Seal of Excellence

Magda De Carli, Acting HoU RTD B5

WHY A SEAL OF EXCELLENCE ?

INNOVATION UNION COMMITMENTS

LEGAL BASIS:H2020 & ESIF REGULATIONS

POLITICAL MANDATE: JUNCKER TO MOEDAS & CRETU

BUILDING SYNERGIES BETWEEN EU FUNDSTO MAXIMIZE QUANTITY, QUALITY AND IMPACT OF R&I INVESTMENTSFOR JOBS AND GROWTH

COHESION REGULATION 2014-2020

1. Thematic concentration to maximise the impact of investments

-> more developed regions have to spend a minimum of 60-80% ERDF to the first four objectives

(including the R&I objective – TO1)

and less developed regions at least 50%

2. Ex-Ante conditionalities to ensure effective implementation

->Smart Specialisation – a strategic approach to economic development through targeted support to R&I - is the Ex-ante Conditionality for the use of the ERDF for R&D&I investments

3. All Operational Programmes contain a part on Synergies (Sect. 8)

4. Synergies friendly rules: Common Strategic Framework (point 4)

ESIF Basics: 11 Thematic objectives

SEAL OF EXCELLENCE:HOW DOES IT WORK?

Excellent proposals receive the SEAL OF EXCELLENCE

certificate

The SEAL OF EXCELLENCE:

Awarded to ALL qualifying SME instrument PROPOSALS

Downloadable only by the SME/s from 'My area' in Participants Portal

Informs

Builds reputation

Explains

Shows Politicalcommittment

Fraud-proof

Accompanying letter

XXXXXXXXXXXXX TOPIC XXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX TITLE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xx Legal name xx

Xx Legal address xx

KEY MESSAGES TO SMEs :SMEs usually welcome the seal, BUT Expectations have to be managed:

A great opportunity, but process just starting: be patient!

No guarantee of 'automatic' alternative funding and/or to the funding intensity of H2020 / No to be used for DOUBLE FUNDING

Search pro-actively: only you (SMEs) receive the seal and can use it….

…if you wish so (no obligation!)

Make available to the funder ALL documents at your disposal (Full Proposal, Evaluation Summary Report,...)

DIVERSIFY your search for funding, in terms of sources (public (ESIF or own resources) / private) and type (grants / financial instruments)

KEY MESSAGES TO FUNDING BODIES:(Managing Authorities, nat/reg agencies, private foundations, banks, VCs, bus.angels)

SoE are excellent projects, not left-overs from Horizon 2020 (strict criteria,

international panel, transparent and competitive evaluation)

Great opportunity to exploit H2020 first-class evaluation system

but not obligatory!

Keep the process as simple as possible: no need to re-evaluate the content

ESIF can be used, just foresee it in the Selection Criteria!

Different support can be provided: grants/loans/guarantee/… general support

'Seal'- under-performing MSs: consider the learning curve and incentive effect!

You are not alone: join the COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE!

SEAL OF EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATES: NUMBERS AND DISTRIBUTION

Total

submitted

Above

threshold

% of

submittedFunded

Funded as

%of above

threshold

Above

threshold

not funded

above

threshold -not

funded

%above

threshold

Success

rate

Phase 1 18/06/2014 2658 317 12% 155 49% 162 51% 6%

Phase 1 24/09/2014 1943 237 12% 178 75% 59 25% 9%

Phase 1 17/12/2014 2362 320 14% 259 81% 61 19% 11%

Phase 1 18/03/2015 1569 251 16% 149 59% 102 41% 9%

Phase 1 17/06/2015 2029 342 17% 128 37% 214 63% 6%

Phase 1 17/09/2015 1872 336 18% 122 36% 214 64% 7%

Phase 1 25/11/2015 2055 316 15% 175 55% 141 45% 9%

Phase 1 24/02/2016 1995 330 17% 174 53% 156 47% 9%

Phase 1 3/05/2016 2005 320 16% 166 52% 154 48%

Overall Phase 1 18.488 2.769 15% 1.506 54% 1263 46% 8%

Phase 2 9/10/2014 578 132 23% 60 45% 72 55% 10%

Phase 2 17/12/2014 629 180 29% 74 41% 106 59% 12%

Phase 2 18/03/2015 613 230 37% 37 16% 193 84% 6%

Phase 2 17/06/2015 962 357 37% 44 12% 313 88% 5%

Phase 2 17/09/2015 960 373 39% 33 9% 340 91% 3%

Phase 2 25/11/2015 1.090 425 39% 30 7% 395 93% 3%

Phase 2 3/02/2016 553 208 38% 47 23% 161 77% 8%

Phase 2 14/04/2016 969 450 46% 48 11% 402 89% 5%

Phase 2 15/06/2016 1.189 582 49% 56 10% 526 90% 5%

Overall Phase 2 7.543 2.937 39% 429 15% 2.508 85% 6%

Total 26.031 5.706 29% 1935 34% 3.771 66% 7%

Update in June 2016

SME INSTRUMENT:

HIGHLY POPULAR AND COMPETITIVE SCHEME MANY DESERVING, FEW FUNDED…

Phase 2

MAPPING SOE

PHASE 1DISTRIBUT

ION

MAPPING SOE

PHASE 2 DISTRIBUT

ION

82 69

203

426

59

211

374

579

106

432

80

222

680

288 309

121

37

207

25

107

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

'Seal of Excellence' proposals by TopicUntil June 2016 cut-off

Phase 1 Phase 2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

ES IT UK DE FR DK EE NL PL FI HU NO PT AT BE EL IE LU SE SI SK TR MT

SoE awarded proposals to SC6 – sme_12 AND inso(until September 2016 cut-off)

