Deadline: 15-Jun-22
The EMPHASIS is offering all SMEs, startups and spin-offs located in one of the eligible regions (Greece, Jordan, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt and Italy) to apply for a solution addressing one of the Sustainability Priorities set in the project.
Twenty-Four (24) beneficiaries (4 per country) will be selected to receive free-of charge innovation support services to develop new business ideas and open innovation collaborations.
The EU funded ENI CBC MED EMPHASIS project aims at integrating experiences to deploy, validating and mainstreaming an open innovation system that supports SMEs, start-ups and spin-offs. This will allow the exploitation of innovations that tackle sustainability challenges and turn them into business opportunities through external cross-border partnerships at EUROMED level.
Priorities
- Agri-food
- Sustainable Energy
- Environment & Sustainable Development
- Transport & Logistics
- ICT Information & Communication Technologies
- Culture – Tourism – Cultural & Creative Industries
Benefits
Innovation Audit: This service will help the SME to investigate its potential and capacity for innovation and receive guidance for improving the performance of its innovation/technology/product/service, as well as achieve its needs for open innovation cross-border collaborations.
Benefits for the SMEs:
- Clear and accelerated path to improve the performance of its innovation/technology/product/ service.
- Customized support from experts in the field of innovation in order to jointly determine the potential and capacity of the company for innovation and the steps to be done for improving it.
- In-depth analysis of the Open innovation needs of the company and in-detail description of the partnership aspects.
- Knowledge on what’s working and what needs to be improved comprehensive view of the company current capabilities, strengths & weaknesses, and opportunities.
Exploitation Roadmapping: This service will support the SME to acquire a list with potential contacts, that could support the further development of its technology and define the next steps in EMPHASIS journey.
Benefits for the SMEs:
- Identified twin partners that could potentially collaborate with the company and develop joint projects.
- Well-described Joined projects ideas per identified twin partner to support the development of the beneficiary SME.
- Detailed action plan with the activities, the involved persons, and the timeline, to achieve crossborder collaboration partnerships.
Training Seminars: The service aims at building SMEs’ technical, commercial, financial & legal skills related to innovation & technology transfer and prepare them to establish OI partnerships.
Benefits for the SMEs:
- Upgraded technical, commercial, financial & legal skills.
- Clear view on what an open innovation partnership needs.
Twinning Activities: High quality facilitation support services to SMEs and other organisations operating in the partners’ Regions in order to support them design jointly new innovative market oriented or high-risk R&D concepts in the targeted sectors.
Benefits for the SMEs:
- Explore the targeted market and potential collaborations.
- Development of contacts with key players abroad.
- Reach out to potential external partners which can help them for their OI process.
Open Innovation Missions: The services will enable the open innovation management by an SME, which combines internal innovation activities (the SMEs innovation project) with the external innovation activities (the Open Innovation project) in various kinds of open innovation initiatives. The SME will work in-place with a potential partner at an OI project.
Benefits for the SMEs:
- Support in decision making and action planning regarding open innovation.
- Open Innovation brokerage services addressing both the internal innovation activities within the SME and the external innovation ones.
- Reach out to potential external partners which can help them for their OI process.
- Increased awareness on existing open innovation tools to tap into external knowledge for innovation in a flexible way.
- Travel for free to one of the project countries to meet in person a potential partner.
Eligibility Criteria
All the applicants and applications should fit into the eligibility criteria.
- The Applicant should be identified as a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), start-up or spinoff. The Legal form of the applicant should follow the definitions stated by the European Commission, as following:
- The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.
- Startups or spin-offs following the European Commission SME definition are also eligible for the open call.
- Geographical Area: The Applicant should be based in one of the EMPHASIS Euro-Mediterranean countries: Greece, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan.
- Language: The applicant or at least an employee of the SME/startup/spin-off that is involved with the solution should speak the English Language fluently.
For more information, visit https://www.enicbcmed.eu/open-call-emphasis-offers-free-innovation-support-services-towards-sustainability-24-0