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When the Eureka network was founded in 1985, its ambition was both bold and quietly radical – to create a flexible, industry-driven framework for international collaboration in research and innovation. Four decades on, that ambition has not only endured but expanded – geographically, technologically and strategically.
Today, Eureka stands as a living reflection of how Europe and increasingly the wider world, has approached collaborative R&D over the past forty years.
At its foundation, the Eureka network was designed to look beyond borders. Pre-empting their arrival as European Union member states, Central and Eastern European countries were already engaging in transnational innovation through the network. Over time, that openness has become one of Eureka’s defining strengths, enabling it to grow from a primarily Western European initiative into a truly global network, extending across Asia, Africa and the Americas.
This timeline of Eureka’s development tells a story of steady and deliberate expansion. Initially anchored in Europe, the network grew by welcoming new countries and launching programmes tailored to emerging needs. Central and Eastern European countries were represented in the Eureka project community well before their accession to the European Union, using the network as a bridge into international R&D cooperation. For many, Eureka provided early exposure to collaborative project management, cross-border partnerships and marketoriented innovation – experience that later aligned naturally with EU research frameworks.
As globalisation accelerated, Eureka followed suit. Partnerships extended beyond Europe into Asia, Africa and the Americas, reinforcing the network’s role as a connector between national innovation ecosystems. This expansion was not merely symbolic – it was accompanied by tangible growth in funded projects and investment. Since its inception and without any adjustment to reflect inflation, Eureka has mobilised over 40 billion euro in combined public and private investment, underscoring its long-term economic and technological impact.
Aggregated data on funded projects, presented in fiveyear periods, shows a clear upward trajectory. Each phase of expansion – whether through the addition of new countries, the launch of new programmes or shifts in thematic focus, has translated into increased innovation activity supported by Eureka countries.
Eureka’s evolution reflects a wider shift in European and global R&D: competitiveness is increasingly built on the very principles Eureka was founded on – crossborder collaboration and business-led, bottom-up innovation.
Perhaps the most striking evolution is not geographic or financial, but organisational. In its early years, large companies dominated participation. Around 40% of all organisations involved in funded projects were large companies, reflecting the strong influence of Network Projects and Clusters programmes, which were the first to be launched. These programmes aligned naturally with the capacities and strategic interests of major industrial players.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), by contrast, accounted for just 17% of participating organisations during this initial phase. This imbalance was not unusual for the time – innovation policy across Europe and beyond often focused on large companies as engines of technological progress and industrial strength.
Over time, however, both policy priorities and economic realities shifted. As SMEs became increasingly recognised as drivers of agility, niche innovation and highgrowth, high-risk entrepreneurship, Eureka adapted. The 2008 introduction of the SMEfocused programme Eurostars – and later Innowwide, marked a decisive turning point. These initiatives lowered barriers to entry, aligned funding mechanisms with SME needs and emphasised market-oriented R&D with international reach.
The impact of this shift is unmistakable in the data. Today, SMEs account for approximately 59% of all organisations participating in Eureka-funded projects, while the share of large companies has declined dramatically to around 14%. This transformation closely mirrors broader EU and global R&D trends, where policy frameworks increasingly prioritise SME innovation, start-up ecosystems and scale-up potential.
Universities, meanwhile, have played a steady and consistent role throughout Eureka’s history. Representing around 14% of participating organisations across all periods, their sustained presence highlights the possibility to integrate academic excellence into applied, industry-driven research. This balance between continuity and change – stable academic involvement alongside a shifting industrial base, remains a hallmark of Eureka’s adaptability.
Eureka’s project portfolio also provides a revealing lens into the evolution of technological priorities over four decades. Analysis of approved projects across all programmes shows a diverse spread of technology areas, with five leading fields standing out consistently.
Industrial manufacturing, materials and transport represent the largest aggregated share of projects overall, accounting for 26% of funded activity. This dominance reflects Eureka’s origins in an era when industrial competitiveness, manufacturing excellence, and physical infrastructure were central policy concerns. In the network’s early years, these areas were clearly at the forefront of collaborative innovation.
Over time, however, the technological landscape has diversified. While industrial manufacturing remains highly significant, it now ranks third among current projects. Electronics, IT and telecommunications have emerged as one of the largest technology areas within the portfolio, reflecting the digital transformation that has reshaped economies worldwide. Biological sciences and technologies have also risen sharply, experiencing particularly rapid growth between 2005 and 2009 – a surge linked to the launch of the Eurostars programme and the increasing emphasis on biotechnology, health, and life sciences within global R&D policy.
The story of Eureka’s expansion is not just an institutional history, but a mirror of shifting economic realities, evolving policy priorities, and the changing nature of innovation itself.
Brit Helle
Other technology areas contribute smaller shares individually but together form a substantial portion of Eureka’s innovation activity, as illustrated by cumulative data across funded projects. This breadth mirrors global R&D trends, where innovation is increasingly interdisciplinary and driven by convergence between digital, biological, and industrial technologies.
(It is important to note that these trends are presented in five-year aggregated periods and that project counts reflect activity within each period rather than totals across the entire forty-year history).
Looking across four decades of data, one conclusion stands out. Eureka has not simply responded to changes in European and global R&D policy; it has helped shape them. The early integration of Central and Eastern European countries anticipated later EU enlargement. The growing dominance of SMEs mirrors a policy turn towards entrepreneurial innovation. The rise of life sciences and digital technologies reflects global responses to societal challenges and economic transformation.
In this way, Eureka’s project data functions as more than a historical record – it is a barometer of how innovation systems evolve. As the network enters its fifth decade, its history suggests a continued capacity to adapt, connect and catalyse collaboration across borders, sectors and technologies.
From a European initiative born in the mid-1980s to a globally connected innovation network, Eureka’s growth is one of openness, flexibility and sustained relevance. And if the past forty years are an indication, its role in shaping the future of collaborative R&D is far from over.
This article was published as part of our book marking the 40th anniversary of Eureka Network.