SMEInst-12 (Ph1+Ph2) INSO-9 (Ph1+Ph2)

THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

MEMBERSHIP: funding bodies interested in invest in SoE

PURPOSE: Exchange of practices, address / solve bottlenecks

TOOLS: Intranet (Sinapse)+regular meetings in Bruxelles (next 10/10)

In SEPT 2016: 175 members from 25 MSs+Norway and Serbia

Members: CY; DK; EE; EL; FI; HR, HU, IE, LT; LV; NL, PL; RO; SE; SI; SK

AT (Carintia, Lower Austria); BE (Flander); CZ (South Moravia);

DE (NRWestphalia, Berlin, Sachsen-Anhalt, NiederSachsen);

ES (Aragon, Asturia, Galicia, Cantabria, Andalucia, Catalonia); FR (Centre, Alsace; Loire; Basse Normandie, Bretagne);

IT (Puglia, Umbira, Piemonte, Trentino, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Calabria, Lazio, Sicilia, Trentino); PT (Azore); UK (Scotland, Northern Ireland - Wales)

+ HORIZON 2020 Associated Countries (NO, RS)

+ PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS (IT) ; Commercial Banks Association (CBE) …

RAISED INTEREST and RECIPROCAL KNOWLEDGE

by WORKING ON A CONCRETE INITIATIVE!

CONCRETE ISSUES -> CONCRETE SOLUTIONS:

CALL DESIGN -> Clarity and simplification (DG REGIO)

INFORMATION GAP -> Aggregated data per region on request

STATE AID * -> Discussion with DG COMP

* NB: The funding of Seal of excellence proposals through ESIF and in

compliance with State Aid Rules IS ALREADY POSSIBLE!

We are trying to make it smoother

Achieved, also through Community of Practice

ART 25 Large

enterprise

Medium-

sized

Small

R&D projects

- Fundamental research 100% 100% 100%

- Industrial research -'GBER' 50-65% 60-75% 70-80%

- Experimental development

- 'GBER' ART 25

25-40% 35-50% 45 - 60%*

- Feasibility studies 50% 60% 70%

GBER rules for R&D projects: aid intensities

NB: * 1) Higher percentage applicable in case of wide dissimination or collaboration

2) Eligible cost basis larger than H2020 (no cap in threshold)

MAPPING OF SEAL OF EXCELLENCESUPPORT SCHEMES

CURRENT 'seal'-friendly actions:

Support service package/coaching for 'seal proposals'

(ongoing: IE, Spain, France, Lombardy, CZ Republic, Tekes- Finland , Norway, Catalonia; planned: Asturias, Scotland)

Targeted calls for 'seal proposals' Phase 1

(already available: Spain, Vinnova-Sweden, Norway, Finland, South Moravia, Lombardy; later: Asturias, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Serbia)

Calls to support Phase 2 (grant/financial instruments)

(available: Italy; very soon and planned: Lombardy, Trento, Czech, Cyprus, Finland, Slovenia…)

Collaboration with INVESTHorizon, EIT, PRIVATE INVESTORS

up to now more than 200 SoE funded… more in the pipeline

RAPIDLY EXPANDING BUT LONG PROCESS (FOR PHASE)

MAPPING SOE

FRIENDLY ACTIONS

THE ITALIAN CASE: FUNDING PHASE 2 PROPOSALS

July 2015: National industrial association took up the task to

organize first workshop on Seal

Ministry of economic development joined the SoE Community of

practice (October 2015 – 1st CoP meeting)

Alignment of NOP selection criteria to H2020 (end 2015)

Design of the first Sustainable Growth Fund call (OP

competitiveness); specific provision on SOE projects shared with

EC (end 2015, early 2016).

SGF first call issued in July 2016. SoE projects to get the maximum

score (without any further technical assessment)

The Italian case –funding SoE phase2

proposals

THE CALL:

REACTIONSTO THE SEAL INITIATIVE

TWITTER: #Sealofexcellence

RE-VAMPED WEBSITE

• Divided in 4 PARTS addressed to the main players to guide them through the process with tailor-made information

• WHAT is the SEAL -> basic info on rationale and tools

• WHO RECEIVES IT -> info and tips for SMEs

• WHO CAN FUND IT -> info and tips for funding bodies

• SOON: WHERE THE MONEY ARE -> MAP WITH OPERATING SUPPORT SCHEMES

NEXT STEPS

• INFORMATION and COMMUNICATION: role of SME PC

• SUPPORT AND PROMOTION: of 'seal-friendly' actions on web

• MONITORING PROGRESS: maximum feedback from MAs & SMEs

• SIMPLIFY STATE AID APPLICATION TO SoE PROPOSALS

• ONGOING IMPROVEMENT THROUGH FEEDABCK RECEIVED-> EIC DEVELOPMENT ALONG THIS LINE

• EXPLORE POSSIBLE EXPANDING TO OTHER ACTIONS: Widening (TEAMING, ERA CHAIR), MSC, ERC proof of concept, …..

SYNERGIES and SEAL OF EXCELLENCE WEBSITE: http://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/

MORE INFO: email to: RTD-seal-of-excellence@ec.europa.eu

Guide for authorities on synergies between ESIF and Horizon2020 andother EU programmes:

• http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/

• other/index.html

Horizon 2020 regulations & rules for participation, http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/funding/reference_docs.html

Evaluation procedure of the SME Instrument

• http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/funding/

• sme_participation.html

Thank you