Summary of the FabriQ 2 Call for Proposals to promote and support entrepreneurial projects in the field of social innovation Please note that this text is a brief summary of the Call for Proposal. The official call found at this link is in Italian and the terms, conditions and requirements that apply are as defined within the official version of the Call. The Municipality of Milan aims to promote and support social innovation within its territory. This call for proposals is especially aimed at entrepreneurial projects that tackle problems relating to the following fields: Smart Cities The six axes of the smart city are: economy, mobility, environment, quality of life, human capital and governance. Projects should offer an integrated and innovative approach to the creation and management of new urban services and be relevant in the context of the 2015 Expo. Accessible Cities Projects should address accessibility in the broad sense of the term, by providing services and ensuring access to urban spaces to all social categories both through improving information and tackling intangible barriers caused by social stratification.
Sharing Economy The sharing of goods, spaces and resources based on innovative economic and social processes undoubtedly has a positive social impact on the environment and on social relationships. Processes that favour job-matching also fall under the principle of sharing. Requirements In order to apply enterprises must meet the requirements of micro, small or medium enterprises as defined by the European Commission and must have been constituted less than 24 months prior to the publication of this call for proposals. The same guidelines apply to both foreign and Italian enterprises participating to the call. Foreign enterprises should be aware of the following: Enterprises that are not yet constituted are required to open an enterprise with legal and/or operational residence in Milan within three months of receiving the funding and establish legal residence in Italy within three months of the constitution of the enterprise. Existing enterprises must register with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and have an operational residence in Milan. The team members of foreign start-ups that qualify as innovative start-ups as described by Italian law and that require a visa should refer to the preferential visa issuing guidelines issued by the Ministry for Economic Development regarding the Italian Startup Visa. Funding The 7 projects selected will receive the following: 1. A maximum grant of up to 20,000 euros to cover up to 50% of the costs of the entrepreneurial project. 2. An extra contribution will be provided to startups that have their legal residence at more than 100 km from Milan and with half of their team members also legally residing at more than 100 km from Milan. A total of 6,000 euros has been allocated to cover this contribution and will be shared by the enterprises that meet this requirement. 3. Access to a 9 month incubation program at the social enterprise incubator of the Municipality of Milan, FabriQ. Beneficiaries will have access to the program at a discounted price (180,00 euros plus VAT per month) Services provided by the incubation program include: a dedicated tutor, training courses, expert support, access to potential investors, desks in an open space office, internet connection, coworking facilities.
Eligible expenses The following expenses are eligible (a maximum of 50% of the costs of the entrepreneurial project will be covered): feasibility studies, notary expenses for the constitution of the enterprise (up to 30% of the reported costs) incubation services (at a discounted monthly rate) technical or scientific consultancies relating to product / service development (up to 30% of reported costs) expenses related to communication plan employees salary costs associated to trademark registration salary for the majority shareholder (up to 30% of reported costs) purchase of raw materials, semifinished or finished goods and supplies (up to 30% of reported costs) depreciation charges for machinery and equipment, calculated according to current regulations (up to 30% of reported costs) travel expenses (up to 30% of reported costs) This list is not exhaustive. Please refer to the official Call for Proposals for details regarding eligible costs. The costs must refer to a time period no earlier than 6 months prior to the publication of the call for proposals (29 th December 2014). Beneficiaries must be able to provide contracts, invoices and proof of payment for all reported costs. Payments made in cash will not be reimbursed. Branding & Logo obligations Selected enterprises are required to include the FabriQ and Municipality of Milan logos in all their external communication, both online and offline, for the duration of the 9 month incubation program. Evaluation criteria The selection process will take place in two phases: the screening phase and the final selection phase. Screening phase All applications will be evaluated by awarding points according to the following criteria:
Capacity for generating social impact: 0-45 points Feasibility of the project and sustainability of the business plan: 0-30 points Degree of innovation: 0-15 points Scalability and/or replicability of the project: 0-10 points Final selection phase Applications with a score equal or higher than 60/100 will pass on to the final selection in which they will be required to present a pitch to the jury panel. They will be evaluated by additional awarding points according to the following criteria: Clarity of presentation: 0-10 points Analytical capacity and understanding of key aspects crucial to the success of the project: 0-10 points Strength of the arguments supporting the project: 0-15 points Capacity and commitment of the team: 0-15 points Funding payment schedule Funding will be paid-out in three installments. The first installment (15%) is considered an advance payment and will be paid to existing enterprises when they sign the agreement. Enterprises that were not constituted at the time of the application process will receive the first installment once they will be formally constituted. The second installment (45%) will be paid once the reporting for the previous installment will be successfully verified. The third installment (40%) will be paid at the end of the incubation program and once the final reporting will be verified. How to apply Support is provided to all enterprises wishing to apply. Please send your questions by email or write to request a Skype conference to:. Applications must be submitted by filling out the form published on the website of the Municipality of Milan www.comune.milano.it in the section called Bandi e avvisi di gara > Bandi > Contributi. The form, called DOMANDA DI PARTECIPAZIONE AL BANDO FabriQ 2 PER IL SOSTEGNO ALLO SVILUPPO DI PROGETTI IMPRENDITORIALI NEL CAMPO DELL INNOVAZIONE SOCIALE, must be submitted along with the following documents: 1. Description of the entrepreneurial idea 2. Business plan 3. Brief competitors analysis
4. Self evaluation grid 5. CV of each team member 6. The person signing the application must provide a photo static copy of an up to date identity document and a black and white photocopy of their national insurance number. Applications can be sent as of the 29th of January 2015 and must be received no later than by 12.00 0 clock on the 16th of March 2015. Applications can be sent by certified email, by certified post or by hand. By certified email to the following address: plo.bandi@postacert.comune.milano.it Please specify BANDO FABRIQ 2 in the subject line. By certified post or by hand to the following address: Ufficio Protocollo della Direzione Centrale Politiche del Lavoro, Sviluppo Economico e Università, via Dogana n. 2 20123 Milan - Italy Please ensure the envelope is sealed.