 1 April to 29 August 2025, the call is coordinated by NCBR and features Finland, Flanders (Belgium), Lithuania, Poland, Taiwan and the Netherlands. The aim of the call is to lead to the creation of international research and development projects with mandatory participation of Taiwanese companies.
“I would like to thank the organisers very much for the invitation to Vilnius during Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Today’s meeting is an excellent opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the Baltic countries, Poland and other members of the EUREKA Initiative. I do hope that joint bilateral and multilateral projects with Taiwanese companies and our countries
in the upcoming GlobalStars call will result in innovative solutions and numerous benefits within the framework of international cooperation in the global innovation ecosystem,” emphasised Andrzej Wajs.
