Deadline: 15 February 2019
The European Union (EU) is currently inviting eligible organisations to submit proposals for a program entitled “EU4Business : Connecting Companies”.
The objective of this call for proposals is to contribute towards the development of sustainable and equitable economic growth models in the EaP countries, which can generate more investments and improve socio-economic conditions and employment opportunities for citizens.
The specific objective of this call for proposals is to support capacity of sectorial Business Support Organisations to enhance EaP SMEs internationalisation, export capacities and access to new markets. The assistance will focus on sectors that have most potential for export to the EU and EaP intra-regional trade.
Results
Furthermore, the programme should reach the following results:
- Result 1: Increased number of business deals between EaP SMEs and international companies.
- Result 2: Capacity of participating sectorial Business Support Organisations (BSOs) has been strengthened to provide improved services towards their members in view of increasing international trade and attract investment.
- Priority issues to be addressed include:
- SME’s limited access to markets (local & international). Whether at national or international level, most SMEs in EaP countries lack an adequate knowledge of market requirements. This is particularly relevant for countries with an AA/DCFTA which need to meet EU market requirements to reap the full benefits of these agreements.
- Lack of understanding on how to export (to the EU and to the EaP region) and lack of understanding on the sector potential and on the demand for EaP products/services (export promotion): SMEs in the EaP countries often lack the ability to locate, analyse, and pursue commercial opportunities in the local and foreign markets. While limited analysis, strategy, marketing and sales capacities within SMEs are key constraints, the inadequate sector-specific business support services represent an additional hindrance.
- Limited availability of quality sector-specific services to SMEs: There are only a very few sectoral Business Support Organisations (BSOs) capable to provide adequate
Funding Information
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- minimum amount: EUR 6.000.000
- maximum amount: EUR 6.500.000
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead applicant
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person and
- be non-profit-making and
- be a specific type of organisation such as public sector operator and international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined by Article 43 of the rules of application of the EU Financial Regulation
- be established in a Member State of the European Union or a country that is a beneficiary of the ENI Regulation, a country that is a beneficiary of an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance set up by Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 (IPA) or a Member State of the EEA.
- For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise1, if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, applicants will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of Article [insert reference to the Article allowing termination of the grant agreement (change of the legal situation of the beneficiary)] of the grant agreement’. This obligation does not apply to international organisations and
- [not applicable to international organizations] be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- Co-applicant(s)
- Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
- Business Support Organizations, business associations, SMEs, Chambers of Commerce and employers’ federations, women associations, sector federations, local and regional economic development agencies established in the country where the action will take place.
- Affiliated entities
- The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
- Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
- Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
- This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
- Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
- Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
- Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
- Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
- Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
- Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities.
- Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
How to Apply
- The application procedure consists of two phases:
- Concept notes
- Full applications
- The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant must be submitted at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2CwXQT0 and download the guidelines.
