Science that reaches society, research that crosses countries and projects that mark the future. This is how STARS EU participated  in the European Researchers’ Night, an event held simultaneously in 25 countries and more than 460 cities to showcase science in a more informative and approachable way.

As the general coordinator of the alliance Dick Pouwels highlighted, for all the members of STARS EU it is very important that “research does not stay within universities, but that we put our experience and knowledge at the service of society”. And a good example of this are the research initiatives that allow the public to approach three key areas: healthy ageing, clean energy and entrepreneurship with a European impact.

Health and technology for the elderly

The researcher at the University of La Laguna, Sara Darias-Curvo, presented a project (STARS-Health) focused on improving digital literacy and health of the elderly, especially in rural areas. The aim of the project, in which several STARS partners are involved, is to adapt existing applications to the real needs of these people to facilitate their day-to-day lives and that of their caregivers. “The first thing is to listen to the population and then design tailor-made solutions,” Darias stressed.

Hydrogen, the energy of tomorrow

From the French region of Franche-Comté, the researcher at the Marie et Louis Pasteur University (France), Samir Jemei, and the dean Jan Jaap Aué, from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), showed how they work on sustainable mobility, electrolysis and energy storage, united by a common horizon: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The key?, the international collaboration:  “By sharing knowledge, we learn from each other and accelerate change.”

Entrepreneurship with European impact

The third axis of the night was entrepreneurship, by researcher Ariola Arizi, from Aleksander Moisiu University (Albania), the alma mater of the BETTER project. Backed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, its initiative supports startups, students and researchers in sustainability, digitalisation and health. “We are training the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators and, to do this, international collaboration is essential in opening up opportunities for all.”

Europe, a network of collaboration

The event left a common and forceful message: research is not an isolated matter, but a living tool to transform the present and the future. When Europe works together, the speakers agreed,  it empowers people and transforms their regions, the motto and spirit of STARS EU.

Take a look at this special evening and discover our projects through the voices of their own protagonists.

With the aim of facilitating the preparation of competitive projects, STARS EU offers you a practical guide that explains the evaluation criteria, the maximum budget, and the participation requirements for the second round of the seed grant call, open to the nine partners of the alliance from May this year until March 2026.

Everything you need to know to make your project a winning proposal is included here: the keys to submitting proposals, the deadlines to bear in mind, the minimum number of partner universities, the eligible expenses, and the submission procedure. All of this is designed to encourage solid and well-structured proposals.

With these fundamental guidelines, researchers and PhD candidates will be able to optimise their competitive proposals for European programmes such as Horizon Europe and the upcoming FP10, through specialised advisory services and financial support. To achieve this, it is essential to emphasise the clarity of the idea, the multidisciplinary approach, and the alignment with the Priority Areas of the alliance.

Financing

Each participating university may receive up to EUR 3,000 for RIA, IA and Cofund calls, and EUR 2,000 for CSA actions. The funding may be used to cover costs related to international consortium meetings, travel for external partners, external consultancy services, support for specific proposal writing, proofreading, and document design.

To address any queries, the alliance organised a series of informative activities, including a webinar and explanatory documents. The first webinar was hold on 11 June, led by Carl-Fredrik Miles, member of the STARS EU Steering Committee and project manager for STARS EU at University West. People interested in see it can do it link here: starseu.org/guidelines-for-stars-eu-seed-grant-for-research-and-innovation-project-proposals/. The second one will possibly take place in October or November 2025.

The STARS EU Funding Expert Group will evaluate the submitted proposals based on specific criteria, including clarity of the project idea, relevance, feasibility, and multi-disciplinarity, among other aspects. Once the proposals are assessed, the committee will notify applicants of its decision within a maximum of three weeks.

Funding will be disbursed only after the official submission of the proposal via the relevant Horizon Europe or FP10 portal, together with a financial report and a copy of the submitted application.

For further information and to access the full call guidelines, click here: Guidelines for STARS EU Seed Grant

Contact: starseu@hv.se