Deadline: 27-Jun-22
The AL-INVEST Verde is calling for proposals for Innovative Partnership Projects to promote economic growth alongside environmental sustainability.
Objectives
- The global objective is to promote sustainable growth and jobs creation by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and a more circular economy in LA. The specific objective is that SMEs in LA adopt less polluting and more resource efficient products, processes and services while more sustainable consumption patterns are adopted by countries. The idea is to turn climate and environmental challenges into opportunities.
- This Call for Proposals aims at supporting innovative partnership projects between Latin American and European institutions and organisations, which will pursue the global and specific objectives.
Priorities
- Specifically, the following priorities will be pursued for this first call for proposals:
- Sustainable, deforestation-free agri-food systems and value chains
- Transition towards low carbon, resource efficient and circular business models
Types of Lots
- Lot 1: Sustainable, deforestation-free agri-food systems and value chains
- The EU aims to support the global transition to sustainable agri-food systems. As a major exporter of agricultural products, Latin America has an important role to play in the global dimension of the European Green Deal. This Call for proposals provides opportunities for supporting the private sector in the main agri-food value chains to adapt to this new context early on, enhancing their competitiveness in the process.
- Lot 2: Transition towards low carbon, resource efficient and circular business models
- Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) was recognised as an integral part of the 2030 Agenda as a standalone Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 12). This aims to improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
Benefits
- Lot 1
- There are several key drivers and benefits or combination thereof favouring the adoption of environmentally sustainable standards across the food sector:
- First, value creation strategies: focusing on the development of environmentally sustainable products that respond to consumers’ demands, who are willing to pay a premium price, establish long-term customer relationships and exhibit increasing brand loyalty;
- Second, innovative production models: aimed at reducing costs (use of biomass, etc.) or increasing productivity (by restoring degraded fields, adapting farming techniques, etc.);
- Third, external incentives: financial flows are increasingly directed towards investments into environmentally friendly production methods and technologies;
- Fourth, regulatory obligations, including international commitments, or import requirements;
- Fifth, creation of new business models that can drive new job opportunities.
- There are several key drivers and benefits or combination thereof favouring the adoption of environmentally sustainable standards across the food sector:
- Lot 2
- The benefits of adopting a business model based on circular economy are manifold:
- Creation of new profit/business opportunities;
- Creation of new business models, such as rentals or leasing contracts;
- Creation of new jobs (such as labour intensive recycling activities);
- Competitiveness in the global market;
- Material cost saving, due to lower virgin-material requirements;
- Stronger company’s reputation;
- Establishment of long-term customer relationships, and improved customer interaction and loyalty.
- The benefits of adopting a business model based on circular economy are manifold:
Funding Information
- The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 10,000,000.
- Lot 1: EUR 6,000,000
- Lot 2: EUR 4,000,000
- Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- minimum amount: EUR 250,000
- maximum amount: EUR 300,000
- Duration: Each innovative project should have a duration between 20 and 30 months.
Expected Outcomes
- Each innovative partnership project should be designed in a way that it contributes to the objectives and results of the programme. In specific, each proposal should propose its contribution to achieving the following overarching outcomes and envisage monitoring of these indicators:
- Number of SMEs adopting sustainable economic practices
- Number of SMEs that obtain firm-specific sustainability standards certification or develop sustainability-enhancing traceability systems for their products
- Number of full-time equivalent green jobs (disaggregated by sex and age) sustained/created as a direct result of support
- Number of SMEs reporting increased turnover as a direct result of support received
- In specific for Lot 1 the following outcomes are of relevance:
- Improved and enhanced traceability systems
- Improved sustainable, organic and regenerative production practices
- Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices inspired by the farm to fork strategy
- In specific for Lot 2 the following outcomes are of relevance:
- New services and innovation for resource efficiency practices (e.g. energy, water, etc.)
- Reduction of CO2 emissions
- Waste prevention/ minimisation/ reduction and management
- Promotion of circular economy
Eligible Countries
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Honduras, El Salvador, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead applicant(s)
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person
- be non-profit-making
- be established in a Member State of the European Union or in one of the following eligible countries in Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. UK entities are no longer eligible to any EU funded projects.
- be a specific type of organisation:
- Business intermediaries representing the private sector, e.g. small and medium-sized enterprises10. These include, inter alia, chambers of commerce, bi- or multilateral chambers, sector-specific trade, industrial and professional associations, cooperatives, as well as sector-based agencies working with SMEs, or
- Research centres, think tanks and other organisations focussing on innovation, digitalisation or transition to green economy
- be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the coapplicant(s), not acting as an intermediary.
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- Co-applicants
- 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 applicable to the lead applicant.
- In addition, co-applicants are allowed to
- be a specific type of organisation such as :
- Business intermediaries representing the private sector, e.g. small and medium-sized enterprises. These include, inter alia, chambers of commerce, bi- or multilateral chambers, sector-specific trade, industrial and professional associations, cooperatives, regulatory bodies and agencies promoting trade, investment and commercial activities as well as sector-based agencies working with SMEs, or
- Public agencies (typically, boards of investment, trade promotion agencies etc.) at local, national or regional level, or
- Research centres, think tanks and other organisations focussing on innovation, digitalisation or transition to green economy
- be a specific type of organisation such as :
For more information, visit https://alinvest-verde.eu/news/