EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION PROJECTS SME Instrument. Associate partner Dmitrij Sosunov. December 2015

Transcription

1 EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION PROJECTS SME Instrument Associate partner Dmitrij Sosunov December 2015

2 Agenda 1 Civitta: About us 2 What is the SME Instrument? 3 SME Instrument: How does it work in practice? 4 Civitta success 2

4 Civitta is the leading independent management consultancy in the Baltics and Western CIS region with strong international reach AT A GLANCE Civitta brand first appeared in 2010 in Lithuania 9 offices in 7 countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia 150+ employees Home markets Countries we ve done projects in CLIENTS clients projects 45% hours billed for projects for government and public institutions INDUSTRIES Public sector & Government Education, R&D, Healthcare Energy and Utilities Telecommunications and ICT Finance, Insurance, Banking Manufacturing Retail and Wholesale Transport and Logistics 4

5 We offer full span of consulting services without industry limitations Management consulting Strategy and innovation Organization, processes and changes Grants and Project Management Sales and export Finance Market Research and Customer Data Analytics IT Public Policy and Development Entrepreneurship Support and Startups 5

6 Grants and Project Management is one of our core services Grants and Project Management Process of securing external financing for organization s growth and ensuring successful implementation of a project. How it works Grant opportunities identification Project design Preparation of application Implementation support Evaluation of client needs, choice of the most suitable grants mechanism and assessment of project eligibility Development of scope, budget and timetable for the project, partner search and design of a consortium Compilation of a formal application including any additional documentation (e.g. business plan, costbenefit analysis or feasibility study), client support during the evaluation period Project administration, budget control and reporting, public procurement management, coordination of partners Result: identified opportunity tailored to the client Result: thoroughly developed project structure Result: submitted application for the grant and smooth evaluation process Result: smooth-running project within time and budget restraints 6

8 SME Instrument is a funding and support source for innovation projects developed by EU-based small and medium enterprises Approach: structured in 3 phases with the aim of transforming disruptive ideas into concrete solutions. Objective: to invest in and support potentially disruptive SMEs that have developed innovative products and solutions. Applicants: for-profit SMEs with high growth potential from EU/EU associated countries. Must have a clear European dimension and ambition to develop, grow and internationalise. Partners: single companies can receive support, but projects can have more than one partner (financing is received per project, not per beneficiary). Are you an SME? SME checklist: 250 employees 50m EUR turnover 43m in assets SME Instrument budget : 3 billion EUR (4% of total Horizon 2020 funding) Phase 1 Phase 2 Evaluation & coaching 88% 2% 10% Call opening and closure dates: 4 cut-off dates per year between (approximately every 3 months). 8

9 SMEs with groundbreaking ideas and potential for high growth should apply If you complete this readiness checklist, you are ready to apply: Your SME has an innovative, ground-breaking product and/or solution with potential for high growth and your ambition is to launch the product/solution in other European countries. Your innovative idea is open and disruptive and satisfies the innovative idea criteria. Your product or solution is at a technology readiness level of 6 or above: Innovative idea criteria Uniqueness of the idea SME growth Demand of the market Professional team Technology readiness levels Technology formulation Validation: small scale prototype/ in lab Demo in relevant environment System complete and qualified Basic research Experimental proof of concept Validation: large scale prototype/ in relevant environment Demo/system prototype in operational environment Full commercial application 9

10 SME Instrument sponsors projects operating under 13 themes High risk ICT innovation Space research and development Nanotechnologies, or other advanced tech for manufacturing and materials Diagnostics devices and biomarkers Sustainable food production and processing Blue growth Low carbon energy systems Greener and more integrated transport Eco-innovation and sustainable raw material supply Biotechnology-based industrial processes Urban critical infrastructure Mobile e-government applications SME business model innovation 10

11 SME Instrument finances feasibility studies and validation activities SME Instrument phases Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Feasibility assessment Innovation project Commercialisation Objective Assess technical feasibility and market potential of new ideas Develop, test, prototype, pilot innovative processes, products and services Receive support measures toward commercializing SMEs innovative products EU financing 50,000 EUR (70% of total project) 0,5-2,5 million EUR (70% of total project) Duration 6 months 1-2 years SMEs can start receiving support already during Phase 2 Deliverable Feasibility assessment and business plan Technology or product that is ready for commercialization and scale-up Coaching 3 days 12 days N/A Success rate 8.3% 8.2% N/A Next deadline for Phase 1 and Phase 2: February, None Support and coaching received, access to risk finance, and networking opportunities (EEN) 11

13 Evaluation of proposals: total of 4 experts with different backgrounds evaluate proposals Proposal Eligible proposal Expert Expert Expert Expert Expert Minimum 4 experts; 1 additional expert may be called in the case of a tie-breaker Individual evaluation reports Median of scores ESR Individual evaluation (performed remotely, no face to face consensus meeting between experts) Final score = median of the expert scores Experts evaluate each section of the proposal: impact, excellence, implementation. Each section receives a score out of 5 and the total score is out of 15. Overall, experts pay attention to the following: your technology, market knowledge, commercialisation plan, and the financial angle. 13

