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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