The SME Instrument in HORIZON 2020

Natascia Lai Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME)

Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 - 2020)

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SME support in Horizon 2020

• 20% of H2020 budget (about €9.3 billion) to be allocated to SMEs across the "Societal challenges" and "Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies"

• The dedicated SME Instrument (about €3 billion), following a predominately bottom-up logic, will address the needs of innovating SMEs

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The SME Instrument 3-stage support

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Phase 1 - Concept & Feasibility Assessment

o €50 000 in EU funding

o Feasibility study

o 10-page application

o 6 months in duration

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Idea to concept

Phase 2 – Demonstration activities

o Between €0.5 million and €2.5 million in EU funding

o The SME will further develop its proposal through innovation activities, such as demonstration, testing, piloting, scaling up, and miniaturisation

o 30-page application including business plan

o 1-2 years in duration

o 70% funding (exceptions possible)

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Concept to market-maturity

Phase 3 – Market launch

o No stand-alone phase!

o No direct funding

o SMEs will receive extensive support, training, mentorship

o Facilitate access to risk finance

o Additional support and networking opportunities (EEN)

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Prepare for Market Launch

Business coaching

• Coaches will drive the performance of the organisation

• Coaches suggested by EEN, and selected by the SME

• Voluntary business coaching:

o Phase 1: 3 days

o Phase 2: 12 days

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The Horizon 2020 Participant Portal

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Online application submission system

The application template

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Phase 1 : max 10 pages

Phase 2 : max 30 pages

The evaluation process

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Consensus report (automatic - median of individual scores)

4 experts / proposal

Evaluation criteria

• Economic impact

• Excellence in innovation

• Quality and efficiency of the implementation

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The application: key elements

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Excellence • Objectives • Relation to the work programme • Concept and approach • Ambition Impact • Expected Impacts • Users/Market • Company • Dissemination and exploitation of results • Intellectual property, knowledge protection and regulatory issues

Implementation • Work plan – work package and deliverable • Management structure and procedures • Consortium as a whole (if applicable) • Resources to be committed

Themes for 2014-2015

In 2014 and 2015 the SME Instrument will sponsor SMEs operating within 13 themes:

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• High risk ICT innovation

• Nanotech, or other advanced tech for manufacturing and materials

• Space research and development

• 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

• Urban critical infrastructure

• Biotechnology-based industrial processes

• Mobile e-government applications (2015 only)

• SME business model innovation (2015 only)

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

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• TRL 1 – basic principles observed

• TRL 2 – technology concept formulated

• TRL 3 – experimental proof of concept

• TRL 4 – technology validated in lab

• TRL 5 – technology validated in relevant environment

• TRL 6 – technology demonstrated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)

• TRL 7 – system prototype demonstration in operational environment

• TRL 8 – system complete and qualified

• TRL 9 – actual system proven in operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies; or in space)

Minimum TRL for SME Instrument proposals: 6

Timeline

• Open call: Submissions can be submitted any time, and will be immediately evaluated

• 4 cut-off dates per year (March, June, September, December) for ranking and finance decisions

• Budget: total is roughly € 3 billion.

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Thank you!

For more information go to:

http://ec.europa.eu/easme/sme/

@H2020SME

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