14 Receiving a score above threshold (13 for Phase 1; 12 for Phase 2) does not guarantee funding Good quality proposal: score guideline <10: poor quality 10-12: needs significant improvement 12-13: good quality >13: potential for funding * Threshold What the evaluators look for in each section: 15 Impact Excellence Implementation Demonstrate the project will generate revenue and create jobs Provide concrete and realistic figures on the market size, market share and sales price Demonstrate that your project has European or international dimension Demonstrate how your product/ service/process is disruptive Show the added value of your idea and why it is viable and better than existing solutions Demonstrate your commercial competence Show the credibility of your team and your work plan Demonstrate how you will organise your team Max 5 points, 1,5 coefficient Max 5 points Max 5 points Avoid being too technical. Focus on: market, competitors, financial plan, team, skills, organization, time plan. *Receiving a score above 13 does not automatically guarantee funding you are still competing with other high quality proposals for limited funding. The threshold for Phase 2 is 12. However, you are eligible to gain the Seal of Excellence. 14

15 Quality of submitted proposals is increasing, which means that competition is also increasing The chances of winning Average success rate for Phase 1 is 8.3%; and for Phase 2 is 8.2%. Resubmission of Phase 1 proposals may double your chances of success if the first proposal was close to or above the threshold. Successful Phase 1 SMEs triples chances of success when applying for Phase 2: To increase your chances of success for Phase 2, go for Phase 1 first! Successful Phase 1 submissions, % Successful Phase 2 submissions, % Jun-14 Sep-14 Dec-14 Mar-15 Jun-15 Oct-14 Dec-14 Mar-15 Jun-15 Out of total submitted Out of above threshold Out of total submitted Out of above threshold 15

16 Most competitive sectors in June, 2014 were Biotech and ICT; in June, 2015 it was Biotech and Business model innovation Funded proposals per topic June, 2015, results (* new in 2015) Proposals funded Proposals submitted, not funded ICT Nanotech Ecoinnovation 236 Energy Biomarkers Transport efficiency Business model* Space Funded proposals per topic June, 2014, results E-gov* Urban Biotech critical infrastructures Proposals funded Blue growth Proposals submitted, not funded Food production ICT Nanotech Ecoinnovation Energy efficiency Biomarkers Transport Space Urban critical infrastructures Biotech Blue growth Food 16

18 Civitta s success rate is more than 4 times higher than the average EU-wide success rate How can we help your innovation project grow? Civitta success rate is more than 4 times higher than the EU-wide success rate. We have received funding for 33% of our clients. Civitta is one of the only consulting companies in Lithuania with consistently successful proposals. Civitta s clients with successful Phase 1 applications 100% 12 33% 4 25% 3 25% 3 17% 2 The EU average for successful proposals is 6%. Civitta prepared or assisted in preparing successful proposals for 33% of total clients (4 out of 12). 3 companies received scores above the 13-point threshold but did not get funded (applications to be improved) in these categories: Nanotechnologies; High risk ICT innovation; Sustainable food production. 3 received excellent scores (between 12 and 13) proposals to be improved. Total clients Funded Above threshold Between Other 18

19 Successful Phase 1 projects in the topics of nanotechnologies and low carbon energy systems Next Generation Rubber: a new rubber devulcanization process (LV) Saules vejo aruodai: Energy efficient window coverings (LT) Ferentis: Biosynthetic material for tissue growth (LT) Refgas: gas retrieval from biomass (UK) 4 funded 3 companies with our application received funding for Phase 1 and 1 application was improved by our team. Projects were funded in these categories: Nanotechnologies Low carbon energy systems 19

20 How we work We offer a comprehensive process of preparation and collaborate with you on your innovative idea and project. The people that make up our team include professional writers, evaluators, innovation experts, business coaches with business development expertise, and market researchers. Example of Phase 1 project preparation Start project Proposal submission Contract with EC signed Proposal preparation Review Proposal evaluation Contract negotiation 5 weeks* 1 week 3 months 1 month Kick-off meeting Discussion session Online communication Discussion session Online communication Discussion session Proposal submission Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 * Process could be longer if additional documents need to be prepared (e.g. business plan) 20

21 We look forward to working with you! Dmitrij Sosunov Civitta Estonia 24a Riia St., EE Tartu, Estonia 8 Lõõtsa St., EE Tallinn, Estonia Civitta Lithuania 27 Gediminas Ave., LT Vilnius, Lithuania H. Manto St., LT Klaipėda, Lithuania Civitta Latvia 6 Maskavas St., LV-1050, Riga, Latvia Civitta Moldova 16 T. Malinovski St., MD-2019, Chisinau, Moldova Civitta Belarus 11 Z. Biaduli St., BY , Minsk, Belarus Civitta Ukraine 20 a Kozhum'yatska st , Kyiv, Ukraine 21